Rice mesocotyl is the region between the coleoptile node and point of union of the culm with the root. The mesocotyl is one of the important factor contributing to rice seedling emergence from soil in direct seedling. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for mesocotyl elongation of rice had been reported in few studies. However, association mapping of mesocotyl elongation QTL was not conducted. For that reason, we detected QTLs for mesocotyl elongation in agar and soil conditions and confirmed the potentials of QTLs using chromosome substitution lines (CSSLs). Backcross inbred line (BILs) and chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) derived from a cross between Kasalath and Nipponbare were employed to detect QTLs for mesocotyl elongation in rice. A total of 12 QTLs for mesocotyl elongation were detected on chromosome 1, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 12 using 98 BILs in agar and soil conditions. Two QTLs, qMel-1 and qMel-3 were consistently detected in both conditions. For substitution mapping of qMel-1 and qMel-3, across was made between 2 CSSLs, CSSL-6 and CSSL-15. Our results showed that the qMel-1 was located between two markers RM5448 and RM5310 on chromosome1 and the qMel-3 was located between RM15859-RM15974 on chromosome3. To understand factors controlling mesocotyl elongation, cell expansion and division of rice mesocotyl were investigated. Moreover, microarray analysis was conducted to select candidate genes using near-isogenic lines for two QTLs. 194 genes were up- and down regulated in rice mesocotyl.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple foods that feed more than 50% of the world’s population. With the improving of people’s living standard, eating quality of rice become the most important aims in current breeding programs. Amylose content (AC) and gelatinization temperature (GT) are the two main measures to estimate the rice grain quality. In rice, a total of 27 genes directly involved the rice starch biosynthesis effecting on the rice eating quality. It clearly identified chromosome 6 to be rich in the genes related to AC and GT properties (GBSS I, SSIIa and SBE I) along with other genomic regions scattered in rice genome. Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen M. oryzae, is the most devastating disease of rice and severely affects crop stability and sustainability worldwide. Many fungal genes involved in pathogenicity and rice genes involved in effector recognition and defense responses have been identified over the past decade. A total of 99 and 22 blast resistance genes have been identified and cloned; in which 45% were found in japonica cultivars, 51% in indica cultivars, and the rest 4% in wild rice species. Among them, three major resistance gene clusters have been characeterized: the Pik locus on Chromosome 11, and the Pita locus on Chromosome 12, the Piz locus on Chromosome 6 closely to the starch synthesis-related genes. These results could be important clues for studying the relationship between resistance / susceptible materials and eating quality.

One of the biotic stresses in rice production is rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, which is one of the most destructive fungal diseases in rice. We outlined an approach towards genome wide association study for the blast disease resistance in rice. In total, 295 rice accessions including 137 Heuristic Set accessions (HS) and 158 Korean Bred varieties (KB) were screened for the rice blast disease resistance. Firstly, Magnaporthe oryzae were inoculated to the rice seedlings of two weeks after germinations. Then, evaluation of the disease symptoms and checking the crossing point (CP) value were conducted one week after inoculation. To quantify the CP value, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed in combination with the primer pair and Taqman probe specific to Magnaporthe oryzae HYDROPHOBIN class 1 (MHP1) which is an indispensable unigene encoding HYDROPHOBIN for normal virulence expression. Based on these CP values from the PCR reactions containing a series of increasing concentration of cloned amplicon or fungal genomic DNA, correlation among the template’s copy number or its amount and amplification pattern was calculated. Reliability of this equation was further confirmed using the DNA samples from the rice leaves infected with compatible or incompatible strains of M. oryzae. These steps are still being undertaken, and after the complete process of disease resistance phenotyping for the whole population containing 295 accessions, GWAS will be performed to examine the associated genes involving in blast resistance mechanism using the whole genome resequencing data of 295 accessions. This approach would be a useful technique for identifying genetic loci responsible for natural variation in rice blast disease resistance and ultimately, new R genes which can improve the blast resistance in rice.

