In Korea, chilli pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is a major vegetable crop. The pepper seed market is about $35 million and the whole sale market including processed products is equivalent to $2 billion, representing the second highest market value among crops, next to rice in Korea. Since the development of elite pepper variety is so competitive, vegetable seed companies usually run two important programs to keep the credibility of seed quality. One program is to deliver F1 hybrid seeds with a high purity test to farmers. The purity control of parents and F1 hybrid to avoid any contamination is conducted by DNA markers because pepper seeds are obtained using MS line. The other program is to identify the F1 variety from other varieties by analyzing the polymorphism so that the company and/or breeder protects the intellectual property from copying by others or from non-intentional contamination. We have developed about 900 EST-SSR sets from pepper and used to both programs. A total of 66 markers were selected to identify 32 F1 varieties and their own parents. Using these markers, the purity control of F1 hybrid rose up to the highest degree. We also found several SSR markers to distinguish F1 variety from other varieties and these markers could be useful to find the uniqueness of F1 cultivar.

A new sprout-soybean cultivar, “Wonhwang” was developed at the Honam Agricultural Research Institute (HARI) in 2005. Wonhwang was selected from a cross between Camp and Myeongjunamulkong. The preliminary, advanced, and regional yield trials for evaluation and selection of Iksan45 were carried out from 2001 to 2005. This cultivar has a determinate growth habit with purple flower, grayish brown pubescence, grayish brow hilum, lanceolate leaflet shape and small seed size (10.0 grams per 100 seeds). The maturity date of Wonhwang is 7 days earlier than that of the check variety, Pungsan. It has good seed quality for soybean-sprout, and resistance to lodging. It has also been identified to have resistance to soybean mosaic virus (SMV) and necrotic symptom(SMV-N). The average yield of “Wonhwang” was 2.80MT/ha, which was higher by 4% than “Pungsannamulkong” at the regional yield trials.

A six-rowed naked barley cultivar, Donghanchal (Hordeum vulgare L.), with low-amylose, winter hardiness, viral disease resistance and good quality, was developed from the cross between the advanced line “Masangwamac/Kangbori*7” and Naehanssalbori in 1993.

A new vegetable peanut variety “Bakjung(Arachis hypogaea L.)” was developed from the cross between Shindaekwang and Suwon94 at the Honam Agricultural Research Institute and Yongnam Agricultural Research Institute, National Institute of Crop Science in 200

A new peanut variety “Kokwang(Arachis hypogaea L.)” was developed from the cross between Florigiant and Tifapan at the Honam Agricultural Research Institute in 2003. This variety has shinpung type and erect growth habit with midium size obovate dark green

This study is to identify the physiological traits of submergence-tolerant varieties of rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) in Yeongnam area, southeastern part of Korea, where the reduction of rice yield due to submergence is remarkably severe. In the present study, two tolerant varieties of rice plants were selected from over 30 rice varieties grown in under a 10-day period. The tolerant varieties selected from a submerged paddy field. As a control, one intolerant variety of rice plant was chosen. Of the tolerant variety Samgangbyeo, rather than Haepyungbyeo, had a lower dissolved oxygen consumption and maintained a higher dry weight than the intolerant variety. The leaf photosynthetic rates (LPS) of the two tolerant varieties were significantly higher than that of the intolerant-variety after four days of submergence treatment. These results indicate that lower dissolved oxygen consumption in a limited pool is prevented by ethylene formation in the tolerant varieties, which may be a mechanism of submergence tolerance.

The effects of plant hormones (NAA, GA3 and BA) and light qualities (white, red, green and blue light) on the changes of reducing sugar contents and invertase isozyme activities in leaves of maize (Zea mays L.) and mung bean (Phaseolus radiatus L.) seedlings were investigated. NAA accelerated the increase of reducing sugar contents and invertase isozyme activities, on the contrary, GA3 had little effect in the accumulation of reducing sugar and in the increase of enzyme activities from the leaves of maize and mung bean seedlings. On the other hand, BA accelerated an increase in the activities of the invertase isozyme from the leaves of mung bean seedlings whereas it had little effect in the increase of the enzyme activities from those of maize seedlings. The accumulation of reducing sugar in leaves of both seedlings was promoted by red light irradiation compared to white light irradiation, while the activities of the enzyme were little affected by various light qualities. In the simultaneous applications of plant hormone and light quality, NAA with white light was very effective in the increase of reducing sugar contents and the enzyme activities from the leaves of mung bean seedlings, whereas NAA application with blue light showed a prominent enhancement in the reducing sugar contents and the enzyme activities from those of maize seedlings. These results suggest that plant hormone, particularly NAA, may be a more important factor than various light qualities in the stimulation of invertase activity.

The effect of growth regulators (NAA, BA and GA_3) and light (blue, red and far-red) on the changes in total protein and thylakoid membrane protein pattern of callus from intergeneric protoplast fusion between Nicotiana tabacum and Solanum nigrum were investigated. When the callus were irradiated with different wavelengths of light, blue and red light accelerated the synthesis of total proteins and thylakoid membrane proteins. Particularly, red light led to an increase in the protein synthesis compared to blue light. When the callus were subjected to various combinations of growth regulators, NAA+GA_3 and NAA-BA treatments induced remarkable increase of total proteins and thylakoid membrane proteins accumulation, particulary in the combination of NAA+GA_3 NAA+GA_3 treatment with irradiation of red light showed highest value in the accumulation of total proteins and thylakoid membrane proteins. We conclude that simultaneous application of red light and NAA+GA_3 treatment may induce synergistic effect in the synthesis of total proteins and thylakoid membrane proteins.

Light qualities and three kinds of plant hormones, NAA, GA_3 and BA were treated on maize seedlings to investigate the effect on formation of the chlorophyll-protein complexes. Each three kinds of plant hormones accelerated the chlorophyll proteins formation, particularly LHCP-1 and LHCP-3, but two kinds of hormonal combinations didn`t promote these proteins accumulation under sun light condition. The formation of chlorophyll proteins of LHCP-1, CPA and LHCP-3 associated with PSⅡ was promoted under red light compared to sun light, on the contrary the formation of chlorophyll proteins was not affected by white light. Plant hormones under red light induced chlorophyll proteins formation associated with PSⅡ at early state of chloroplast development and two kinds of hormonal combinations under red light were very effective in accumulation of chlorophyll proteins of PSⅡ in contrast to sun light. The results obtained suggest that light may play an important role compared to plant hormones in the formation of chlorophyll proteins.