Proline (Pro) accumulation is a common physiological reaction in response to abiotic stresses in many plants. Accumulation of Pro is believed to play the important role in protecting cellular components from dehydrating effects due to such stresses. The study was performed to investigate the relationship between cold hardiness and Pro content or expression of related genes in peach cultivars during a constant experimental deacclimation. Changes in cold hardiness were determined using electrolyte leakage method in the shoots of 10 peach cultivars (Prunus persica ‘Aikawanakajima’, ‘Chiyomaru’, ‘Daewol’, ‘Janghowon Hwangdo’, ‘Kiraranokiwami’, ‘Mihong’, ‘Misshong’, ‘Soomee’, ‘Suhong’, and ‘Sun Gold’). Pro content was analyzed using the ninhydrin method and related gene expressions were examined using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. While cold hardiness of 10 peach cultivars decreased, Pro contents of those increased during the deacclimation. Notably, at the same time, expression of P5CS (Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylatesynthase) decreased in 10 peach cultivars, whereas expressions of P5CR (Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylatereductase) and OAT (ornithine-δ-aminotransferase) increased. Our results demonstrate that Pro responds positively to higher temperature in the shoots of 10 peach cultivars and expression of both P5CS and P5CR genes could show contrasting patterns during the deacclimation. Furthermore, our results suggest that ornithine pathway, which has been suggested to be important during seedling development, could serve as an alternative pathway in Pro synthesis process during the deacclimation in peach.

The oriental melon (C. melo var. makuwa), called ‘Chamoe’ in Korean, is a popular fruit crop cultivated mainly in Asia and a high–market value crop in Korea. To provide a genomic resource as a reference genome for the Cucurbitaceae crop improvement, we performed whole genome sequencing of Korean landrace, Gotgam chamoe. We used Illumina HiSeq2000 sequencing platform to generate 89 Gb (205X) of paired and mate pair sequence reads. The pre-processed reads were de novo assembled resulting in 4,764 scaffolds with a N50 scaffold length of 249kb. This assembly represented 379.8Mb which was 84.7% of the 448Mb of the whole genome. The assembled draft was predicted 26,634 genes of which 80% were predicted by known protein or C. melo unigene homology. Approximately 20% of predicted genes were hypothetical. A total of 1,885 non-coding RNA was detected including rRNA. The transposable elements were accounted for 21% (71.6Mb) of the total assembly. All the marker candidates including SSR, INDEL, SNP were mined and presented. The draft genome will provide a useful platform for genomic research and improvement for Cucurbitacea crops.

The next-generation sequencing(NGS) technology is being used for more effective genetic mapping. In previous study, we obtained 60x coverage of sequence from Milyang23 and Gihobyeo on average comparing with Nipponbare reference genome. Also, we developed new derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence(dCAPS) markers based on the single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in coding region sequence(CDS) between these varieties. Totally, 1,726,798 SNPs between Milyang23 and Gihobyeo were detected. Among them, 146 SNP were selected for making dCAPS markers and located on genetic map with previously reported 219 PCR-based DNA markers. The map was applied to the detection of quantitative trait loci(QTLs) for stem internode diameters, culm length and panicle length within MGRIL population, and six QTLs with relatively high LOD score were found at three chromosomes; culm length and stem diameter including the first internode diameter, third and fourth internode diameter. This study showed that the NGS allowed the rapid discovery of a large number of SNPs for dCAPS marker. So, we tried to find out more single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) which were located on the whole genome sequence, such as un-translated region(UTR), intron, Inter-region and coding region sequence(CDS) between Milyang23 and Gihobyeo varieties. And we collected phenotypic information about culm length, panicle length, four stem internode diameters and panicle number in rice MGRIL population for QTLs. Furthermore, results of QTL analysis described above will shows relevance of molecular markers in mapping genes for useful breeding.