Drought stress is one of the major stress affecting growth and productivity in rice. Drought tolerance is a complex trait governed by quantitative trait loci (QTLs) making it difficult to understand mechanisms underlying it. We generated a set of 55 introgression lines via a backcrossing using Milyang23, a Korean Tongil-type rice variety as the recurrent parent and O. glaberrima (IRGC Acc. No. 103544), an exotic collection from Mali, West Africa as donor parent. 141 SSR markers were used to genotype 55 introgression lines. The 55 introgression lines with the Milyang23 were evaluated for physiological traits such as Fresh shoot weight (FSW), Fresh root weight (FRW) and Dry shoot weight (DSW) under control and 20% PEG-treated condition. Three lines (IL9, 12, 55) showing significant difference with Milyang23 were selected. The genetic background of the three lines were similar to Milyang23 and it has four, four and two O. glaberrima homozygous segments, respectively. IL9 performed better than Milyang23 in all traits measured in the 20% PEG-treated condition. IL9 possessed four O. glaberrima introgressions on chromosomes 1, 2, 6 and 7. IL12 performed better than Milyang23 in FSW and FRW. IL12 contains four O. glaberrima introgressions on chromosomes 3 and 6. And IL55 contains two O. glaberrima introgressions on chromosomes 2 and 6. O. glaberrima segment delimited by markers OSR19-RM225 at chromosomes 6 was commonly present in these three lines. This region corresponds to the QTL region for drought tolerance reported by other previous studies. A set of introgression lines are being developed containing only few chromosomal segments from O. glaberrima in the Milyang23 background. These would be useful not only in developing drought tolerant lines in the breeding program but also in fine-mapping the genes/QTLs for drought resistance.

Using a series of BC8F4 nearly isogenic lines(IL-20) derived from a cross between Hwaseongbyeo, as the recurrent parent, and wild rice Oryza minuta (IRGC Acc. No. 101144) as the donor parent we constructed a high-resolution physical map for the days to heading (dth9)-QTL. dth9 QTL was mapped to the long arm of chromosome 9 across a 34.74-kb region containing 8 predicted genes. Heading date of Japonica rice variety Hwaseongbyeo was one week earlier than a near-isogenic line (NILs) IL-20 under natural field (NF) conditions and 3-4 days under short-day (SD) conditions implying that the dth9-QTL is involved in photoperiod sensitivity in rice. Of the 8 predicted genes three were protein-coding genes in dth9-QTL region. According to RiceXpro published data, micro-array analysis of different leaf developmental stages of Nipponbare showed a higher level of LOC_Os09g36700 mRNA expression during panicle initiation stage. This data further supported our prediction that dth9 locus is responsible for delayed heading in IL-20. Previous studies showed that RNase T2 family proteins are involved in photoperiod sensitivity. Based on these findings we sequenced two candidate genes, which encoded for RNase T2 family proteins. Interestingly, we found the existence of a missense mutation in LOC_Os09g36700 gene suggesting that dth9-QTL might control difference in days to heading between Hwaseongbyeo and IL-20. The QTL for days to heading had not been detected in previous QTL studies between Oryza cultivars, indicating the existence of potentially novel allele from O. mimuta.

While a wealth of genetic diversity can be found from traditional rice varieties, wild rice species and wild relatives of rice, transfer of useful genes to modern varieties are often hampered by linkage drag. In this study, the previously identified blast resistance locus Pi45(t) from a cross between ‘Ilpumbyeo’ and ‘Moroberekan’ was showed to be linked with the spreading-type panicle caused by the SPR3 locus. Using InDel4 and RM17579 linked to the Pi45(t) and the SPR3, respectively, the distance between the two loci was estimated to be 6.9cM. This suggests a tight, yet incomplete linkage and provides the opportunity to utilize Pi45(t) in breeding programs without including SPR3. Two groups based on the genotype at the SPR3 locus were assembled; the CLosed Panicle (CLP) and SPReading panicle (SPR) groups with lines, which were homozygous for the Ilpumbyeo and Moroberekan alleles, respectively. A comparison between the traits of CLP and SPR groups revealed a decrease in 1000-grain weight and length and an increase in spikelets per panicle and secondary branches in the SPR group. This complicates selection against SPR3 as it is not clear whether these quantitative trait loci are linked to either SPR3 or Pi45(t). Re-evaluation of these traits using lines recombinant at the two loci would be necessary to clarify this issue.

