‘Ganghan’ is a high-yielding soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) cultivar developed for improved shattering resistance and suitability for mechanized harvesting. It was bred through pedigree selection after an artificial cross between ‘Taeseon’ (female parent) and ‘Cheonga’ (male parent) in 2015. ‘Ganghan’ is a determinate type with an average main stem length of 65 cm and first pod height of 19.6 cm, which is favorable for mechanical harvesting. Compared to the control cultivar ‘Daewonkong,’ it showed stronger lodging tolerance and carried a genetic allele associated with pod shattering resistance. In disease resistance evaluations, it exhibited higher resistance than ‘Daewonkong’ to soybean mosaic virus (G6H), bacterial pustule, and black root rot. Regarding seed quality, it contained 38.8% protein, 17.6% oil, 86.1% unsaturated fatty acids, and 3,124 μg/g total isoflavones. The tofu yield was 232%, with mechanical properties and color comparable to ‘Daewonkong.’ In fermentation processing tests, ‘Ganghan’ recorded a γ-PGA content of 11.4 mg/g and amino nitrogen content of 390 mg%, indicating potential use in traditional fermented soy foods. In regional yield trials (RYT) conducted across 10 locations from 2020 to 2022, ‘Ganghan’ had an average yield of 3.58 tons/ha, 14% higher than that of ‘Daewonkong’. The adoption and expansion of ‘Ganghan’ is expected to contribute to increased domestic soybean productivity, harvest efficiency, and cultivation stability under changing climate conditions, thereby improving the domestic soybean self-sufficiency rate (Registration No. 10459).

‘Saebom’ is a new vegetable perilla (Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton) variety developed at the National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration, in 2020, following a cross made in 2011 between YPL54-2B-36-1-1-1-2-2 and YPL83-2B-5-2-5. It was developed using a pedigree breeding method. YPL156-2B-9-2-1-3-2 was selected and named ‘Milyang 83.’ Subsequently, summer and winter productivity tests were conducted. ‘Saebom’ has small, round-shaped leaves and its maximum leaf length is 13.1 cm, which allows for the distribution of leaf harvesting labor. In addition, the leaves are thick, which is beneficial for storage, and the ratio of the apical leaf length/leaf length is 55.8% (‘Namcheon’ 37.2%). This value is considered high and makes ‘Saebom’ highly marketable. Its leaf yield and leaf number were 10% and 8% higher than those of ‘Namcheon,’ respectively, and its antioxidant activity was also higher. In December 2020, the variety was named ‘Saebom’ by the new variety selection committee for its excellence, and its variety protection rights were registered in 2023 (Registration No. 9305).

The white sesame variety, ‘Kangyou’ (Sesamum indicum L.) with disease resistance and high yield was developed in 2019. It was developed through a cross between ‘China Black’ and ‘SI982849’, in 2006. The ‘Kangyou’ variety has a few branches and triple capsules per node. ‘Kangyou’ exhibited resistance to Phytophthora blight and Fusarium wilt disease in the field. The yield from ‘Kangyou’ was about 1.37 ton per hectare, 13% higher than that of ‘Goenbaek’. ‘Kangyou’ showed a crude fat content of 53% and a lignan content of 4.8 mg/g. This variety will contribute to the increase in sesame production in Korea and will be used in sesame breeding programs.

Potato late blight caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans is one of the most important diseases worldwide. Developing potatoes with resistance to late blight through breeding programs is a key research interest in Korea. ‘Mangang’ was bred for late blight resistance through a breeding program at the Highland Agriculture Research Institute of National Institute of Crop Science. The population derived from the cross between ‘Atlantic’ as the female parent, which has excellent chipping quality and ‘CIP393371.159’ as the male parent, a late blight-resistant clone introduced from International Potato Center (CIP), was selected. In ‘Mangang’, the plant maturity occurs late and the growth habit is of the erect type. The tuber shape is round and eye-depth is medium. The skin color of ‘Mangang’ is light yellow; however, there are pink spots around the eyes of the tuber, and the flesh color is white. Leaf color is green and flower color is light-purple. ‘Mangang’ exhibits resistance to early blight (Alternaria solani) and leaf roll virus (PLRV). In addition, it has moderate resistance to common scab (Streptomyces scabies). The response to late blight was evaluated in a non-agrochemical treated field for five years between 2012 and 2016; ‘Mangang’ exhibited resistance to late blight. The mean AUDPC (Area Under Disease Progress Curve) values of ‘Mangang’ and ‘Atlantic’ were 165.5 and 795.8, respectively. Total tuber yield from the non-agrochemical application trial at three regions during the five years was 40.3 ton/ha; this was 40.4% higher than that from ‘Atlantic’. The dry matter content of ‘Mangang’ was 21.3%, which was slightly higher than that of ‘Atlantic’. The chip color was 66.5, and the chip processing quality of ‘Mangang’ was at a level similar to that of ‘Atlantic’ (Registration No. 9312).