For efficient introgression of the downy mildew resistance gene from a resistant cultivar into domestic breeding lines, molecular markers used for marker-assisted backcrossing (MAB) were developed in onion (Allium cepa L.). The resistance gene (Pd) was originally introgressed from a wild species, A. roylei, by interspecific hybridization, and the resistant gene was known to be positioned at the end of chromosome 3. Therefore, cDNA sequences of loci located at the ends of chromosome 3 of two linkage maps were obtained from a transcriptome database. Primer pairs were designed on exon sequences of eight loci. Among them, the PCR products of the i25255 locus showed length polymorphism between A. roylei and onions, and both large and small-sized PCR products were observed in the resistant cultivar. Sequence analysis showed that a 67-bp indel existed in the intron sequences. Based on this indel polymorphism, a simple PCR marker, designated DMR1, was developed. Analysis of diverse onion accessions showed that no accessions contained the A. roylei-specific marker genotype except for the resistant cultivar. These results indicated that the DMR1 marker was successfully tagging the A. roylei fragment harboring the downy mildew resistance gene, and the resistant cultivar was heterozygous for the resistance gene. After further analysis of multiple loci positioned at chromosome 3, a range of the A. roylei fragment introgressed in the resistant cultivar was determined in two linkage maps. On the basis of the range of the A. roylei fragment, three molecular markers used for recombinant selection in MAB were also developed.

In this study, we sought to identify primary pears species and Korean native pears, without the use of morphological characteristics. In addition, this study was to establish pear DNA fingerprinting data for Korean native pears using 12 microsatellite markers, and to accurately classify a database for management of the Korean pear collection. Forty two pear accessions (7 primary pears, 5 Asian pears, 29 Korean pears, and 2 reference pears) were analyzed with twelve primers covering whole pear genome. In the present study, all pear accessions were successfully classified along with their pedigrees, and the distribution of primary pears was parallel to those of the previous taxonomic results. Korean pears were divided into 3 groups. Group I was characterized by Pyrus calleryana, and included Korean pea pears. Group II was characterized by P. pyrifolia, and was classified into 2 small groups. The first small group comprised of ‘Najucheongbae’, ‘Sunchanggulimdolbae’, ‘Andongmookbae’, ‘Andongdangsilri’, and ‘Najucheongbae’ and was presumed to be cultivars of P. pyrifolia. The second small group consisted of ‘Cheongdangrori’ and ‘Pyeongchangsuhyangri’. These two accessions were assumed to be a hybrid of P. pyrifolia and the other cultivar. Group III was characterized by P. ussuriensis. ‘Goesanhwangbae’, ‘Andongcheongsilri’, ‘Gongjucheongsilri’, and ‘Yecheoncheongbae’ were assumed to be cultivars of P. ussuriensis. Contrary to ‘Ulreungdocheongbae A’, ‘Ulreungdocheongbae B’ was classified as belonging to the P. ussuriensis group. It is possible that this is a consequence of, P. ussuriensis genes being transferred into ‘Ulreungdocheongbae B’. The result of this research reaffirmed the efficiency of a standard set of microsatellite markers and provides data, which will be useful for developing a core collection of pears.

‘Tocomi-1’, a new japonica rice cultivar derived from a 200 Gy gamma ray irradiation with high tocopherol content and red pericarp. The local adaptability test of MRXII-1001-1 was carried out from 2012 to 2014 and it was named as ‘Tocomi-1’ in 2014. This variety is medium matured with heading date of August 12 in honam plain area of Korea. This variety is about 80 cm tall culm length and 106 spikelets per panicle. Its 1,000 grain-weight of rice seeds is 25.4 g. The yield potential of this variety is about 5.15 MT/ha in local adaptability test for three years. This variety exhibited greater seed longevity than the Donganbyeo, indicating a crucial role for tocopherols in maintaining viability during quiescence, and displayed faster seedling growth during the early growth stage. Tocopherol contents was 50% higher than the Donganbyeo. To study the molecular mechanism underlying vitamin E biosynthesis, we examined the expression patterns of seven rice genes encoding vitamin E biosynthetic enzymes. Accumulation levels of the OsVTE2 transcript and OsVTE2 protein in the ‘Tocomi-1’ were significantly higher than in the Donganbyeo. Sequence analysis revealed that the ‘Tocomi-1’ harbored a point mutation in the OsVTE2 promoter region, which resulted in the generation of MYB transcription factor—binding cis-element. These results help identify the promoter regions that regulate OsVTE2 transcription, and offer insights into the regulation of tocopherol content in ‘Tocomi-1’.