This study aims at classifying and interpreting on the vegetation structure and the vegetation transition over 25 years (between 1986 and 2010), and the correlation with the change of some conditions (the vegetation height and coverage on each layer and the climate factors as WI, CI, mean annual temperature, mean annual total precipitation etc.) in the Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest,, Hong-Do island. The EBLF is classified into five units of vegetation (Hedera rhombea-Machilus thunbergii community (M-M comm.), Castanopsis sieboldii forest (Machilus japonica-Castanopsis sieboldii community; Raphiolepis indica var. umbellata-C. sieboldii community), community (Qa comm.), Carpinus turczaninovii community (Ct comm.), Camellia japonica stand (Cj stand)). The vegetation transition by CCA had high correlation with the height and coverage on each layer and the climate factors, and it did the succession (transition) that the M-M comm. (2010) from Mallotus japonicus community･Machilus thunbergii community･Carpinus coreana community (Cc comm.)･Aucuba japonica community (Aj comm.)･Trachelos permum asiaticum var. intermedium-Quercus acuta community (TQ comm.) (1986), the communities of C. sieboldii forest (2010) from Aj comm.･TQ comm.･Raphiolepis umbellata-Camellia japonica community (RC comm.) (1986), the Qa comm. (2010) from Ardisia japonica-Castanopsis sieboldii community (AC comm.) and TQ comm. (1986), the Ct comm. (2010) from Cc comm.･RC comm.･Aj comm.･Quercus serrata community and the Cj stand (2010) from AC comm. (1986). the height and coverage on each layer are also changed.

In this study, we estimate the interannual spatial and temporal distributions of fishing grounds at night in the East Sea based on satellite and in-situ data. We observe that the 15℃ thermal front moves in the north-south direction according to the movement of the warm water (above 18℃) in the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) area, forcing the cold water area (below 10℃) to either expand or shrink. The interannual variations of sea surface temperature (SST) in winter represented by the indicator SST of 6℃ are consistent with the east-west zonal areas in the central East Sea which represented over 1℃ standard deviation of SST in February during 1990-2000. Annual SST in the fishing grounds of common squid fishing vessels, observed both by fishing vessels and satellites range from 9-22℃, with the satellite-observed data having a larger range than the fishing vessel-based ones. The interannual distributions of the common squid fishing grounds in the East Sea are mostly concentrated in the TWC area in the southwestern part of the East Sea and in the coast of southern Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan. The interannual distributions of the nighttime fishing vessels are consistent with the catches investigated from the fishing vessel.

Grain size is a major determinant of grain yield in rice. In a previous study, a QTL for grain width(GW), qgw1 was detected on chromosome 1 using 96 BC3F8 lines derived from a cross between ‘Hwaseongbyeo’ as a recurrent parent and ‘O. rufipogon’ as a donor parent. At this locus, the O. rufipogon allele increased GW. Among the 96 introgression lines, three ILs with the O. rufipogon qgw1 locus showed significantly increase in grain width compare to the recurrent parent. One of the three lines, CR572 was selected and crossed to ‘Hwaseongbyeo’. A total of 494 F2:3 were evaluated for grain width and agronomic traits in the field. QTL analysis in 494 F2:3 lines indicated that QTL for grain width was located in the interval RM495–RM5443. To narrow down the position of qgw1, substitution mapping using F4 lines with different cross-over breakpoints in the region is underway. The result will be discussed.

High grain yield is one of the most important traits for improvement in rice breeding program. Much attention has been given to the genetic bases of spikelets per panicle (SPP) and grain weight (GW) because of their imporftance in rice yield. In this study, IL28, near isogenic line (NIL) developed by introgressing chromosomal segments from Moroberekan into Ilpumbyeo, showed significant increase in number of spikelets per panicle and 1,000 grain weight compare to the recurrent parent Ilpumbyeo. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis in 1150 F2 plants derived from a cross between IL28 and Ilpumbyeo, indicated that both qspp6 and qgw6 were located in the interval RM3430 – RM20580. To map the QTL more precisely, substitution mapping of qspp6 and qgw6 using F4 lines was conducted. As a result of substitution mapping with fifty F4 lines, qspp6 was mapped to an 429kb interval between RM20521 and RM20562 while qgw6 was mapped to a 267kb interval between RM20562 and RM20572 based on the japonica genome sequence. This result seems to indicate that qspp6 and qgw6 are two different genes. It is notable that these QTL, qspp6 and qgw6 are independence from undesirable height and flowering time. Moreover, there was no negative correlation between qspp6 and qgw6 when two genes are pyramided in the genetic background of Ilpumbyeo. SSR markers tightly linked to the qspp6 and qgw6 will facilitate cloning of the gene underlying these QTLs as well as marker assisted selection for variation in SPP and TGW in an applied breeding program.