‘Heukchan’ (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a medium-sized grain and black-skin peanut variety that was developed at the Department of Southern Area Crop Science, National Institute of Crop Science in 2019. ‘Heukchan’ was developed from a single cross between black-skin accession ‘Heukhwasaeng’ and Virginia-type elite line ‘HP825’. ‘Heukchan’ has short ellipse-shaped grains and a dark-purple seed coat. It also has a shorter main stem and branch length (39 cm and 44 cm, respectively) than those of ‘Daekwang’ (50 cm and 61 cm, respectively) which resulted in higher tolerance to lodging. On average, the number of matured pods per plant of ‘Heukchan’ was 61 and its shelling ratio was 74%. The 100-seed weight of ‘Heukchan’ was 64 g which was lower than that of ‘Daekwang’ (85 g). In the regional adaptation test (from 2017 to 2019), the average grain yield of ‘Heukchan’ was 4.56 tons⋅ha^-1 showing a 5% higher yield than ‘Daekwang’. The seed coat of ‘Heukchan’ contains two types of anthocyanins, cyanidin 3-sophoroside and cyanidin 3-sambubioside, which are not found in ‘Daekwang’. We analyzed the chemical properties of cooked rice containing ‘Heukchan’ with an increasing substitution ratio (5, 10, 20, and 40%); minerals and antioxidative activity as well as protein and unsaturated fatty acids were found to be significantly increased in the rice mixed with ‘Heukchan’. This new variety highlights the novel use of black-skin peanuts for mixing with rice to enhance nutrition and functionality (Registration No. 9195).

A white sesame variety ‘Nuri (Sesamum indicum L.)’ with resistance to Phytophthora blight disease was developed in 2016. It was derived from a cross between ‘Suwon 131’ and ‘Yangbaek’ in 1999. ‘Nuri’ has few branches and triple capsules per node. Notably, ‘Nuri’ exhibited resistance to Phytophthora blight and Fusarium wilt and a yield of approximately 1.19 tons per hectare, 17% higher than that of ‘Kopoom’. ‘Nuri’ presented a crude fat content of 49.0% and protein content of 26.1%. Thus, this variety would contribute to increased sesame production. (Registration no. 7889).

‘Hae-Ol’ (Arachis hypogaea ssp. Hypogaea) -a high-oleate peanut variety-was developed at the Department of Southern Area Crop Science, National Institute of Crop Science in 2018. This variety was selected from the pedigree line crossed between short stem Virginia-type ‘HP825’ and high-oleate elite line ‘YG316’. The crude fat content of ‘Hae-Ol’ was 50.8%, and its oleic acid composition was 83.0% showing high-oleate property compared to that of ‘Daekwang’ variety (57.3%). The ratio of oleic acid to linoleic acid, which represents the oxidative stability, was 12 times higher in ‘Hae-Ol’ than in ‘Daekwang’. The increments in acid value and peroxide value were relatively slower in ‘Hae-Ol’, under the condition of accelerated oxidation. Over the three years of regional adaptation test (2016-2018) conducted at four regions, ‘Hae-Ol’ showed significantly higher grain yield (4.88 MT⋅ha^-1), which was 16% more improved than that of ‘Daekwang’ (4.20 MT⋅ha^-1). The seed of ‘Hae-Ol’ is brown in color and long-ellipse in shape and its 100-seed weight was 96 g. On field, ‘Hae-Ol’ demonstrated more resistance to late leaf spot (Cercosporidium personatum) and web blotch (Phoma arachidicola). It also had a shorter branch and main stem, which was related to the higher tolerance to lodging stress. The release of ‘Hae-Ol’ could contribute to the production of peanuts with enhanced quality and higher yield, and it is expected to be notably beneficial to both the producers and manufacturers (Registration No. 8407).

