Since the first development of the high-yield variety ‘Tongil’ that led to the self-sufficiency of rice production in Korea, plant architecture has improved steadily to increase yield components. The purpose of this study was to analyze the chronicle shift of agronomic traits of high-yield rice, to provide future breeding goals. The culm length increased sharply from 65 cm in the 1970s to 80 cm in the 1990s, and then decreased slightly to 77 cm in the 2010s. The panicle length increased continuously from 22.8 cm in the 1990s, to 24.3 cm in the 2010s. The average number of seeds per panicle increased from 118 in the 1970s, to 142 in the 1990s, and decreased continuously to 119 in the 2010s. The ripening ratio increased from 75% in the 1970s to 83% in the 1980s, and decreased to 77% in the 1990s and after that, held steady at 85%. Thousand-grain weight was lowest in the 1980s at 20.9 g and sharply increased to 25.8 g in the 1990s, and decreased continuously to 23.3 g in the 2010s. The production of high-yield varieties increased significantly from the 1970s from 510 kg/10a to 769 kg/10a in the 2010s.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the problems that must be resolved in the short and long term to improve rice productivity in Nicaragua, where the current rice self-sufficiency rate is 73%. First, after selecting varieties with high adaptability to various cultivation environmental conditions, it is necessary to thoroughly manage seed purity to supply certified seeds. In rice cultivation technology, it needs to improve seedling standing and weeding effect by improving soil leveling, and watersaving cultivation technology. Also, proper fertilization and planting density must be established in irrigated and rain-fed areas. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the capacity by collecting and training with the latest agricultural technology information, by revitalizing the union rather than the individual farmer. It is necessary to develop varieties highly adaptable to the Nicaragua cultivation environment, as well as to expand irrigation facilities and cultivation technology suitable for weather conditions June- July in rain-fed areas. Last, it is necessary to maintain the consistency of agricultural policy for continuous and stable rice production, in response to climate change such as drought or intermittent heavy rain.

Sustainable capacity building of the rice value chain in Africa is essential in achieving the rice self-sufficiency and poverty alleviation. The breeding capacity enhancement has also been at the heart of AfricaRice’s mandate. Therefore, the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI) has concentrated breeding capacity enhancement for young breeders or breeding technicians of national research institutes in the KAFACI member countries. Four-month trainings have been conducted at the Regional Training Center located in Saint Louis, Senegal. The actual practice training is as follows; First is to learn practical skills and techniques of key aspects of rice breeding which are field preparation and layout, sowing, transplanting, fertilizer application, weed control, water management, hybridization/crossing, selection, yield and yield components determination, and rice palatability testing. Second is to learn some theoretical aspects of plant breeding through lectures including basic principles of breeding, evaluation for biotic and abiotic stresses, and statistical analysis. Third is to learn about the accurate use of field and lab equipment for rice breeding. Forth is to learn about proper scientific reporting and presentation. The courses were organized twice per year following two rice cultivation seasons in Senegal. From 2019, a total of 24 trainees participated in the 4 month courses. We believe they have acquired the basic knowledge and skills to implement rice breeding activities indpendently in their countries.

The Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI) has been cooperating with AfricaRice since 2014 for the eradication of hunger and poverty in Africa through sustainable agriculture and its industrialization. At first, rice breeding activities for staple food production started with KAFACI member countries by sharing high-yielding Tongil-type rice breeding lines and varieties. The Africa Rice Development Partnership project entitled “Enhancement of high-yielding rice germplasm and breeding capacity of rice producing countries in Africa” is implemented for the period from 2016 to 2025 with three phases. The actual rice breeding activities have been conducted by applying anther culture haploid breeding technology in the laboratory and field of AfricaRice Saint-Louis center. The 1,547 elite lines selected through participatory variety selection were distributed to 21 national breeders of KAFACI member countries. These lines derived from the 1,181 cross combination and 34,616 breeding lines on Korea and AfricaRice germplasm crossed. Among them 11 new Tongil-type rice varieties have been selected and registered in the national variety catalogue of Senegal, Mali, Rwanda, Malawi, and Tanzania.

