Iris laevigata, which belongs to the Iridaceae, is now designated as an “endangered” (EN) grade by Korea Forest Service because it does not have many natural sites known for its reckless development and damage to its natural habitats. This study was carried out to establish the propagation protocol from seed to restore the native habitat of the I. laevigata and to utilize it for ornamental purposes. Basically, the appearance and internal structure of seeds were observed and imbibition experiments were conducted. Germination rate was measured by cold stratification experiment, after warm followed by cold stratification experiment, and GA3 treatment experiment. The seeds had underdeveloped embryos, which had grown to about 25% of those of fully matured seed before germination. In the controlled laboratory experiment, after cold stratification at 5°C for 0, 4, 8, or 12 weeks, the seeds germinated to 0, 11.7, 43.4, or 51.7%, respectively, after 4 weeks of incubation at 25°C. After warm stratification (25°C, 8 weeks) followed by cold stratification for 0, 4, 8, or 12 weeks, the seeds germinated to 0, 51.7, 85.0, or 88.3%, respectively, after 4 weeks of incubation at 25°C. GA3 treatment did not overcome the dormancy. Our study determined the dormancy type of I. laevigata seed. Imbibition experiments showed that there was no physical dormancy, and it was also found that there was an underdeveloped embryo when it was observed that the embryo was growing according to the period of incubation. A nd t he e m bryo grew a t relatively w arm temperatures. It is concluded that the seeds of I. laevigata have morphophysiological dormancy (deep simple MPD). This is the first report to determine the dormancy type in seeds of this valuable ornamental plant.

Mitochondrial genomes of three specimens of Gadus chalcogrammus Pallas 1,814 from Korea and Japan were completely analyzed by the primer walking method. They were 16,570~16,571 bp in length, each comprising 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes. Their gene orders were identical to those of conspecific specimens, but exhibited unique haplotypes. In the phylogenetic tree, the juvenile Korean and adult Japanese specimens were separated from the dominant clade composed of specimens from Japan, Korea, the Bering Sea, and the Arctic, including the adult Korean specimen.

This study was conducted at the National Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) from 2010 to 2017 to develop a late-maturing variety with high productivity for cultivation in the southern region of South Korea. The new variety of Italian ryegrass, ‘IR901’, was a late-maturing variety, and its heading date was 22 May, 17 days later than that of the control variety ‘Kowinearly’. ‘IR901’ had a flag leaf width of 11.2 mm, flag leaf length of 31.8 cm, and plant length of 103 cm on its heading date. The combined average dry matter yield of ‘IR901’ in all three adaptability evaluation regions (Cheonan, Pyeongchang and Haenam) was 7,747 kg/ha, which was similar to that of the ‘Kowinearly’ variety (7,734 kg/ ha). However, the average dry matter yield over three years in Cheonan and Pyeongchang was 82% and 96%, respectively, compared to that of the control, which was most likely because of the poor cold tolerance of ‘IR901’. By contrast, in Haenam, in the southern region, the average dry matter yield of ‘IR901’ was 19% higher than that of the ‘Kowinearly’ variety. The proportions of crude protein (CP), total digestible nutrients (TDN), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in ‘IR901’ were 8.6%, 59.7%, 36.9%, and 54.8%, respectively; the proportions were 0.2% lower, the same, the same, and 2.5% lower than those in the ‘Kowinearly’ variety. The determined in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of ‘IR901’ was 72.2% higher than that of ‘Kowinearly’ (67.2). In general, of the two varieties, the forage quality of ‘IR901’ was marginally superior to that of ‘Kowinearly’.

