Molecular markers have been widely applied in population genetics, diagnostic taxonomy, and genetic mapping, and they can also be used for classifying varieties of Italian ryegrass during field selection. In this study, genome-wide sequence information was generated for 10 Italian ryegrass cultivars (40 samples), including ‘Kowinearly’ (KW), using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis revealed that only three SNP loci were sufficient to distinguish KW from the other cultivars. Furthermore, 21 alternative barcode sets, each consisting of three SNPs, were identified. These SNP barcode sets provide a reliable criterion for cultivar discrimination in Italian ryegrass and can contribute to the protection of domestic varieties and the advancement of the forage industry in Korea. More broadly, the development of distinguishing markers across Italian ryegrass cultivars will enhance genetic resource identification and support the breeding of high-quality new varieties.

This study reports the development of a new alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) variety, ‘Alfaone’, at the Forage Production Systems Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Korea, from 2015 to 2023. The variety originated from an artificial cross between Xun Lu (maternal parent) and RadarⅡ Brand (paternal parent), followed by pedigree selection and performance testing. The elite line ‘MsCB01’ was subsequently released as ‘Alfaone’. Regional adaptability trials were conducted for two years (2022–2023) across four representative sites in Korea (Cheonan, Pyeongchang, Jeongeup, and Jinju) to evaluate agronomic traits, forage yield, and quality. Evaluated characteristics included plant height, regrowth ability, winter survival, and lodging resistance. The average dry matter yield of ‘Alfaone’ was 20,811 kg/ha, approximately by about 3% higher than that of the standard cultivar ‘Vernal’ (20,236 kg/ha). Yield superiority was particularly evident in Pyeongchang, suggesting excellent cold tolerance and winter hardiness. Assessment of forage nutritive traits indicated that ‘Alfaone’ was comparable to ‘Vernal’, demonstrating that its yield advantage did not come at the expense of quality. Overall, ‘Alfaone’ is a promising cultivar that combines high productivity with strong adaptability to unfavorable environments, particularly cold-prone regions. Its release is expected to promote the expansion of alfalfa cultivation, enhance forage self-sufficiency, and reduce dependence on imported hay in Korea.

A new barnyard millet (Echinochloa esculenta L.) cultivar, ‘Da-on’ (line BM3), was developed by the National Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) through pedigree selection using local germplasm collected from Jeju Island in 2016. After four years of line separation (2017–2020), a yield trial (2022), and regional adaptability tests across three sites (2023–2024), its agronomic performance and forage quality were evaluated. ‘Da-on’ is a mid-maturing cultivar with a heading date of August 5, which is 11 days later than the check cultivar ‘Borajik’. It exhibits an erect growth habit, purple panicles, and strong lodging resistance. The average plant height was 178.8 cm, which was 40.8 cm taller than that of ‘Borajik’. The dry matter yield of ‘Da-on’ was 16,858 kg/ha, representing a 130% increase compared with ‘Borajik’. Forage quality traits showed lower ADF (34.0%) and NDF (63.7%) contents, while total digestible nutrients (TDN) were higher (62.0%) than in the check. Crude protein content was comparable between the two cultivars. In addition, ‘Da-on’ showed resistance to lodging and leaf blight during field trials, confirming its stability across diverse environments. These results demonstrate that ‘Da-on’ is a promising summer forage crop cultivar suitable for nationwide cultivation, providing higher productivity and nutritive value to enhance forage self-sufficiency in Korea.

This study evaluated the growth characteristics, forage productivity, and feed value of three Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) cultivars ‘Earlybird’, ‘Green call’, and ‘Greenfarm2ho’ over two consecutive growing seasons. Growth traits such as cold tolerance, lodging resistance, disease resistance, and insect resistance were assessed, along with plant height. Forage yield was measured as both fresh and dry matter yields, and feed value was analyzed in terms of CP, NDF, ADF, DMI, DDM, RFV and CA content. Among the tested cultivars, ‘Earlybird’ demonstrated superior performance in several key traits. It showed the greatest lodging resistance and plant height, along with the highest fresh and dry matter yields, although differences in yield were not statistically significant. In terms of feed quality, ‘Earlybird’ had the highest CP (10.8%), lowest NDF (54.7%), and highest RFV (109), indicating excellent palatability and digestibility. ‘Greenfarm2ho’ showed intermediate values across all parameters, suggesting balanced productivity and quality. In contrast, ‘Green call’ showed relatively lower lodging resistance and feed value. Overall, ‘Earlybird’ was identified as a promising cultivar for forage production in temperate climates, combining stable yield performance with high nutritional value. These findings offer valuable guidance for cultivar selection in livestock forage systems aiming to improve both productivity and feed efficiency.