To define whole genome-level of structural variation by ionization energies and radiation doses in plant, the seeds of Ilpum rice cultivar were acutely irradiated with gamma rays (100Gy, 200Gy, and 400Gy) and ion-beams (20Gy, 40Gy, and 80Gy), respectively. Six M1 rice plants were re-sequenced by Hi-Seq2500 with Ilpum cultivar as control. The average sequencing coverage of the individuals was 10.6X, and the average mapping rate to the rice reference genome (IRGSP-1.0) sequence was 96.95%. The individual plants were irradiated with gamma-400Gy and ion-50Gy had highest variation of SNP with 471,837 and 469,147, respectively. The number of insertion/deletion was 77,500 and 77,106, the synonymous and frame-shift were 7,859 and 7,763 in above two individuals. Although high genome variation shown between Ilpum cultivar and irradiated individuals, there were non-correlation between number of variation and radiation doses. However, five individuals, except ion-20Gy, showed 33 common variant blocks (CVBs) spanning 6 Mb in whole rice genome (1.6%). The CVBs were distributed on 12 rice chromosomes, Chromosome 6 had biggest CVB (5 blocks, 1.3Mb), whereas chromosome 9 had smallest CVB (0.01Mb). Total five hundred fifty one genes were in CVBs which can regard radiation sensitive genes or may be regarded as radiation hot spots in rice genome. This study will contribute to the improvement of the radiation mutation breeding research in genetic and genomic aspect.

Rice blast caused by the fungal pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae, is a serious disease affecting yield loss and decreasing its quality in rice production. Rice breeders in Korea have developed many japonica varieties showing resistance to blast. However, the blast resistance in most japonica varieties has broken down within a few years after they were released to farmers because of the spread of new virulent races of M. oryzae. There is the most effectiveness to look for novel resistant gene(s) that can express the resistance to broad-spectrum races in diverse environmental conditions. We identified a major QTL, qLB4.1 linked tightly to RM6352 and RM3643 in 52.6 cM region on chromosome 4 related to the resistance for isolate inoculation and nursery test, and neck blast from a Korean weedy rice, Geumleungaengmi33. This QTL explained 26.1∼28.6% and 45.3∼53.1% of total phenotypic variation by the allele of GL33 for isolate inoculation and nursery test, respectively. A line SR30058(52)-1-1 (Suweon545) that containing the QTL qLB4.1 was developed from Ilpum*4/GL33 by marker-assisted backcross method. This line showed resistant reactions to blast nursery test across regions and years, and resistance to neck blast at the hot-spot field in Jecheon. Suweon545 showed also durable resistance of lower 10% of diseased leaf areas (DLAs) in sequential planting method. This line screened by graphical mapping using 136 SSR markers that evenly distributed on 12 chomosomes. Suweon545 contained GL33 alleles of donor parent in a total of 12 loci (8.8%) including QTL region on chromosome 4. In future, Suweon545 would be useful to develop the broad-spectrum resistance variety in japonica rice breeding program.

Exposure to ionizing radiation is regarded as a kind of abiotic stresses that can change the expression of genes in living organisms. This study aimed on investigating the variations in gene expressions induced by two different types of irradiations with different doses, which were low linear energy transfer (LET) gamma rays (100, 200, and 400 Gy) and high LET ion-beams (20, 40, and 80 Gy) on rice. RNA sequencing was carried out using the Illumina HiSeq-2500 platform. The average amount of reads were 4.8 Gb per individual, and 5 to 8% of the reads were removed after quality control. More than 90% of the RNA-seq reads were mapped to the rice reference genome sequence (IRGSP-1.0). A total of 247 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by comparison of the gene expression levels between the wildtype and the irradiated individuals. The 247 DEGs were divided into five modules and 27 intra-modular hub genes were found using the weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) method. The MEturquiose module had the most number of genes with 75 related to carbohydrate and small molecule metabolic processes. The co-expression network reconstructed using ARACNE (algorithm for reconstruction of accurate cellular networks) showed specific up- or down-regulation of the genes in each module according to the types and doses of radiation. This study will contribute to understanding the gene expression responses to ionizing irradiation.

