This study was carried out to apply an optimized convenient assay, exploiting azo dye-bound chromogenic substrates, to measurement of protease activity. When determined for responses at varying concentrations of two substrates, azocasein and azoalbumin, using 0.5 and 5.0 mg/mL each of bovine pancreas trypsin, 3% azocasein was found to be the most appropriate substrate solution to measure protease activity. Compared with a conventional casein-Folin phenol assay, the chromogen-based protease assay exploiting 3% azocasein showed better precision to have a coefficient of variability in seven repetitive measurements less than 1.11%. When various reagent-grade and industrial proteases that showed proteinase or peptidase activities were tested by this assay at increasing enzyme concentrations, typical shape of rectangular hyperbola in activity-enzyme concentration profiles was observed. In addition, the assay of this study was suitable for activity measurement in real samples that were prepared by hydrolyzing wheat gluten and anchovy fine powder with proteases.

This paper describes the variations in eight agronomic traits in three unadapted local landraces and an inbred cultivar of corn. To compare the agronomic traits in field evaluation with molecular marker evaluation the genotypes of the plant introduction were also checked by 4 microsatellite-SSR loci. The variations of the eight agronomic traits were higher in the local landrades than in the inbred line. which was substantiated by the high genetic variation in the landrades with microsatellite-SSR loci. The level of genetic variation was also different between landraces. Since the genetic evaluation can be easily quantified by the analysis of microsatellite-SSR loci. the threshold level of genetic homogeneity in the population for parental lines in breeding program can be determined and the effort of maintaining the landrace population would be alleviated. As an example in our analysis. the entry from Whachon should not need the same number of selfing generations as the other two landraces to get the level of inbred state. Since this line showed lowest intra-genetic variation within the population.