“Jeongdami” is a specialized rice (Oryza sativa L.) variety developed to enhance the competitiveness of regional branded rice through its distinct characteristics, setting it apart from those from other regions. It is an early-maturing, semi-dwarf variety with strong resistance to rice blast and features intermediate stickiness with a low amylose content (11.6%), using “Wolbaek” as the maternal parent. The paternal parent is an F₁ hybrid created by crossing the large-grain, intermediate-maturity glutinous rice variety “Nunbora,” which is resistant to bacterial blight (K1, K2, and K3), with “Boramchan,” a high-yield, medium-late Japonica variety that is resistant to bacterial blight (K1, K2, and K3) and stripe virus. The breeding process culminated in 2020, resulting in “Jeongdami.”. Key agricultural characteristics include an average heading date of August 15, which is 6 days earlier than “Baekjinju”, an important low amylose mid-late cultivar, making it a medium-late variety when grown in the four plains regions in the central plains of Korea. Its culm length is moderately short at 77 cm, with an average of 16 panicles per hill and 96 spikelets per panicle. The 1,000-grain weight of brown rice is 20.0 g, similar to that of “Baekjinju.” There was no premature heading, leaf senescence at maturity was moderate, and the pre-harvest germination rate was 1.7%, lower than that of “Baekjinju” (7.5%). The overall cold tolerance rating was 7, indicating weak tolerance similar to “Baekjinju;” however, the variety showed strong lodging resistance in the field. “Jeongdami” exhibited strong resistance to bacterial blight (K1, K2, and K3) and moderate resistance to leaf blast but showed susceptibility to stripe virus, brown planthopper, and white-backed planthopper. The average polished rice yield was 547 kg per 10a, a 16% increase compared to that of “Baekjinju” (472 kg). The grain shape, with a paddy grain length-to-width ratio of 2.2 and a brown rice length-to-width ratio of 1.8, was similar to that of “Baekjinju,” maintaining a short and round shape. The endosperm is clearer than that of “Baekjinju,” providing superior visual quality. The protein content was 6.2%, and the amylose content was 11.5%, indicating intermediate stickiness, which was attributed to the Wx-mq gene. Due to its soft texture and stable cultivation, “Jeongdami” will contribute to increasing rice consumption by enhancing the competitiveness of regionally branded rice with its excellent eating quality and cultivation stability. (Grant No. 9168).

The rice cultivar ‘Misiru’, which is ideal for rice flour production by dry milling, was developed by the rice breeding team at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), Rural Development Administration (RDA), Korea, in 2017 to vitalize the rice processing industry. It is derived from a cross between ‘Daeripbyeo1’ and ‘Seolgaeng’. ‘Misiru’ was grown on a middle plain area by ordinary cultivation methods. The heading date was on August 13, culm length was 85 cm, and there were 12 panicles and 112 spikelets per panicle. The ripened grain ratio was lower than that of ‘Hwaseong’; however, the 1,000 brown rice weight was 30.8 g, about 8 g heavier than that of ‘Hwaseong’. ‘Misiru’ showed medium resistance to blast but susceptibility to bacterial blight, viruses, and insect pests. It was resistant to lodging, whereas pre-harvest sprouting rate and cold tolerance were similar to those of ‘Hwaseong’. The milled rice appeared non-glutinous opaque, with opaque grain rate of 83.7%. The rice grain was soft and starch granules in the endosperm were of spherical type, similar to wheat. The grain contained 6.4% protein and 18.6% amylose (the content of the latter was similar to that in ‘Hwaseong’). However, its milled rice recovery rate was lower than that of ‘Hwaseong’. The average size of dry-milling rice flour was 64.4 μm, and the rate of damaged starch was 5.2%, lower than that of ‘Hwaseong’. ‘Misiru’ milled rice yield was 5.66 MT/ha, 8% higher than the yield potential of ‘Hwaseong’. The cultivar ‘Misiru’ is thus suitable for rice flour production by dry milling (Grant No. 7682).