Measurements of closely related sets of classical and truss dimensions were analyzed to discriminate species of scorpaenidae including the dark banded rockfish, Sebastes inermis, the black rockfish, S. schlegeli, and gobioninae including the striped shiner, Pungtungia herzi, and the slender shiner, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa. The measurements of the dimensions were arc sin square root transformed, and compared as a function of the standard length of each species for statistical analysis. For values of the classical dimensions of the rockfish, 6 were greater for the dark banded rockfish than for the black rockfish, 1 value was smaller for the former, and for 2 values there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). For values of the classical dimensions of the shiners, 9 values were greater for the striped shiner than for the slender shiner, 2 values were smaller for the former, and for 1 value there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.01). For values of the truss dimensions of the rockfish, 6 were greater for the dark banded rockfish than for the black rockfish, 1 was smaller for the former, and for 4 values there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). For values of the truss dimensions of the shiners, 13 values were greater for the striped shiner than for the slender shiner, 3 values were smaller for the former, and for 6 values there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.01). The dimension sets used in this study may be useful as taxonomic indicators for discriminating among fish species in Korea.

To successful molecular breeding, identification and functional characterization of breeding related genes and development of molecular breeding techniques using DNA markers are essential. Although the development of a useful marker is difficult in the aspect of time, cost and effort, many markers are being developed to be used in molecular breeding and developed markers have been used in many fields. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers were widely used for genomic research and breeding, but has hardly been validated for screening functional genes in olive flounder. We identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from expressed sequence tag (EST) database in olive flounder; out of a total 4,327 ESTs, 693 contigs and 514 SNPs were detected in total EST, and these substitutions include 297 transitions and 217 transversions. As a result, 144 SNP markers were developed on the basis of 514 SNP to selection of useful gene region, and then applied to each of eight wild and culture olive flounder (total 16 samples). In our experimental result, only 32 markers had detected polymorphism in sample, also identified 21 transitions and 11 transversions, whereas indel was not detected in polymorphic SNPs. Heterozygosity of wild and cultured olive flounder using the 32 SNP markers is 0.34 and 0.29, respectively. In conclusion, we identified SNP and polymorphism in olive flounder using newly designed marker, it supports that developed markers are suitable for SNP detection and diversity analysis in olive flounder. The outcome of this study can be basic data for researches for immunity gene and characteristic with SNP.

Although most natural disaster related studies conducted in Korea recently have been related to typhoons or severe rainstorms, the occurrence frequency of disasters due to windstorms or rainstorms is also high. To reduce the strong wind damage caused by strong windstorms due to climate change, basic studies of strong winds are necessary. Therefore, in this study, the types and representative cases of windstorms that were observed to have been higher than 14 m/s, which is the criterion for strong-wind warnings from the Korea Meteorological Administration, were selected from among those windstorm cases that occurred on the Korean Peninsula for 10 years to conduct a statistical analysis of them and determine their synoptic meteorological characteristics. The cases of windstorms occurring on the Korean Peninsula were divided into six weather patterns according to the locations of the anticyclones/cyclones. Among these types, the SH type, which occurs when Siberian Highs expand into the Korean Peninsula, showed the highest occurrence frequency, accounting for at least the majority of the entire occurrence frequency of windstorms together with that of the EC type, which occurs when cyclones develop on the East Sea, and there was no clear yearly trend of the occurrence frequencies of windstorms. The monthly occurrence frequencies of windstorms were formed mainly by typhoons in the summer and the Siberian Highs in the winter, and the months with the highest windstorm occurrence frequencies were December and January, in which mainly the SH and EC type windstorms occurred. March showed the next highest occurrence frequency with10 times, and SH windstorms occurred the most frequently in March, followed by the CC, SC, and EC types of windstorms, in order of precedence. Therefore, attention to these types of windstorms is required. Countermeasures against storm and flood damage in Korea targeting the summer should be re-reviewed together with pre-disaster prevention plans, because cases of storm and flood damage due to windstorms occur more frequently than those due to typhoons, and they occur throughout the year.