A new oak mushroom cultivar Lentinula edodes ‘Eomjisong’ (LE23734), was developed by crossing the dikaryotic and monokaryotic strains of ‘KME36298’ and ‘KME36288-1’, respectively. The optimal temperature for mycelial growth of ‘Eomjisong’ on potato dextrose agar was 23–27°C, and was 15–20°C for fruiting body development. The cultivation period of ‘Eomjisong’ was 131 days, which was 3 days shorter than that of the control cultivar ‘Hanacham’. Morphologically, ‘Eomjisong’ showed stipe length and thickness similar to those of ‘Hanacham’, however, the pileus was larger and thicker. Furthermore, the pileus of ‘Eomjisong’ exhibited higher brightness than that of ‘Hanacham’. Productivity tests showed that the total yield of ‘Eomjisong’ reached 555 g, which was approximately 25.6% higher than that of ‘Hanacham’ (442 g). These findings indicate that ‘Eomjisong’ is a promising cultivar with enhanced productivity and morphological advantages over ‘Hanacham’, suggesting its potential for commercial cultivation.

This study was conducted to evaluate the germination rate, chemical composition, and in vitro digestibility of sprouted barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sprouts depending on cultivar and growth duration. Four cultivars Keunalbori1ho, Saekeumkang, Arijinheuk, and Jokyoung were tested under hydroponic and nutrient solution conditions. The germination rate was significantly higher under hydroponic conditions compared to nutrient solution treatment. Sprouts were harvested at 0, 4, 6, and 8 days for subsequent analysis. Chemical compositions, such as dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), and crude ash (CA), were analyzed following AOAC (2005) protocols, while neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents were determined according to the method of Van Soest et al. (1991). In vitro digestibility was assessed by incubating ground samples with rumen buffer in DaisyII incubators for 48 h. At day 6 of growth, Keunalbori1ho showed the highest NDF and ADF concentrations (48.6% and 26.2%), reflecting its high structural fiber and the lowest digestibility (IVDMD 52.2%, IVNDFD 37.2%). However, it maintained consistent nutritional characteristics across all growth stages, suggesting potential as a stable forage source. In contrast, Saekeumkang exhibited the highest IVNDFD (59.1%) along with relatively low NDF (30.5%) and ADF (16.7%) values (p<0.05), indicating superior digestibility likely attributed to a simpler cell wall structure and higher NFC availability. Notably, digestibility sharply declined by day 8, implying that the optimal harvest window lies around day 6. Therefore, this study suggests that the cultivars Keunalbori1ho and Saekeumkang possess complementary strengths in terms of chemical composition and digestibility, underscoring the importance of optimizing cultivar selection and harvest timing to enhance the potential of cereal sprouts as high quality forage.

콩은 식물성 단백질과 지방을 얻기 위하여 가장 널리 재배되는 주요 콩과 작물이다. 그러나, 성숙 콩 실에는 가공적성과 품질 저하, 알러지 유발 및 소화 불량을 일으키는 성분이 포함되어져 있다. 콩 성숙 종실에서 주요 항영양성분으로 알려진 lectin, KTI, lipoxygenase 및 7S α' subunit의 4가지 단백질이 모두 부재하면서 stachyose의 함량이 낮은 대립 노란콩 ‘백세’ 품종이 국내 최초로 육성되었다. ‘백세’ 품종은 F-1-9와 F-1-6의 육성계통간 교배로 얻어진 집단에서 선발되었다. ‘백세’ 품종은 보라색 화색, 유한신육형, 회색 모용색 및 성숙시 연한 갈색의 협색을 가지며, 종피 및 제색은 노란색이다. ‘백세’의 종실 조단백질 및 조지방 함량은 각각 41.1%와 15.8%이었고, stachyose의 함량은 2.9 g/kg으로 대조 품종인 ‘대원’의 12.7 g/kg보다 훨씬 낮았다. ‘백세’는 콩 모자이크 바이러스, 콩 괴사병, 검은뿌리썩음병, 꼬투리 및 줄기 무름병, 불마름병에 대한 저항성을 나타내었다. ‘백세’는 6월 20일경 파종시 성숙기는 10월 16일경이며, 경장은 53 ㎝, 백립중은 31.0 g 정도이고 2020년 3곳에서의 평균 수량은 2.95 ton/ha-1 정도였다.‘백세’는 2023년 4월 6일 국립종자원에 콩 품종 등록(등록번호: 9515) 되었다.

무궁화(Hibiscus syriacus L.)는 여름에 크고 화려한 꽃을 피 우는 수종으로 전 세계적으로 주요한 관상수 중 하나로 재배되 고 있다. 분화 재배에 적합한 신품종 육성을 위해 꽃이 크고 개화 기간이 긴 품종 ‘근형’을 모수(母樹)로, 생육이 느리고 가지 정단부에 꽃눈이 집중적으로 형성되는 품종 ‘임진홍’을 수분수 (授粉樹)로 교배하여 단심이 크고 뚜렷한 신품종 ‘라온’을 개발 하였다. 육성과정은 2012년에 양친을 인공교배하여 총 36립의 종자를 수확하여 파종하였고, 2015년에 주요 형질을 평가하여 차대묘 9개체 중 2개체를 1차적으로 선발하였다. 2016년부터 2019년까지 1차선발된 2 개체에 대한 삽목증식과 안정성 평가 를 거쳐 최종적으로 ‘라온’을 선발하였다. ‘라온’은 중앙에 크고 뚜렷한 단심이 있는 백단심계 홑꽃이다. 꽃 직경은 84.2mm로 모수보다 작고, 가지의 길이생장이 연간 평균 13.8cm으로 모수 (연간 평균 33.0cm)보다 느리다. ‘라온’의 개화기간은 68일 정 도이며, 모수에 비해 꽃과 잎이 작고 수고가 낮아져 분화용으로 재배하기에 적합한 것으로 보인다. ‘라온’은 2020년에 제8378 호로 품종보호 등록되었다.