본 연구에서는 한반도에 자생하는 삼수개미자리(Minuartia verna var. coreana)의 자생지 보존 및 신관상식물로서 원예 적 활용을 목적으로 자생지 식생조사 및 종자의 발아특성을 조사하였다. 삼수개미자리는 석회암지대가 오랜 시간에 걸쳐서 풍화된 모래 언덕에 자생하는 것으로 확인되었다. 자생지 주변에는 총 60종의 식물이 자생하고 있었다. 출현한 60종 중 에서 IUCN categoty 기준으로 EN(endangered) 종은 복사 앵도(Prunus choreiana), 솔붓꽃(Iris ruthenica), 동강할미꽃 (Pulsatilla tongkangensis) 3종이었고, VU(Vulnerable)은 백리향 (Thymus quinquecostatus)과 시호(Bupleurum komarovianum), 세잎승마(Cimicifuga heracleifolia var. bifida) 3종, LC(Least concerned)는 지치(Lithospermum erythrorhizon), 참배암차즈 기(Salvia chanryoenica), 금마타리(Patrinia saniculaefolia) 3종 이었다. 한반도 특산식물은 삼수개미자리를 포함하여 복사앵도 (P. choreiana)와 덕우기름나물(Sillaphyton podagraria), 세잎승 마(C. heracleifolia var. bifida), 동강할미꽃(P. tongkangensis) 5종이었다. 삼수개미자리 종자는 완전히 발달된 배를 가지고 있었고, 20/10, 25/15℃에서 각각 53.7, 95.6%의 발아율이 나 타났다. 20/10℃에서 31일차에 41%가 발아하였기 때문에 약 60% 정도는 ‘conditional dormancy’를 가지고 있었다. 광조건 과 암조건에서 각각 90.6, 38.9%가 발아하였기 때문에 땅속에 매몰된 종자의 경우 ‘soil seed bank’를 형성할 가능성을 보여 주었다.

Inflammation is a protective mechanism against pathogens, but if maintained continuously, it destroys tissue structures. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic bacterium often found in severe periodontitis. A. actinomycetemcomitans invades epithelial cells and triggers inflammatory response in the immune cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of water-soluble rosehip extract on A. actinomycetemcomitansinduced inflammatory responses. A human monocytic cell line (THP-1) was differentiated to macrophages by phorbol 12-mystristate 13-acetate treatment. The cytotoxic effect of extract was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2- yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The effects of extract on bacterial growth were examined by measuring the optical densities using a spectrophotometer. THP-1-derived macrophages were infected A. actinomycetemcomitans after extract treatment, and culture supernatants were analyzed for cytokine production using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Protein expression was measured by western blotting. Extract was not toxic to THP-1- derived macrophages. A. actinomycetemcomitans growth was inhibited by 1% extract. The extract suppressed A. actinomycetemcomitans-induced tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-8 production. It also decreased mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) phosphorylation. Moreover, the extract inhibited the expression of inflammasome components, including nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3, Absent in Melanoma 2, and apoptosis associated speck-like protein containing a CARD. And cysteine-aspartic proteases-1 and IL-1β expression were decreased by the extract. In summary, extract suppressed A. actinomycetemcomitans growth and decreased inflammatory cytokine production by inhibiting activation of MAP kinase, NF-κB, and inflammasome signaling. Rosehip extract could be effective in the treatment of periodontal inflammation induced by A. actinomycetemcomitans infection.

The salinity of the brining solution for preparing kimchi imparts saltiness to kimchi, and affects its overall taste. In this study, the changes in the overall taste and quality of kimchi depending on the salinity of the brining solution (6% and 12%) were investigated. The salinity of kimchi brined in 6% NaCl solution was approximately 1.3%, and its umami (2.22±0.22) was lower than that (2.96±0.16) of the conventional kimchi, brined in 12% NaCl solution. In contrast, its bitterness (-3.77±0.05) was higher than that of the conventional kimchi (-4.48±0.12). The sensory evaluation results showed that the overall taste score of the low-salinity kimchi (2.8±0.4) was significantly lower than that of the conventional kimchi (4.5±1.1). To overcome the deterioration in the overall taste, a taste enhancer with a sea tangle extract and anchovy extract was added to the low-salinity kimchi. The overall taste score (4.4±1.2) of the seasoned kimchi, which is the low-salinity kimchi supplemented with the taste enhancer, was comparable to that (4.5±1.1) of the conventional kimchi, while maintaining a salinity of 1.7%. This study demonstrated the benefits of proper taste enhancer for improving the taste of low-salinity kimchi.