The goji berry (Lycium chinense Mill.) line CBP17749-20 was selected from F1 hybrids of ‘CBP02261-1’ and ‘CBP11542-206’ in 2017 to establish a cultivar suitable for shoot and leaf production. Preliminary and advanced yield trials were conducted in 2019 and 2020 to investigate yield characteristics, and the selected line was named ‘Gugisoon 2.’ After regional adaptability tests from 2021 to 2022, it was officially registered as the cultivar ‘Cheongsoon.’ The cultivar Unk ‘Cheongsoon’ is characterized by vigorous growth, strong sprouting ability, and an upright growth habit. Its leaves are broadly oval with a higher chlorophyll content than those of the control cultivar ‘Gugisoon 1’ and both leaves and stems are thicker and heavier. It also exhibits excellent resistance to gall mites (Eriophyes spp.), which cause purplish galls on leaf surfaces. Compared to ‘Gugisoon 1,’ ‘Cheongsoon’ has a higher rutin content and a lower quercetin content, and its shoot production index is 224% greater. This cultivar is highly suitable for shoot and leaf production and can be grown in open fields; however, greenhouse cultivation produces tender shoots (Registration No. 10170).

‘‘Ssagirang’ is a hulled barley cultivar that exhibits high resistance to lodging and cold stress. It demonstrates high yield potential and superior functional properties in barley sprouts. The heading date of ‘Ssagirang’ was April 24, and its maturity date was June 2. The plant height was 80 cm, which was 4 cm shorter than that of ‘Olbori’ (84 cm), and the spike length was 4.9 cm, which was longer than that of ‘Olbori’ (4.3 cm). The number of grains per spike was 56, higher than ‘Olbori’ (49 grains per spike), and the 1,000-grain weight was 35.2 g, heavier than that of ‘Olbori’ (34.6 g). In relation to disease resistance, ‘Ssagirang’ exhibited resistance to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV), with a disease severity score of 1, and showed similar winter hardiness to ‘Olbori.’ In terms of quality characteristics, protein and β-glucan contents were 10.2% and 4.3%, respectively, similar to those of ‘Olbori’. The potential diastatic power of ‘Ssagirang’ was 107 DP, comparable to that of ‘Olbori’ (99 DP). Polyphenol content of ‘Ssagirang’ was 178 mg/100g, higher than that of ‘Olbori’ (164 mg/100g). The mean grain yield of ‘Ssagirang’ was 557 kg/10a across all regions, which was 21% higher than that of ‘Olbori’ (462 kg/10a). The barley sprout yield of ‘Ssagirang’ was 157 g_dw/m², greater than that of ‘Olbori’ (133 g_dw/m²), and its policosanol content was 448 mg/100g, which was significantly higher than that of ‘Olbori’ (245 mg/100g). On account of its strong cold tolerance, high yield, and excellent processing suitability, it is anticipated that ‘Ssagirang’ will be employed as a raw material for long malt, barley tea, and barley sprouts (Registration No. 9728).

‘Sinbaram’ is a new cultivar developed for soy sprout production at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS). It was developed using the line breeding method in 2010 by artificially crossing ‘Pungsannamulkong’(IT263156) with the ‘HS1371-49-2-2’ line in 2010. F₁ plants and the F₂ population were developed in 2011 and 2012, respectively, and a promising line was selected using F₃ to F₅ in the pedigree method. It was evaluated for agronomic traits, yield, and soy sprout characteristics in a preliminary (PYT) and an advanced (AYT) yield trial in 2016 and 2017, respectively. ‘Sinbaram’ has purple flowers, a lanceolate leaflet shape, grey pubescence, and small yellow seeds (10.2 g/100 seeds). The flowering and maturing dates were August 4 and October 9, which were 2 and 5 days earlier than ‘Pungsannamulkong.’ Plant height, first pod height, number of nods, number of branches, and number of pods were 46 cm, 10 cm, 14, 3.5, and 82, respectively. The germination rate and sprout characteristics were similar to those of ‘Pungsannamulkong’, and the yield was 83% higher in the sprout test. In the yield test, the yield was 3.58 tons/ha in the 2-year yield trial, which was 1% higher than that of ‘Pungsangnamulkong,’ and 2.71 tons/ha in the 3-year regional yield trial, 8% lower than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’, with an average of 2.71 tons/ha in the four regions. In addition, the overall score of 6.7 in the processor survey was higher than 6.0 for ‘Pungsannamulkong.’ Therefore, the ‘Sinbaram’ cultivar is expected to be preferred because it has good sprout characteristics. (Registration number: 9460)

Deep learning has gained considerable interest in agricultural breeding research. While advances in sequencing technologies have made genotypic data collection easier in genomic breeding, phenotypic data collection remains labor intensive and time consuming. Furthermore, as traditional phenotypic data collection relies heavily on manual processes, the results may vary based on the researcher’s skill and criteria. Thus, automated phenotypic data collection is essential for addressing these challenges. In this study, we aimed to develop a deep learning model using the YOLOv8 framework to measure the lengths of hypocotyls and roots in sprout vegetables such as mung bean, cowpea, and soybean. Our model automates the measurement process, accurately identifies the hypocotyl and root using Roboflow, and subsequently measures their lengths with high precision in various legume species. This approach addresses the challenges of extensive phenotypic data collection, which is essential for genetic breeding and agricultural improvement. Our deep learning model facilitates consistent and accurate data collection in large-scale studies by controlling variables influenced by the researcher’s skills and criteria. This reduces errors and enhances data reliability and accuracy, which are crucial for successful breeding practices and agricultural research.