A new double cropping potato variety, ‘Gangseon’, was bred by the Highland Agriculture Research Institute, National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), RDA, Korea, in 2016. ‘Gangseon’ was obtained from the cross between ‘Daegwan1-83’ and ‘Chubaek’ in 2006. Seedling and line selection was performed from 2008 to 2009, and preliminary and advanced yield trials were carried out with ‘Gangseon’ from 2010 to 2013 in Gangneung city. The regional yield trials were conducted in Gangneung, Muan, and Jeju from 2014 to 2016. ‘Gangseon’ has light purple flowers, green narrow leaflets and petioles with medium anthocyanin coloration, round tubers with yellow russet skin, and yellow flesh. The dormancy of ‘Gangseon’ stored in 20 ℃ was 60-70 days after harvesting, which is longer than those of ‘Dejima’ and ‘Chubaek’, but shorter than that of ‘Superior’. The average yields of tubers in the spring and fall seasons were 36.6 and 21.2 ton⋅ha^-1, respectively, in the regional yield trials. It is susceptible to common scab and potato virus Y, but has high resistance to potato leaf roll virus, potato virus X, early blight, and late blight. The dry matter contents were 22.1% in spring and 19.8% in autumn. The adaptation area of ‘Gangseon’ is the southern coastal area, including Jeju Island, Korea. The plant variety protection right of ‘Gangseon’ was registered in April 2020, and its grant number is 8081.

Abstract‘Daegwang’ was developed in a potato breeding program at the Highland Agriculture Research Institute, National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration, South Korea. It was selected from the hybrid ‘Haryeong’בP03404-1’ from 2007. In 2011-2012, the major agronomic characteristics of this variety were evaluated in Gangneung for spring cultivation and Pyeongchang for summer cultivation as clone number ‘P07917-4’. ‘P07917-4’ was renamed as ‘Daegwan 1-127’, and regional yield trials for this clone were conducted in Cheongju, Naju, Gangneung, and Pyeongchang in 2013-2015. This cultivar was registered as ‘Daegwang’, based on its key agronomic characteristics, including drought tolerance, late blight resistant, and high yield. It has medium maturity and a semi-erect growth habit. ‘Daegwang’ has a round to short oval tuber shape, shallow eye-depth, yellow skin color, and white flesh color. Its leaf color is green, and its white flowers bloom abundantly. This cultivar is resistant to potato late blight but susceptible to potato common scab. The incidences of hollow heart and internal brown spot were low. However, the frequency of tuber cracking was high, at about 6.0% in summer cultivation in Pyeongchang. In the regional yield trials, ‘Daegwang’ had an average tuber yield of 34.1 ton/ha, which was 6.2% higher than that of ‘Sumi’, and its dry matter content was 16.8%. Boiled ‘Daegwang’ tubers have a viscous-floury texture and a pleasant taste. ‘Daegwang’ is expected to be produced as a table potato. (Registration No. 7664).

A peanut cultivar ‘Sewon’(Arachis hypogaea ssp. fastigiata L.) was developed at the Department of Southern Area Crop Science, National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) in Milyang, Korea, in 2017. The cultivar is a cross between the Shinpung-type red skin ‘Charmwon’ and the Virginia-type large grain ‘Milyang27’. ‘Sewon’, which is a Shinpung type of plant, had 13 branches per plant, main stem length of 35 cm, and branch length of 51 cm. Each pod contained two grains with red testa and a large and long ellipse-shaped kernel. The cultivar yielded 38 pods per plant, 113 g of 100-seed-weight (dry), and 1.73 seeds per pod in the regional yield trials (RYT). Crude oil accounted for 35.2% and protein 31.7% of the seed. This cultivar was resistant to early leaf spot, and it was more resistant to late leaf spot, stem rot, and lodging when compared with that of the reference cultivar ‘Palkwang’. In the three-year-long regional yield trials, ‘Sewon’ was more productive than the reference cultivar; it yielded 11.97 MT/ha of fresh pod and 5.23 MT/ha of dry grain, corresponding respectively to 21% and 16% increase compared with those of ‘Palkwang’. ‘Sewon’ is a promising high yielding peanut with early maturing and cultural stability (Registration No. 7926).

