Background : Astragalus membranaceus is one of the most widely used traditional medicinal herbs in Korea. Studies on the genomic of A. membranaceus resources have not been carried out so far. The present study was carried out to discriminate A. membranaceus based on genetic diversity using genomic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Methods and Results : We collected 5 A. membranaceus lines: Asung, Poongsung, Am-Jecheon, Am-Sancheong, and Am-China. One hundred mg of fresh leaves were used for genomic DNA extraction using the DNeasy plant DNA isolation kit (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany). 450,449 contigs were searched for 147,766 SSR candidate loci in this study using the MicroSAtellite identification tool (MISA). We selected 949 A. membranaceus genomic SSR markers that were showed variation for the five collections in silico screening with CLC genomics workbench program. The genetic diversity of all A. membranaceus resources was analyzed using 17 SSR markers employing the DNA fragment analysis method. Based on the genetic diversity analysis, these lines were classified into four distinct groups. Conclusion : These findings could be used for further research on cultivar development using molecular breeding techniques and for conservation of the genetic diversity of A. membranaceus. Furthermore, the markers could be used for marker-assisted selection for crop breeding.

Background : Angelica gigas is a monocarpic biennial or short lived perennial plant. A. gigas, also called Dang Gui or Korean Angelica, is a major medicinal herb used in Asian countries such as Korea, Japan and China. In Korea, we are using the roots of A. gigas, but, they are using Angelica sinensis in China and Angelica acutiloba in Japan to obtain many active constituents. The biggest problem in the using of A. gigas would be the confusion with A. acutiloba or A. sinensis. These three plants can't be distinguished by appearance. And the constituent ratios of the three plants are different. This confusion can cause an accident or the pharmaceutical effects do not meet the expectations. In this study, we developed chloroplast SSR markers that can distinguish A. gigas, A. acutiloba and A. sinensis. Methods and Results : We collected A. gigas, A. acutiloba and A. sinensis. and extrated DNA using CTAB method. The DNA was diluted to 10 ng/㎕ and kept -20℃. We designed the primer sets using CLC Main Workbench based on chloroplast DNA SSR region of A. gigas. PCR were performed on the three angelica plant samples (in 5 repeat). Conclusion : We made five primer sets from five SSR regions of A. gigas cpDNA. All of the primer sets amplified the amplicon effectively. Two of the 5 primer sets had polymorphism. We can distinguish A. gigas, A. acutiloba, and A. sinensis using the 2 primer sets

Background : Irregular meals and insufficient exercise are major modern lifestyle-related risk factors for constipation. This study aimed to examine the effects of the aqueous extract of Dendrobium speciosum var. (DM) on the improvement of intestinal function and prevention of constipation in rats. Methods and Results : Constipation in rat was induced by loperamide (4 ㎎/㎏) injection for 5 days and rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: normal control rats (NOR), constipated rats (LOP induced) and constipated rats supplemented with dulcolax-S (POS), DMSG, 100 ㎎/㎏ (DMSG-100), 300 ㎎/㎏ (DMSG-300) and 500 ㎎/㎏ (DMSG-500). The DMSG groups showed increments in the frequency and amount of stools compared to the LOP group. Loperamide treatment markedly reduced the water content of feces, whereas DMSG administration significantly increased fecal water contents. Moreover, DMSG improved intestinal transit speed in constipated-rats. Alcian blue staining revealed increased mucus production by crypt cells and mucus contents in feces and the mucosal surface. Conclusions : In summary, DM extraction significantly improves intestinal function in rats, which indicates the effectiveness of this extract in the prevention and treatment of constipation.

Dendrobium loddigesii (DL) is a valuable and versatile herbal medicine with the anecdotal claims of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation. In the present study, we investigated the whitening effects of DL under various conditions with B16F10 melanoma cells. The DL extract inhibited melanin contents and tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner, compared with untreated group. Treatment of the DL extract effectively suppressed the α-MSH-stimulated melanin formation, tyrosinase activity and dendrite outgrowth. Moreover, the α-MSH-induced mRNA expressions of tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2), microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and protein expression of tyrosinase were significantly attenuated by DL treatment. These results indicate that DL may be a great cosmeceutical ingredient for its whitening effects.

"Jecy Green" is a new kiwifruit variety developed at the National Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (NISA), RDA in 2003, which was for the utilization as fruit with smooth skin and green flesh. This variety was selected from seeds obtained from the cross breeding between Actinidia chinensis cv. "Apple Sensation" and A. deliciosa cv. "Tomuri" in 1997. Seedling and line selections were conducted from 1998 to 1999, and characteristic trials were carried out from 2000 to 2002. After developed, it was also conducted to the test of adaptability in kiwifruit orchards of Jeju island from 2003 to 2006. The branch of "Jecy Green" sprouts strongly and the color of leaf is slightly dark green. The shape of fruit is ellipsoid, and the color of peel is light yellowish-brown with pubescence. The average weight of fruit is 82.9 g and the largest 125g. The core is middle and soft, the percicarp is yellowish green, and the texture is fragile and juicy. Soluble solids concentration is 13.2 °Brix. The total acid content is 1.07% and the fruit yield is higher about 10% than that of A. deliciosa cv. "Hayward". The harvesting time is early November and the fruit can be preserved about 70~90 days at 2℃. This variety can be planted bellow 100 m sea level and should be grown under shelter to prevent from disease and cold.

“Jecy Gold” is a new kiwifruit variety developed at the National Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (NISA), RDA in 2003, which was for the utilization as fruit with yellow flesh and high soluble solids. This variety was selected from seeds obtained from the cross breeding between Actinidia chinensis cv. “Golden Yellow” and A. chinensis cv. “Songongu” with yellow flesh in 1997. Seedling and line selections were conducted from 1998 to 1999, and characteristic trials were carried out from 2000 to 2002. After developed, it was also conducted to the test of adaptability in kiwifruit orchards of Jeju island from 2003 to 2006. The branch of “Jecy Gold” sprouts strongly and the color of leaf is slightly dark green. The shape of fruit is obovoid, and the color of peel is yellowish-brown without hair. The average weight of fruit is 128.4 g. The core is middle and soft, the percicarp is golden yellow, and the texture is fragile and juicy. Soluble solids concentration is 14.8 oBrix. The total acid content is 0.69% and the fruit yield is higher about 30% than that of A. deliciosa cv. “Hayward”. The content of vitamin C is higher than that of A. deliciosa cv. “Hayward”. The harvesting time is from late October to early November and the fruit can be preserved about 90 days at 2°C. This variety can be planted bellow 100 m sea level and should be grown under shelter to prevent from disease and cold. This variety will be cultivated about 100 ha by 2011 in the southern part of Korea and has been supplied about 10 ha in 2007.

Research Institute (HARI), NTCS, RDA, in 2004. This cultivar has a short grain shape and about 123 days growth duration from trans-planting to harvesting under the reclaimed saline area of the south-western and the mid-western coastal plain and Honam plai