The Brown planthopper (Bph) is one of the most serious pests of rice affecting rice yield and quality throughout the country. Combining the Bph resistance in the existing quality japonica cultivars is an important breeding target in Korea. Wide crosses using several strains of AA-genome wild rices, O.rufipogon have been used to produce the primary germplasm which is highly resistant to Bph. By repeated backcrossing, the resistance gene was introgressed in the background of two japonica cultivars, Ilpum and Hwaseong. Among the advanced backcross progenies, the ten BC2F3 lines were identified as the highest resistance in the comparative Bph bioassay with other resistant sources. The 24 polymorphic markers spanning the twelve chromosomes were tested for association with marker genotypes and resistance/susceptibility reaction in the 80 BC2F3 lines, RM3748 on the chromosome 7 showed the highest association.

In previous studies, we reported that a QTL for 1000-grain weight (TGW), qTGW3 was located in the interval between RM60 and RM523 (1.2Mb) on chromosome 3 using advanced backcross lines derived from a cross between Oryza sativa ssp. Indica cv. Milyang 23 and O. glaberrima. The O. glaberrima alleles at this locus increased TGW and GL in the Milyang 23 background. To further confirm and narrow down the position of the QTLs on chromosome 3, twenty lines with different O. glaberrima segments in the target region were selected. Twenty lines were evaluated for seven agronomic traits including 1,000 grain weight and grain length and also genotyped with ten SSR markers. Sixteen lines(A, B, C groups) with the O. glaberrima segment flanked by SSR markers, RM60 and RM7332 displayed significantly higher values than Milyang 23 in TGW and GL whereas four lines(D, E groups) without the O. glaberrima segment displayed no difference in TGW and GL. The result indicates that two QTL, qTGW3 and qGL3 are located near RM60 and RM7332.

Anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gas concentrations, primarily through radiative forcing from carbon dioxide, continue to challenge earth’s climate. This study quantified CO2 storage and uptake by dominant forest types and age classes in the middle region of Korea. In addition, the role of forest landscapes in reducing atmospheric CO2 against CO2 emissions based on energy consumption was evaluated. Mean CO2 storage and uptake per unit area by woody plants for three forest types and four age classes were estimated applying regression equations derived to quantify CO2 storage and uptake per tree; and computations per soil unit area were also performed. Total CO2 storage and uptake by forest landscapes were estimated by extrapolating CO2 storage and uptake per unit area. Results indicated mean CO2 storage per unit area by woody plants and soils was higher in older age classes for the same forest types, and higher in broadleaved than coniferous forests for the same age classes, with the exception of age class II (11-20 years). CO2 storage by broadleaved forests of age class V (41-50 years) averaged 662.0 t/ha (US$331.0 hundred/ha), highest for all forest types and age classes evaluated. Overall, an increased mean CO2 uptake per unit area by woody plants was evident for older age classes for the same forest types. However, decreased CO2 uptake by broadleaved forests at age class V was observed, compared to classes III and IV with an average of 27.9 t/ha/yr (US$14.0 hundred/ha/yr). Total CO2 storage by woody plants and soils in the study area was equivalent to 3.4 times the annual CO2 emissions, and woody plants annually offset the CO2 emissions by 17.7%. The important roles of plants and soils were associated with 39.1% of total forest area in South Korea, and CO2 emissions comprised 62.2% of the total population. Therefore, development of forest lands may change CO2 sinks into sources. Forest landscape management strategies were explored to maintain or improve forest roles in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels.