As the drought is getting worse, Lot of studies related to drought stress in plant have been conducted. Recently whole genome sequencing of Brassica rapa ssp which is important vegetable crop to East Asians has been completed to enable Omic research. It is known that the drought damages occur in the early stage of plant development. Here, we performed shotgun proteomics analysis of B. rapa to observe the morphological characters, monitor the expression patterns of the identified proteins during drought stress, and detect the proteins related to drought stress. The three week old B. rapa grown in density of single plant in a single pot were used. Drought stress were treated as that a single plant in soil was removed from the pot and the plant with soil was exposed to air and light without watering. Leaves were immediately harvested before drought treatment, 24hr after drought treatment, and 48hr after drought treatment. The protein expression patterns were monitored by a quantitative shotgun proteomics analysis. Extracted proteins were separated in 1D-SDS-PAGE then the gel sliced into seven pieces. Chopped gels were ingel-digested. Peptides were assigned to mass spectrometry (Q-Exactive). The ms/ms spectra were analyzed through Proteome Discoverer. By combining all of the identified proteins in the seven sliced gel samples, total B. rapa proteome reference map was completed. Protein expression patterns were investigated by comparing the quantity of protein. With shotgun proteomic approach, we evaluated the changes in the quantity and finally discovered the candidate proteins related with drought stress.

Drought and salinity are the major abiotic stresses which are being continued to hamper the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Plant species have adaptations to enhance their ability to tolerate stresses through physiological adjustment. Therefore, substantial amount of research are ongoing to provide insights about those mechanisms which enlighten the stress tolerance in plant. In this study, several rice cultivars were collected from the different parts of the world and ion accumulation experiments were conducted to select the best stress tolerant cultivar in drought and salt stress environment. For stress treatment, five rice cultivars were subjected to salt (200 mM NaCl) and drought (200 mM Mannitol) for 72h. Later Na+, Ca++, K+ concentrations in shoot and root samples were examined at different time interval. In both drought and salt stress, rice cultivar C201 (collected for uzbekistan) showed the lowest levels of Na+ ion and Na+: K+ ratio compared to other cultivars. It was significant parallel observation with pokkali (known salt tolerant cultivar). In this preliminary study, it was observed the C201 had more stress tolerant in terms of ion accumulation; however detail physiological studies are required to strengthen the idea regarding the best stress tolerant physiotype.

Exserohilum turcicum is considered serious destructive disease of maize (Zea mays L.) in North Korea. This study aimed to understand genetic inheritance and combining ability of newly bred lines of maize tolerant to E. turcicum by diallel crosses. Three diallel sets for two different ecological regions and one agronomic trait; eastern (E), northern (N) and stay green (SG) involving 29 inbred lines were tested in eight locations of 2000 and 2001. E. turcicum infections were under natural conditions, respectively. Lines used were selected for high yield potential in test crosses with good agronomic traits and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Selection for race specific high resistance to biotic stresses was avoided to select quantitatively inherited genes. Host plant responses to E. turcicum were rated on a scale of 1 (highly tolerant) to 9 (highly susceptible). Highly significant variations were recorded in all trials. General combining ability (GCA) mean square was roughly twice that of specific combining ability (SCA). The genotype (G) by environment (E) interaction was highly significant. The overall results of genetic studies in three diallel sets show that genetic control for inbred tolerance to E. turcicum is polygenic and quantitatively inherited. New inbreds; E-3, N-1 and SG-4 confer better tolerance to E. turcicum than the widely used inbreds; Mo17, and B73. Proper use of genetic information from this study shall increase of corn production under high E. turcicum infection in the Far Eastern Regions of Korea and China.

This study histologically describes the intersexuality of Scomberomorus niphonius collected from the coastal area near Jeju Island. A total of 126 S. niphonius, collected from March to July 2012 with a total length of 62.4 cm (±17.5) and a total weight of 1,701.9 g (±1,528.9) were used for analyses. From a histological perspective, two types of intersex were confirmed. One type had scattered germ cells from the opposite sex within the gonad. The second type developed germ cells from the opposite sex in the connective tissue of the outer gonadal membrane. The intersexuality was 14.3% (n=18/126), with females (21.3%; n=16/75) exhibiting a higher rate than males (3.9%; n=2/51). There was no displayed correlation between intersexuality and the total length and weight.

Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of cough, indigestion, circulatory problems and pain. The associated anti-inflammatory effect of this agent is achieved via the inhibition of Nf-kB signaling, a property that has been demonstrated to effectively control the symptoms of various skin disorders, including atopic dermatitis. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of Sea Buckthorn in reducing the production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activated nitric oxide (NO) by inhibiting the Nf-kB pathway, as measured by the symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD) occurring secondarily to inflammation and immune dysregulation. Our data demonstrate that Sea Buckthorn significantly decreased the LPS-induced production of NO (p〈0.001). Atopic dermatitis was induced by repeated application of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene to the dorsal skin of mice. Topical application of 5% Sea Buckthorn extract improved the symptoms of AD, specifically reducing disease severity scores, scratching behaviors and epidermal thickness. When compared to the control group, animals treated with Sea Buckthorn exhibited increased serum IL-12 levels and decreased serum TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-5 levels. Such a modulation of biphasic T-helper (Th)1/Th2 cytokines may result in a reduction in serum IgE levels. Our findings suggest that mechanism of action of Sea Buckthorn in the treatment of AD is associated with a marked anti-inflammatory effect as well as an inhibition of Th2-mediated IgE overproduction via the modulation of biphasic Th1/Th2 cytokines. Such results suggest that topical Sea Buckthorn extract may prove to be a novel therapy for AD symptoms with few side effects.

Although a great deal of rice proteomic research has been conducted, there are relatively few studies specifically addressing the rice grain proteome. The existing rice grain proteomic research has focused on the identification of deferentially expressed proteins. Here, we performed comparative shotgun proteomic analysis of rice grain development to construct an in-depth proteome reference map, to reveal the expression patterns of the identified proteins, and to detect proteins that are expressed deferentially during grain development. A Korean rice variety, Ilpumbyeo was used. Proteins were extracted from rice grains 10, 20, and 30 days after flowering, as well as from mature grains. The protein expression patterns were revealed by a quantitative shotgun proteoemic analysis. By merging all of the identified proteins in this study, we identified 4,172 non-redundant. A Genome Ontology category enrichment analysis for the 4,172 proteins revealed that 52 categories were enriched, including the carbohydrate metabolic process, transport, localization, lipid metabolic process, and secondary metabolic process. The relative abundances of the 1,784 reproducibly identified proteins were compared to detect 484 differentially expressed proteins during rice grain development. Clustering analysis and Genome Ontology category enrichment analysis revealed that proteins involved in the metabolic process were enriched through all stages of development, suggesting that proteome changes occurred even in the desiccation phase. Interestingly, enrichments of proteins involved in protein folding were detected in the desiccation phase and in fully mature grain.

A new peanut variety “Sangan”(Arachis hypogaea ssp. fastigiata L.) showed the highest yielding of Korean varieties was developed at the Department of Functional Crop, NICS, in Milyang in 2011. This was developed from the crossing line between cultivar “Palkwang” with high quality and “local collection” with short stem. “Sangan” which is Shinpung plant type has 44cm of main stem length and 10 branch number per plant. Each pod has two grains with long ellipse shape of brown testa and yield components is composed of 40 mature pods of per plant, 96g of 100-seed weight, 79% of pod shelling ratio in the regional yield trials(RYT). Seed quality showed 48.5% of crude oil and 29.1% of protein content. This variety also showed more resistant to early leaf spot and web blotch, compared with check variety, Daekwang. In the regional yield trials “Sangan” outyielded check variety by 15% with 4.87 MT/ha for kernel.

A new vegetable peanut variety “Jaseon”(Arachis hypogaea ssp. fastigiata.) was developed at the Department of Functional Crop, NICS, in Milyang in 2011. It was developed from the cross between the Large grain cultivar “YG60” and the short stem cultivar “YG55”. “Jaseon” which is Shipung plant type has 43cm main stem length and 11 branch number per plant. Each pod has two grains with brown testa with long-ellipse shaped large kernel and dried 100-seed weight was 105g in the regional yield trials(RYT). The Sucrose and tannin content of fresh peanut are 25.0mg/g and 4.4mg/g, respectively. This variety also showed more resistant to late leaf spot, stem rot and lodging, compared with check variety, Palkwang. In the regional yield trials “Jaseon” was outyielded than check variety by 15% with 10.21MT/ha for fresh pod and by 11% with 4.37MT/ha for dried kernel.

Scientific studies have shown that essential fatty acidintake can have a dramatic impact on human health. Soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.] oil from current commercial cultivars typically containsaround 8%linolenic acid (18:3) known as omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3 fatty acid plays an important role to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer. Relatively high 18:3 content in seed oil is a trait of the wild soybean (Glycine soja Sieb. and Zucc.) ancestor of modern soybean cultivars. Wild soybean is native to Korean peninsula and recently thousands of wild soybeans collected by soybean researchers in Korea. The objective of this study were to determine the linolenic acid content for wild soybean collection and to determine the stability of linolenic acid content derived from wild soybean over environments. Fatty acid profile for 1,806 wild soybean accessions collected from South Korea was determined by GC. The range of linolenic acid was 7.3 to 23.7% with an average 15.6%. We developed a recombinant inbred population from a cross PI483463 (wild soybean with 15% 18:3) and Hutcheson (cultivar with 8% 18:3). Three RILs, RIL156, RIL159 and RIL166, with high linolenic acid content (over 14%), parents and Williams 82 as checks were grown in nine environments over 2008-2011. Results showed that the content of linolenic acid for the PI483463, Hutcheson, and Williams 82 ranged from 14.8 to 17.1, 8.5 to 9.7, and 6.9 to 8.4 % and averaged 15.4, 9.2 and 8.0%, respectively. However selected RILs 156, 159, and 166 ranged from 10.7 to 15.7, 14 to 15.8, and 14.8 to 15.8, and averaged 13.9, 14.9, and 15.2, respectively. Among the tested accessions, RIL166 was the most stable with the lowest range and CV, and had a relatively lower stability coefficient value than other genotypes. Genes related to high linolenic acid from wild soybean may be useful in developing higher linolenic acid soybean genotypes and would broaden the use of soybean in food applications to improve human nutrition and health.