국내 수박(Citrullus lanatus) 품종의 발아율에 대한 Solid Matrix Priming(SMP)의 영향을 평가하였다. Micro cel-E가 SMP 처리에 가장 이상적인 matrix로 밝혀졌으며, 종자:matix:물의 비율은 10:5:10(w/w/w)로, 25°C 에서 3일 동안 처리했을 때 유근의 돌출없이 발아속도가 촉진되었다. SMP 처리 과정 동안 초기 4시간 동안의 수분 흡수율은 급격하게 증가했으며, 이후 72시간 동안은 더 느린 속도로 흡수되었고, 처리 마지막 시간까지 수분 흡수 율은 41%이었다. 발아 온도와 상관없이, SMP 처리된 종자는 발아 시간이 단축되면서 발아율이 향상되었다. 특히, 최적 발아 온도보다 낮은 온도에서 발아율이 높았다. 품종별 차이는 있었으나, 특히 ‘해찬꿀’과 ‘리코스위트’ 품종 에서 발아율이 유의미하게 증가하였다. 또한 일부 품종에서 SMP 처리 종자의 유묘출현율과 초장, 생체중이 무처 리에 비하여 증가한 값을 보였으며, SMP 처리로 종자의 발아속도 및 유묘활력을 증진시켜 우량 묘 확보가 가능한 것으로 판단되었다.

The winter forage triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) cultivar ‘Onggoljin’ was developed in 2018 by Central Area Crop Breeding Division, the National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration, as a winter forage. ‘Onggoljin’ has green leaves with medium length and narrower blade width compared to ‘Joseong’. ‘Onggoljin’ has shorter length spikes, a slightly longer awn than ‘Joseong’, and it’s anther without anthocyanin color. The seeds of ‘Onggoljin’ was shorter in both length and thickness than those of ‘Joseong’, with a yellowish-brown grain coat color. The heading date of ‘Onggoljin’ was at April 23 nationwide on average, two days later than ‘Joseong’. It exhibits stronger winter hardness, and simmilar lodging and desease resistance compared to ‘Joseong’. The plant height of ‘Onggoljin’ was longer than that of ‘Joseong’, and its fresh matter yield and dry matter yield were 46.31 tons/ha and 15.75 tons/ha, respectively, representing 18% and 17% higher than ‘Joseong’. The forage quality characteristics of ‘Onggoljin’ at late milky stage were crude protein content of 6.2%, neutral detergent fiber content of 59.5%, acid detergent fiber content of 34.4%, and total digestible nutrients content of 61.8%, and the silage quality was grade 2. The grain yield of ‘Onggoljin’ was 6.57 tons per ha.

In order to develop a stable production and delicious unique cultivar of beech mushrooms, we generated hybrids using wild resources collected domestically, and we developed excellent strains by identifying the mycelial cultivability of the hybrid strains. The developed strains were cultivated according to the type of spawn and incubation time, and strains with excellent yield and shape were first selected, and second strains with less bitterness and excellent taste were selected through quantitative descriptive analysis. This was verified in farms, and ‘HM6-6’, which had a good reputation in the field, was directly developed cultivars as ‘Maruking’. In addition, the yield was high overall in the 90-day culture of the growth substrate inoculated with solid spawn, and the ‘Maruking’ cultivar, was also best in the 90-day culture. The yield was high overall in the 75-day culture of the liquid spawn, but ‘Maruking’ showed excellent yield when cultured for 70 days.

This study investigated phenolic compounds and radical scavenging activities of rapeseed plants according to cultivar and growth stage. For 1st, 2nd, and 3rd harvested rapeseed plants, total polyphenol contents were 12.56~15.85, 10.28~13.17, and 9.94~16.01 mg gallic acid equivalents/g sample, respectively; total flavonoid contents were 9.86~11.05, 10.41~13.06, and 8.18~16.64 mg catechin equivalents/g sample, respectively; total chlorophyll contents were 17.26~21.66, 19.31~24.95, and 22.16~38.39 mg/g sample, respectively; and total glucosinolates contents were 31.13~46.22, 28.51~34.72, and 22.18~30.58 mg SE/g sample, respectively. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities of rapeseed plants were 3.26~5.91 and 10.69~17.17 mg trolox equivalents/g sample, respectively. FRAP activities of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd harvested rapeseed plants were 142.88~63.93, 37.97~61.24, and 32.93~52.36 mM/g sample, respectively. Phenolic compounds and radical scavenging activities of rapeseed plants were found to be high in Halla, Yuryeo, and Yeongsan cultivars. Overall, phenolic compounds and radical scavenging activities of rapeseed plants tended to decrease as the harvest time was delayed. These results indicate that more research on functional ingredients and physiological activities of rapeseed plants is needed to diversify their fields of use.