A new double cropping potato variety, ‘Geumseon,’ was bred by Highland Agriculture Research Institute, National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration in 2014. ‘Geumseon’ was obtained from the cross between ‘Chuyoung’ and ‘Daegwan1-87’ in 2005. The seedling and line selections of ‘Geumseon’ were performed from 2006 to 2007 and preliminary and advanced yield trials were carried out from 2008 to 2011 in Gangneung. The regional yield trials were conducted in three locations (Gangneung, Muan, and Jeju) from 2012 to 2014. ‘Geumseon’ has white flowers, green narrow leaflets and petioles, and short oval tubers with beige skin and white flesh. The dormancy of ‘Geumseon’ was 60-70 days in 20℃ after harvest, which is longer than those of ‘Dejima’ and ‘Chubaek’. The average yield of tubers in spring and fall were 42.1 and 25.8 ton ha^-1 in the regional yield trials, respectively. It is susceptible to common scab, late blight, and potato virus Y, but has a high resistance to potato leaf roll virus and potato virus X. The dry matter content was 21.9 and 23.0% in spring and fall season, respectively. Plant variety protection right of ‘Geumseon’ was registered in November 2018, and its grant number is 6924.

‘Dami’ was released by the potato breeding program at the National Institute of Highland Agriculture (NIHA), National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration. To develop a potato cultivar suitable for spring and summer cropping with good taste, a cross of ‘Daegwan 1-97’ × ‘Daegwan 1-98’ was made in 2005. One of the progenies selected, clone number P05855-18, was validated for key agronomic characteristics required for spring cultivation in Gangneung and summer cultivation in Pyeongchang from 2009 to 2011. Subsequently, P05855-18 was advanced to nationwide field trials and renamed as ‘Daegwan 1-121’. Regional adaptations of ‘Daegwan 1-121’ were tested in Cheongju, Najoo, Gangneung, and Pyeongchang between 2012 and 2014, and finally registered as a potato cultivar, ‘Dami’, based on key agronomic characteristics, including mid-maturity, semi-erect growth habit, and consumer traits including round tuber and very shallow eye-depth. ‘Dami’ has yellow skin and white flesh. The leaves are green, and white flowers bloom abundantly. Physiological tuber disorders, such as malformation, cracks, and internal defects, were less frequently observed than those in ‘Superior’. ‘Dami’ was moderately resistant to potato late blight and viruses. The average tuber yield was approximately 5% higher than that of ‘Sumi’ and the dry matter content was approximately 20.5%. The taste of the boiled whole potato was considered excellent, owing to floury characteristics, and the potato was suitable for table usage (Grant No. 6926).

In this study, we analyzed the growth characteristics and isoflavone content of 43 soybean varieties highly adaptable to highland areas. The flowering period of each cultivation zone was from July 15 to August 12 at Daewallyeong, from July 18 to August 11 at Jinbu, and from July 23 to August 13 at Gangneung. The accumulated temperature from flowering to maturity was 1,297 °C for Daegwallyeong, 1,391 °C for Jinbu, and 1,685 °C for Gangneung. Forty-three varieties were classified into four utilities; soy sauce and tofu, bean sprouts, cooking with rice, and vegetable and early maturity. The content of isoflavone was highest at 2,579 µg/g in varieties for soy sauce and tofu usage. Five varieties (“Paldalkong,” “Sinpaldal2,” “Ilmikong,” “Sinpaldalkong,” and “Daepung”) cultivated in Daegwallyeong had over 4,000 µg/g of isoflavone. The isoflavone content of the region Daegwallyeong was different at the significance level of 0.1 (p=0.061) compared to Gangneung. There was no significant difference between Gangneung and Jinbu. It is thought that the low temperature of the maturation stage during the growing period affected isoflavone accumulation. The varieties with more than 3,000 µg/g of isoflavone content in Daegwallyeong, Jindu, and Gangneung were “L29,” “Williams82,” “Ilmikong,” and “Daepung.” These were genetically and environmentally stable in isoflavone content. It is expected that this study will be used as basic data for the functional breeding and selection of soybean varieties highly adaptable to a specific region, and to help expand soybean cultivation areas in highlands.