Soybean is desirable as a forage crop because of it has high protein and oil concentration. Wild soybean, a progenitor of cultivated soybean, has a softer stem and higher protein content in seed than cultivated soybean. There is little information on yield and forage quality for wild soybean and its derivatives. The objective of this study was to determine the forage yield and quality of wild soybeans and selected soybeans derived from a cross G. max ×G. soja. Forage yield and quality were assessed for three grain soybean cultivars, three wild soybeans and three selected lines from G. max×G. soja. Forage quality attributes such as crude protein (CP), crude fat (CF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), digestible dry matter (DDM), dry matter intake (DMI) and relative feed value (RFV) were determined at the R2, R4 and R6 developmental stages. Forage yield and CF were highest at stage R6 in G. max, G. soja and selected G. max×G. soja lines. CP content was similar between R2 and R4 but increased sharply after R4 and peaked at R6 in G. max and selected lines from G. soja×G. max. On the other hand, CP content was similar between R4 and R6 stage in wild soybeans. Generally, NDF and ADF were highest at stage R4 but decreased at stage R6. DDM, DMI, and RFV increased between R4 and R6. These results suggest that R6 was the optimal harvest stage to provide forage of highest quality and yield. A study was conducted in 2011 to evaluate forage yield and quality at stage R6 in 25 lines from PI483463 (G. soja)×Hutcheson (G. max) and four cultivated grain soybeans. Hutcheson had the highest forage yield with 24.7t/ha infresh weight (FW) among grain soybeans. Line W11 had the highest forage yield(25.7t/ha,FW) among G. soja×G. max selections and four other lines had similar forage yield compared to Hutcheson. Generally the 25 lines from this G. max×G. soja cross had thinner main stems and branches than cultivated soybeans. When the 25 lines were evaluated for their feed quality as per forage grade by AFGC, nine lines rated prime grade and all 25 lines were classified as forage Grade 1. Results of this study indicate crosses between wild and cultivated soybean show promise for improving soybean as a forage crop.

Physical and structural characteristics of four local barnyardgrass flour and starch were investigated. Amylose content ranged from 6.9 to 12.5%. The BP 3563 and BP 3606 were low amylose lines, and the BP 3592 and BP 3610 showed very low amylose lines. Peak viscosities of four barnyardgrass collections BP-3563, BP-3592, BP-3606, and BP-3610 ranged 264 to 2397. All barnyard grass lines displayed an A-type X-ray diffraction pattern showing the strong diffraction peak at around 2~theta values 15~circ , 17~circ , 18~circ and 23~circ , and a small peak at 20~circ 2~theta . Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the starch granule sizes ranged 5.5-12.5~mum in diameter showing polygonal and rarely spherical in shape with round edges and some pores at the surface. Starch crystallinity of BP 3563, BP 3592, BP 3606, and BP 3610 was 23.9, 25.0, 24.7, and 25.5%, respectively.

The main nutritional problem of sorghumxsudangrass hybrid (Sorghum bicolorxSorghum sudanese) silage is low quality and palatability. This experiment was conducted to evaluate whether organic com grain and crushed rice addition of sorghumxsudangrass hybrid silage increases forage quality of the silage. The sorghumxsudangrass hybrid silages with added com grain and crushed rice were similar to conventional corn silage in moisture content. However organic sorghumxsudangrass hybrid silage had low pH values. Silage added with gain and byproduct had higher crude ash, acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents than control corn silages, while its non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) showed the opposite results. Lactic acid, butyric acid and lactic percentage oftotal organic acid (UT) of sorghumxsudangrass hybrid silages were higher than those of com silage, but acetic acid was higher than control. In vitro dry matter digestibi/ity (IVDMD) of com silage was higher than other sorghum silages. Feed intake of sorghumxsudangrass hybrid silage added with crushed rice was highest among silages. Therefore, these data indicate that crushed rice and com grain added sorghumxsudangrass hybrid silage could be recommended as the most effective treatment for increasing silage quality and palatability.