Arsenic (As) uptake and accumulation from agricultural soil to rice vary depending on the soil environmental conditions such as soil pH, redox potential, clay content, and organic matter (OM) content. Therefore, these factors are important in predicting changes in the uptake and accumulation of As in rice plants. Here, we studied the chemical properties of As-contaminated and/or rice straw compost (RSC)-treated soils, the growth responses of RSC-applied rice plants under As-contaminated soils, the changes in As content of soil, and the relationship between As uptake and accumulation from the RSC-treated soils to the rice organs under As-contaminated soils. Rice plants were cultivated in 30 mg kg-1 As-contaminated soils under three RSC treatments: 0 (control), 12, and 24 Mg ha-1. No significant differences were indicated in the chemical properties of pre-experimental (before transplanting rice seedling) soils, with the exception of EC, OM, and available P2O5. As the treatment of RSC under 30 mg kg-1 As-contaminated soils increased, EC, OM, and available P2O5 increased proportionally in soil. Increased soil RSC under As-contaminated soils increased shoot dry weight of rice plants at harvesting stage. As content in roots increased proportionally with RSC content, whereas As content in shoots decreased under As-contaminated soil at all stages of rice plants. Nevertheless, As accumulation were significantly decreased in both roots and shoots of RSC-treated rice plants than those in the plants treated without RSC. These results indicate that the use of RSC can mitigate As phytotoxicity and reduce As accumulation in rice plants under As-contaminated soils. Therefore, RSC can potentially be applied to As-contaminated soil for safe crop and forage rice production.

The present study investigated effects of microbial additives and silo density on chemical compositions, fermentation indices, and aerobic stability of whole crop rice (WCR) silage. The WCR (“Youngwoo”) was harvested at 49.7% dry matter (DM), and ensiled into 500 kg bale silo with two different compaction pressures at 430 kgf (kilogram-force)/cm2 (LOW) and 760 kgf/cm2 (HIGH) densities. All WCR forage were applied distilled water (CON) or mixed inoculants (Lactobacillus brevis 5M2 and Lactobacillus buchneri 6M1) with 1:1 ratio at 1x105 colony forming unit/g (INO). The concentrations of DM, crude protein, ether extract, crude ash, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber of whole crop rice before ensiling were 49.7, 9.59, 2.85, 6.74, 39.7, and 21.9%, respectively. Microbial additives and silo density did not affect the chemical compositions of WCR silage (p>0.05). The INO silages had lower lactate (p<0.001), but higher propionate (p<0.001). The LOW silages had higher lactate (p=0.004). The INO silages had higher yeast count (p<0.001) and aerobic stability (p<0.001). However, microbial counts and aerobic stability were not affected by silo density. Therefore, this study concluded that fermentation quality of WCR silage improved by microbial additives, but no effects by silo density.

The effect of change in exchange rates on an economy is very important, especially, to a small open economy like South Korea. I explore whether Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have positive influences on exchange rate-pass through import price of import market for fishery products in South Korea. Competition among FTA partners is enhanced after FTAs are effective. I expect that the extent to which are exchange rate pass-through (hereafter, ERPT) into import price of fishery products (in terms of Korea currency) would be reduced since the import market for fishery products in South Korea is an oligopolistic market. Specifically, I　investigate two research questions with six South Korea’s FTA partners─Norway, Thailand, Peru, U.S., China and Vietnam. First, whether the extent to which are exchange rate pass-through into import price of fishery products from six FTA partners would decrase in the post-FTA era; seconds, the size of reduction has a negative relation with the size of their market share in the import market for fishery products in South Korea if it decreases. The empirical results indicate that the degree of ERPT into import price from other FTA partners than Norway has been reduced after FTA, statistically and significantly; however, I do not find the evidence that the size of reduction is related to their market share. The findings in this study imply that FTAs have negative effects on producers’ economic welfare in South Korea’s fishery industry by reducing the extent to which are exchange rate pass-through as well as reducing tariff barriers.

Preparation of advanced functional materials from agricultural waste by eco-friendly processing route is inevitable for sustainable development. This work demonstrates the development of carbon/silica (C/SiO2) and carbon/silicon carbide (C/ SiC) composite foam monoliths of low thermal conductivity, high EMI shielding performance and reasonable compressive strength from rice husk. The C/SiO2 and C/SiC composite foams are obtained by carbonization and subsequent carbothermal reduction, respectively, of rice husk–sucrose composites consolidated by filter-pressing rice husk powder dispersed in sucrose solutions of various concentrations (300–600 g L− 1). The amorphous nature of silica in C/SiO2 and the presence of β-SiC in C/SiC are evidenced from XRD and TEM analysis. The compressive strength and thermal conductivity are depending on the foam density which is tailored by sucrose solution concentration. The compressive strength in the ranges of 0.32–1.67 and 0.19–1.19 MPa are observed for C/SiO2 and C/SiC foams, respectively, with density in the ranges of 0.26–0.37 and 0.18–0.29 g cm− 3. The C/SiO2 and C/SiC exhibited thermal conductivity in the ranges of 0.150–0.205 W m− 1 K− 1 and 0.165–0.431 W m− 1 K− 1, respectively. The C/SiO2 and C/SiC composite foams show absorption dominated EMI shielding effectiveness in the ranges of 18–38.5 dB and 20–43.7 dB, respectively. The inherent pore channels and corrugated surface structure in rice husk, electrically conducting carbon and dielectric SiO2 and SiC contribute to the total EMI shielding.

