Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is one of the most important grass species in the world's temperate zones. It is used as high-quality forage in pastures and for recreational use as turf in golf courses, lawns and parks. Genetic improvement of perennial ryegrass is difficult due to its self-incompatibility. Consequently, progress by conventional breeding can be slow. Genetic transformation is an alternative that permits direct introduction of useful genes into a plant's genome and is becoming a powerful tool to complement conventional breeding. To improve environmental stress tolerance and quality of perennial ryegrass by introducing better and useful genes into the genome, we have developed a rapid and efficient transformation system using Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer system.

In the present study, we have used an annealing-control-primer (ACP)-based differentially display RT-PCR method to identify salt-stress-induced differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in barley leaves. Using 120 ACPs, a total of 11 up-regulated genes were identified and sequenced. Temporal expression patterns of some up-regulated DEGs in response to salt stress were further analyzed by Northern blot analysis. The possible roles of these identified genes are discussed within the context of their putative role in response to salt stress. Thus, the identification of some novel genes-such as SnRK1-type protein kinase; 17 kDa, class I, small heat shock protein; and RNase S-like protein precursor genes-may offer a new avenue for better understanding the salt stress response in plants, knowledge which might be helpful for developing future strategies.

Most forage crops growing under field conditions are often being exposed to various environmental stresses such as drought, freezing, high temperature, waterlogging and climate change. A combination of grass breeding approaches will likely be needed to improve significantly the environmental stresses tolerance of forage crops in the field. Attempts have been taken by grass breeders to develop tolerant varieties of different crops for environmental stress. A new tall fescue variety (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) named ‘Purumi’ was developed by the National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration from 1999 to 2007. For synthetic seed production of this new variety, 5 superior clones, EFa9108, EFa0010, EFa0020, EFa0108, and EFa0202 were selected and polycrossed. The agronomic growth characteristics and forage production capability of the seeds were studied at Cheonan from 2004 to 2005, and regional trials were conducted in Cheonan, Pyungchang, Jeju, and Jinju from 2008 to 2010. ‘Purumi’ showed enhanced winter hardiness, disease resistance, and regrowth ability as compared to ‘Fawn’. The dry matter yield of ‘Purumi’ was about 5.6% higher as 16,821kg/ha than that of ‘Fawn’. However, the nutritive value of both varieties was similar. When this new variety of tall fescue, Purumi, has been developed and distributed with its most remarkable adaptability for Korean climates and superior value as a livestock feed, it is expected to play an important role for a new restoration of the pasture industry in Korea.

Genomic DNAs (gDNAs) were isolated from the hard clam ( , Roding, 1798) populations of Gunsan located in the Yellow Sea of the Korean peninsula. Genetic distances among different individuals of the LSCP (light shell color population) population of the hard clam (lane 1-11), GSCP (grey shell color population) population of the hard clam (lane 12-22) and DSCP (dark shell color population) population of the hard clam (lane 23-33), respectively, were generated using Systat version 10 according to the bandsharing values and similarity matrix. The dendrogram, generated by seven reliable oligonucleotides primers, indicates 3 genetic clusters. LSCP population could be evidently discriminated with the other two populations among three populations. The longest genetic distance (0.801) was found to exist between individuals in the two populations, between individuals' no. 33 of the DSCP population and no. 06 of the LSCP population. The higher fragment sizes (>2,000 bp) are much more observed in the GSCP population. Three hard clam populations can be clearly distinguished, especially, by their morphological characters and PCR-based approach.