Gonadal development and reproductive cycle of Aplysia kurodai inhabiting the coastal waters of Jeju Island, Korea were investigated based on monthly changes of gonadosomatic index, gametogenesis, and developmental phases of ovotestis. A. kurodai was simultaneous hermaphrodite; the ovotestis generally embedded in the posterior dorsal surface of the brownish digestive gland. The ovotestis is composed of a large number of follicles, and both oocytes and sperm are produced in the same follicles. In the sampling periods, the adult A. kurodai population have characteristic of seasonal pattern present during only 10 months. The reproductive cycle can be grouped into the following successive stages in the ovary: inactive (December to February), active (December to April), mature and spawning (April to September). The gonadal development of A. kurodai coincided with rising temperature, and spawning occurred from April to September, when the temperature was high. The histological observations of the ovotestis suggested that this species have a single spawning season that extend over six months.

To characterize phytonutrients, the seeds of 12 purple Perilla (Perilla frutescens var. crispa) accessions collected from Korea and Japan were used for quantitative analysis of tocopherols, phytosterols, squalene and fatty acids. The average tocopherol, squalene and phytosterols contents were 12.2 mg 100g-1 , 3.99 mg 100g-1 and 77.20 mg 100g-1 , respectively. Among 4 tocopherol (T) isomers (α -T, β -T, ~gamma -T, and δ -T), ~gamma -T was present in the highest quantity (11.03 mg 100g-1 ) with the least variation (CV = 13.7%), while β -T was present in lowest quantity (0.25 mg 1100g-1 ). Compared to campesterol (4.36 mg 100g-1 ) and stigmasterol (13.32 mg 100g-1 ), β -sitosterol exhibited higher quantity (59.51 mg 100g-1 ) with 9.5% of variation. The major fatty acids were unsaturated fatty acids such as linolenic (61.5%), linoleic (17.3%), and oleic (9.9%) acids compared to saturated ones: palmitic (7.6%) and stearic (3.7%) acids. When Korean and Japanese accession were compared, almost no difference in content could be observed, while more variation as evaluated by CV (%) could be observed in Japanese accession in most phytonutrients suggesting wider genetic variation of purple Perilla in Japan. Presence of all above-mentioned phytonutrient compounds strongly suggested health beneficial value of purple Perilla seeds.

Light characteristics are very specific in the aquatic environment. Fish vision and different light spectra perception are related to each species’ natural habit. Light is one of the main environmental conditions and can be easily manipulated in artificial rearing settings. Cholecystokinin (CCK) and mucus-secreting goblet cells are the main regulators of digestion. In this study, we established whether the light spectrum (natural condition, full spectrum: green, 520 nm; red, 590 nm, and blue, 480 nm) influences growth performance and digestive activity related to CCK mRNA expression and mucus-secreting goblet cell activity in order to develop a good management protocol and optimal rearing system for the longtooth grouper. For each light spectrum, fish were reared 12 weeks under a flow-through system and fed commercial pellet diets once daily. At the end of the experiment, the final body weights differed among the fish reared under different light spectra. The highest growth performance value was observed in fish reared under the green light condition. On the other hand, the growth performances of fish in the natural and blue light conditions were drastically decreased in last 3 weeks of the experiment. CCK mRNA expression and mucus-secreting goblet cell activity were significantly higher in the fish under green light condition than in the fish under the natural, red, and blue light conditions. Rearing of the longtooth grouper under the green light condition had positive effects on fish growth performance and digestion. We recommend that the appropriate light spectrum for the artificial culture of the longtooth grouper is the green light condition from the perspective of growth performance and the synergistic effects of CCK and mucus-secreting goblet cells. However, longer light treatment periods are needed in future investigations to clarify the effects of light spectrum on the longtooth grouper. Together with the findings of the present study, such studies would result in better understanding of the digestive physiology and contribute to the development of optimal rearing management for commercial production of the longtooth grouper.

This experiment was carried out to investigate the appropriate chilling requirements for breaking dormancy by treating the dormant plant of Hanabusaya asiatica with low temperature (4℃) for different time periods. The rates of sprouting and flowering were higher with longer treatment periods at low temperature. In addition, the growth and flowering of the plant were better when it was potted after treatment at a low temperature for 90 days. The abscisic acid levels and polyphenoloxidase activity of the dormant plant increased during the low temperature treatment, reached a climax 90 days and decreased thereafter. The catalase activity was the lowest after the low temperature treatment for 90 days and increased subsequently. The peroxidase activity increased and showed a sharp rise after the low temperature treatment for more than 90 days. Considering the physiological activities of the enzymes, the changes in the abscisic acid levels, and the characteristics of growth and flowering after sprouting of the plant, the appropriate cold periods required for breaking dormancy could be 90 days.