‘Roko 20’ is high-yielding, medium-maturity japonica rice variety adaptable to Romania and Turkey. It was developed and registered (Registration Nr. 6578 in ISTIS, Romania) from a cross between ‘Haedamssal’ and the salt resistant Romanian cultivar ‘Polizesti 28’ in 2021. The vegetation period of ‘Roko 20’ was 121 days in Turkey and 136 days in Romania. The culm length of ‘Roko 20’ was 80 cm, and the 1,000-grain weight of paddy rice was 31.0 g. The ripening ratio was similar to that of the control cultivar ‘Polizesti 28’ at 81%, and the proportion of amylose content of brown rice was 18.5%, which was slightly lower than that of the control cultivar ‘Polizesti 28’ (20.2%). The paddy rice yield was 18% higher than that of the control cultivar with 8,535 kg/ha. The proportion of brown rice and milled rice recovery was 81.6% and 65%, respectively. However, the head rice was slightly lower (44% in Turkey and 49% in Romania) than that in ‘Polizesti 28’ (52%).

Laos People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) is a country selected by Korea’s priority foreign policy – New Southern Policy. It is also one of Korea’s 24 priority partner countries. The objective of this study was to understand the current status of rice industry and recommendations for improving rice productivity in Laos based on “Agriculture Development Strategy to 2025 and Vision to the Year 2030” published by the Lao government. In Laos, major crops are rice, vegetables, maize, coffee, cassava, sugar cane, and others. Laos achieved rice self-sufficiency in 1999. Its rice production reached up to 3,580,000 tons in 2018. It aims to harvest a total of 5 million tons of paddy rice with a target yield of approx. 1.5 million tons in 2025. Rice consumption per capita totals 160 kg/year in Laos, the highest in the world. The national nutrient program sets its targets as follows: of 2,600 kcal, a recommended daily calorie intake for adults, it aims to lower rice and starch, while increasing calories from meat, vegetables, fat, and so on. This shows that the rice policy is formulated with consideration of improving health of people in Laos as well as boosting rice exports. Based on the agricultural policy and strategy of Laos, it is viewed that the rice industry in Laos can advance further and produce results only when rice industry is linked to the following areas: economic development, farm size expansion, higher productivity through novel varieties and cultivation technologies, scaling-up of agricultural mechanization, greater efficiency in processing, and infrastructure expansions such as roads and reservoirs. If an ODA (Official Development Assistance) project takes a tailored approach considering its actor-specific characters and tasks, it is believed that the project can contribute to the goal of securing sustainability for the rice industry.

This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the content of functional components and antioxidant activity of rice and barley according to the milling process used. A considerable amount of γ-oryzanol was observed in unmilled rice and barley. However, γ-oryzanol was not detected in the rice and barley after the milling process. The highest content of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was observed in the unmilled Keunalbori-1-ho barley. The contents of biotin in all samples also decreased in the milled grains compared to the unmilled grains. The highest content of total polyphenols and flavonoids was observed in the Heuksujeongchal barley, and the highest radical scavenging activity was also found in this grain. The milling process led to a decrease in the content of functional components, including γ-oryzanol, GABA, biotin, polyphenols, and flavonoids in both rice and barley. These results may be useful in the development of processed foods using cereal grains.

This is a comparative study of Byung-Kwa-Ryu (Korean rice cake and cookie) of the Chungcheon Province Area in the late Joseon Dynasty, based on「Jusiksiui」 in the late 1800s,「Eumsikbangmunnira」 in 1891, and 「Banchandeungsok」 in 1913. This study was also compared with the recipes of「Suunjapbang」 of 1540,「Eumsikdimibang」 of around 1670, 「Siuijeonseo」, and Gyuhabchongseo of the late 1800s. As for the Byung-Kwa-Ryu(Korean rice cake and cookie) introduced in the recipe book,「Eumsikbangmunnira」 recorded the most with 18 types of rice cakes and two types of Korean sweets, followed by「Jusiksiui. There were 14 types of rice cakes, and two types of Korean sweets. 「Banchandeungsok」 had eight types ofrice cakes and six types of Korean sweets. Yogi-tteok in「Jusiksiui」 and「Banchandeungsok」 were foods that could not be found in other recipes. Yakgwa and Jeungpyeon were in all three books as well as 「Eumsikdimibang」. These were also included in「Siuijeonseo」 and were introduced to most cookbooks. The materials used and the method of making it differed for each recipe. Many studies on cookbooks have focused on the Yeongnam region so far. This study served as an opportunity to confirm the dietary life data of the Chungcheong-do region through a review of the recipe books containing food from the Chungcheong-do region. In addition, it was possible to examine the ingredients and cooking methods used in each cookbook at the time through comparative analysis with the cookbooks in the Yeongnam region.