An important worldwide plant source of dietary protein and oil, modern breeding and improvement of soybean is suffered from a narrow cultivated germplasm relative to other crop species likely because of underuse of wild soybeans as breeding resources. SNP genotyping array is regarded as a promising tool for dissecting wild and cultivated germplasms to find important adaptive genes by high-density genetic mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Here, we present the establishment of a large soybean SNP array and its use for diversity analysis and high density linkage mapping. More than 4 million high-quality SNPs identified from 16 high-depth and 31 low-depth soybean genome resequencing data were used to select 180,961 SNPs for the AxiomÒ SoyaSNP array. Our validation analysis for a set of 222 diverse soybean lines showed that a total of 171,161markers were of good quality for genotyping. Of the converted SNPs, 82.6% 82.6% SNPs had a marker spacing of less than 9 kb and 17.4% SNPs greater than 9 kb with the 297 inter-SNP spacings of >100 kb and with 812 kb of the largest spacing, thereby suggesting that our array is likely suitable for GWAS of soybean germplasm. This array is being used to construct high-density genetic map in populations generated from intermatings of two cultivated and two wild soybeans, with an objective to confirm large structural variations of chromosomes using the ultra-high-density maps

Korea is a origin of three basic species, P. ussuriensis, P. pyrifolia and P. fauriei. Genetic relationship among Korean pear cultivars compared with their parents were also identified that they are closely related P. pyrifolia, P. ussuriensis and/or hybrid between two species. SSRs or Microsatellites are co-dominant and typically neutral inheritance showing high degree of polymorphism, large number of alleles per locus, abundance in genomes, and suitability for automation. SSR markers were developed in apple and pear where they were used for construction of genetic linkage maps, evaluation of the genetic diversity, cultivar identification, genotype identification, and in the determination of genetic relatedness. Many apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) SSRs would be useful for genetic mapping in European and Asian pears in previous experiments and cross-species amplification was observed between apple and pear. The objectives of this study were to develop polymorphic SSR markers in ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’, which were chosen as the representative cultivars of P. pyrifolia and P. ussuriensis in each among Korean pears, from ‘Golden Delicious’ genomic sequences generated by next generation sequencing technology and to evaluate the utility of the SSR markers based on ‘Golden Delicious’ sequences. Of 51 SSR markers, 18 were polymorphic in ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’. The cross-species transportability of primers designed in ‘Golden Delicious’ sequences makes SSR markers more useful, given the current high level of investment in mapping the genomes of related Rosaceae.

Currently, the type of short insertions and deletions (InDels) polymorphisms are increasingly focused in genomic research. InDels have been known as a source of genetic markers that are widely spread across the genome. Genetic relationship among Korean pear cultivars compared with their parents was also identified that they are closely related P. pyrifolia, P. ussuriensis and/or hybrids between two species. Lack of genetic resources including molecular markers has made it difficult to study pears severely. Recently developed next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms offer opportunities for high-throughput and inexpensive genome sequencing and rapid marker development. The main goal of this study was to develop polymorphic InDel markers in ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’, which were chosen as the representative cultivars of P. pyrifolia and P. ussuriensis × pyrifolia in each among Korean pears using genomic sequences generated by NGS technology. In this study, more than 18.6 Gbp and 15.8 Gbp sequences were obtained from NGS of ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’, respectively. ‘Whangkeumbae’ contained 197,210 InDels and 197,272 InDels in ‘Minibae’. In InDels validations between ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’, the number of polymorphic InDels were 149,338 and non-polymorphic InDels were 122,572. For InDel primer set designing, 11,308 of primers were designed from polymorphic InDels and 10,919 of InDel primers were recommended. The study shows that the utility of NGS technology to design amount of efficient InDels and the developed InDel primers will be used for genetic mapping, breeding by marker assisted selection (MAS) and QTL mapping of Korea native pear as well as further genetic studies.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most frequent type among variations found in genomic regions and are valuable markers for genetic mapping, genetic diversity studies and association mapping in plants. There are three basic species known as Korean native which are Pyrus ussuriensis, P. pyrifolia, and P. fauriei. Genetic relationship among Korean pear cultivars compared with their parents was identified that they are closely related P. pyrifolia, P. ussuriensis and/or hybrids between two species. Lack of genetic resources, including molecular markers to study pears are very severe. Recently developed next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms offer opportunities for high-throughput and inexpensive genome sequencing and rapid marker development. The objective of this study was to develop polymorphic SNP markers in ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’, which were chosen as the representative cultivars of P. pyrifolia and P. ussuriensis × pyrifolia in each among Korean pears, using genomic sequences generated by NGS technology. In this study, more than 18.6 Gbp and 15.8 Gbp sequences were obtained from NGS of ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’, respectively. ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’ contained 2,712,288 and 2,747,224 SNPs, respectively. In SNPs validations between ‘Whangkeumbae’ and ‘Minibae’, the number of polymorphic SNPs were 2,516,438 and non-polymorphic SNPs were 1,179,391. For HRM primer design, 2,125,479 HRM candidate primers were obtained from polymorphic SNPs and 343,731 SNP primers were developed. This study shows that the utility of NGS technology to discover efficiently a large number of SNPs and SNP primers can provide valuable information in the genome study of Pyrus spp.

The perturbation of the steady state of reactive oxygen species due to biotic and abiotic stresses in a plant could lead to protein denaturation through the modification of amino acid residues, including the oxidation of methionine residues. Methionine sulfoxide reductases (MSRs) catalyze the reduction of methionine sulfoxide back to the methionine residue. To assess the role of this enzyme, we generated transgenic rice using a pepper CaMSRB2 gene under the control of the rice Rab21 promoter with/without a selection marker, the bar gene. A drought resistance test on transgenic plants showed that CaMSRB2 confers drought tolerance to rice, as evidenced by less oxidative stress symptoms and a strengthened PSII quantum yield under stress conditions, and increased survival rate and chlorophyll index after the re-watering. The results from immunoblotting using a methionine sulfoxide antibody and nano-LC-MS/MS spectrometry suggest that porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD), which is involved in chlorophyll synthesis, is a putative target of CaMSRB2. The oxidized methionine content of PBGD expressed in E. coli increased in the presence of H2O2, and the Met-95 and Met-227 residues of PBGD were reduced by CaMSRB2 in the presence of dithiothreitol. An expression profiling analysis of the overexpression lines also suggested that photosystems are less severely affected by drought stress. Our results indicate that CaMSRB2 might play an important functional role in chloroplasts for conferring drought stress tolerance in rice

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is important crop as a staple carbohydrate sources and was regarded as domesticated in Asia region. The seed dormancy is one of the domesticated traits, and this character allows that plants survive in various environment. The degree of dormancy have been targeted for controling in breeding program while weak dormancy cause pre-harvest sprouting contrary to the nonuniform seed germination by strong dormancy. In this study, we surveyed the variation of germiability in diverse rice genetic resources including japonica and indica ecotype. Overall, the degree of seed dormancy of rice germplasm was distinguished into four groups and admixed types; first group(G-1) included accessions revealing high germiability, the accessions of second group(G-2) acquired the high germiability by after-ripening process, third group(G-3)’s accessions showed high germiability after dormancy breaking process and the accessions of last group(G-4) maintained the low germiability in spite of the dormancy breaking process. Among the 51 japonica accessions G-1, G-2, G-3 and G-4 included 15, 15, 11 and 10 accessions, respectively, and among 40 indica accessions, G-1, G-2, G-3 and G-4 groups included 15, 15, 9 and 1 accessions, respectively. Based on these primary test, we plan to detail examine the seed germiability and survey the genetic factors affecting the degree of germiability in representative accessions of each group

Recent climate changes due to global warming are gradually introducing adverse circumstances for winter survival of temperate fruit trees. Particularly, late winter or early spring thaws followed by hard freezes can cause severe injury to deacclimated flower buds. Thus, the selection of later or slower deacclimating cultivars is needed to avoid frost injury in late winter or early spring. This study was performed to investigate relationship between cold hardiness and bud development under an experimental deacclimation condition for 10 Prunus persica cultivars (Aikawanakajima, Daewol, Izumi Hakuto, Janghowon Hwangdo, Kiraranokiwami, Mihong, Misshong, Soomee, Suhong, and Sun Gold). The rate of deacclimation was not correlated with hardiness before the deacclimation treatment. On the other hand, a strong positive correlation was found between cold hardiness and stage of bud opening.

May-Thurner syndrome is caused by blockade of local venous flow due to local vascular intimal proliferation, caused by repeated pulsatile compression of the iliac or iliofemoral vein between the iliac artery and the lumbar spine. In this case, we confirmed May-Thurner syndrome using lower extremity computed tomographic angiography and venography. However, on venography, it was impossible to distinguish the left iliac vein from the collateral vein; a thrombus was also seen, although some of the thrombus was not seen clearly. These problems were overcome with use of intravascular ultrasound. We report on intravascular ultrasound guided treatment of May-Thurner syndrome.