In monsoon climates, persistent shade is a troublesome weather condition with an impact on the growth and yield of corn (Zea mays L.). We imposed 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of consecutive shade (CS) on Gwangpyeongok and P3394 corn hybrids at the beginning of the kernel filling stages. Shade had little impact on leaf area and dry matter accumulation in the stem and leaves. However, dry matter accumulation in the ear was severely reduced by approximately 28% and 53% after 14 and 28 days of CS, respectively. For the components of grain yield, 7 and 14 days of shade did irreparable damage to the number of filled kernels, the kernel number per ear row, and the percent of filled kernels, but did little damage or reversible damage after removal of the shade to the 100-grain weight and the row number per ear. Shade significantly reduced the relative growth rate (RGR) due to a decrease in the net assimilation rate (NAR). These results suggest that source activity limitation by shade during the kernel filling stages leads to the inhibition of sink activity and size. The yield of biomass, ear, and grain logistically declined as the length of CS increased. Probit analysis revealed that the number of days of CS needed to cause 25% and 50% reductions in grain yield were 3.7 and 23.1, respectively. These results suggest that the plant yield loss induced by shade at the beginning of the kernel filling stages is mainly achieved within the first 7 days of consecutive shade.

Tomato fruit color, which is the most visible characteristic among the other fruit traits, is considered to have a substantial influence on consumers. The pink-colored tomatoes with high soluble solids content are considerably preferred especially in Asia compared to the other colors. Generally the pink fruit trait of tomatoes is easily determined by visual examination of intact fruit, however, it is technically determined by the characteristic of the fruit peel. The pink trait is regulated by variations of the SlMYB12(y) gene located on chromosome 1, which controls the accumulation of the naringenin chalcone, which comprises a large proportion of flavonoids. In this study, we developed a derived Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences (dCAPS) marker and a sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) marker in order to discriminate of pink/non-pinktomatoes in the domestic breeding lines. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that the SlMYB gene is highly expressed in non-pink fruit peel, whereas the expression is significantly lowered in the pink fruit peel. These gene based markers are expected to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of selection pink-tomatoes in tomato breeding programs.

Acanthopanax species is known commonly as Siberian ginseng, touch-me-not, devil’s shrub, prickly eleutherococc, eleutherococc and wild pepper. A diverse group of chemical compounds isolated from Acanthopanax species was named ‘eleutherosides’. Among eleutherosides, eleutherosides B and E were widely known in Acanthopanax species. Acanthopanax species are cultivated and grow wild in a various area of Korea and have a variety of pharmacological effects. But, there are a lot of difficulties on producing excellent Acanthopanax species, according to the cultivated method is different pharmacological ingredients. This study, therefore, analyzed eleutherosides B and E in A. divaricatus and A. koreanum by different fertilizer ratio using HPLC. We will be investigated a high content of eleutherosides B and E by different fertilizer ratio and suggest an efficient fertilizer ratio of A. divaticatus and A. koreanum. All samples of A. divaricatus and A. koreanum were collected at Yeongcheon Agricultural Technology & Extension Center, Yeongcheon, Korea. The sample was prepared by upper and lower parts. The fertilizer ratio are N-P-K(10.5-8.5-8.5: 50 kg/10a), 2N-P-K (21-8.5-8.5: 50 kg/10a), N-2P-K (10.5-17-8.5: 50 kg/10a), N-P-2K (10.5-8.5-17: 50 kg/10a), and 2N-2P-2K (21-17-17: 50 kg/10a), respectively. To analyze eleutherosides B and E, 5 g of A. divaricatus and A. koreanum was extracted with 50% MeOH (3 × 100 ml) by reflux and evaporated in vacuo. The residue was dissolved in 1 ml of MeOH. The resulting solution was used for HPLC analysis. HPLC separation of eleutherosides B and E for qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed using a reverse phase system. A Discovery®C18 (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm) column was used with a mobile phase that consisted of water and acetonitrile. A gradient solvent system of water and acetonitrile (90:10 to 70:30 for 20 min) was used for the elution program. UV detection was conducted at 350 nm. The injection volume was 10 μl and the flow rate was 1 ml/min. All injections were performed in triplicate. The different fertilizer ratio yielded total eleutherosides B and E contents of 4.417-6.905 and 3.652-7.227 mg/g in the upper and lower parts of A. divaricatus, respectively. In A. koreanum, the total eleutherosides B and E contents were 4.591-10.108 and 3.834-9.079 mg/g in the upper and lower parts, respectively. The best conditions to increase eleutherosides B and E content in A. divaricatus was determined to be with N-2P-K fertilizer ratio, on the other hand, in A. koreanum was 2N-2P-2K fertilizer ratio.