The rice cultivar ‘Chamdongjin’ exhibits a distinctively large grain size and excellent eating quality but is weak with regard to pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), requiring genetic improvement. In contrast, the premium-quality rice cultivar ‘Younghojinmi’ exhibits strong PHS tolerance. This study conducted quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis on PHS and low-temperature germinability (LTG) using recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between ‘Chamdongjin’ and ‘Younghojinmi’ to elucidate the genetic factors. Thus, an elite line with improved PHS tolerance was selected. QTL analysis revealed that qPHS3 and qLTG3 were associated with PHS and LTG, respectively, and the candidate gene was identified as qLTG3-1. The loss-of-function allele qltg3-1 in ‘Younghojinmi’ enhanced PHS tolerance compared to the functional allele qLTG3-1 in ‘Chamdongjin,’ but it also showed a trade-off relationship by decreasing LTG. CY_RILs carrying qltg3-1 exhibited lower PHS and LTG rates of 17.9% and 41.6%, respectively, compared to 44.1% and 55.7%, respectively, for CY_RILs with qLTG3-1. The elite line, CY_RIL79, carrying qltg3-1, was selected from CY_RIL. This line was recognized for its PHS tolerance while maintaining the key agricultural traits of ‘Chamdongjin,’ thus designated ‘Jeonju697.’ ‘Jeonju697’ is expected to be utilized as a practical alternative for addressing the issue of enhancing PHS tolerance in ‘Chamdongjin’; however, considering its weak LTG, it is desirable to improve this trait through further breeding efforts.

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) is a major legume crop with a high protein and carbohydrate content. Mungbean sprouts have higher levels of bioactive phenolic compounds than mungbean seeds. In this study, the physical and biochemical characteristics of mungbean sprouts were investigated at the tissue level (cotyledon, hypocotyl, root, and seed coat) using three cultivars (Dahyeon, Samgang, and Sunhwa). Sunhwa was found to have longer hypocotyl, root, and cotyledon lengths and more bioactive compounds (phenols and flavonoids), leading to a higher antioxidant capacity compared to the other cultivars. Among the three cultivars, the hypocotyl had the highest antioxidant activity and bioactive compound content. The flavonoid content of the seed coat was as high as those of the cotyledon and root tissues. Although Dahyeon and Samgang mungbean sprouts are more suitable for consumption based on consumers’ preference for physical traits, they had lower antioxidant capacities than Sunhwa. The results of this study indicate that mungbean cultivars that are consumed as sprouts need to be developed to improve food quality for consumers’ needs.

Globally, wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a major food crop for humans with no regional restrictions. However, it is still difficult for Korea to achieve self-sufficiency owing to production limitations. Moreover, food security is unstable owing to the unpredictable climate and unstable international economy. Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is among the factors that occurs frequently due to irregular climates, and damages the value of wheat. In this study, RNA-seq was conducted on PHS-treated samples (for Korean representative cultivar ‘keumgang’) and PHS-resistant mutation line ‘Jeonju 377ho’. Gene functional annotation and DEGs analysis were performed using 234,131,980 mapped reads. Associated transcripts were analyzed using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis and were mainly used to search for genes associated with ATP synthesis and starch and sucrose metabolism related to seed germination and seed dormancy. Candidate DEGs were compressed through cluster set analysis, and gene expression was conducted to search for genes related to seed germination and dormancy to explain them in greater detail based on biological and chemical mechanisms.

‘Haewon’ is a soybean cultivar for soy-sprouts. ‘Bosug’ and ‘Somyeong’ were crossed in 2003, and promising lines were selected from F3 to F6 using the pedigree method (Pedigree: HS1450-2B-3-1-1-2-2-1). Preliminary yield (PYT) and advanced yield trials (AYT) were conducted from 2010 to 2011, and regional yield trials (RYT) were conducted in five regions (Suwon, Naju, Miryang, Dalseong, and Jeju) from 2012 to 2014. In the RYTs, ‘Haewon’ had a smaller seed weight and higher yield than the standard cultivar ‘Pungsannamulkong’, which are desirable characteristics for the soy-sprout process. The morphological characteristics of ‘Haewon’ are as follows: determinate plant type, purple flowers, gray pubescence, yellow pods, small, yellow spherical seeds (8.1 g/100-seeds), and light brown hilum. The flowering and maturity dates were July 29th and October 6th, respectively. Plant height and first pod height were 55 cm and 12 cm, respectively. The lodging tolerance was also strong compared to that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’. The germination rate, total length, hypocotyl length, thickness, and sprout yield of soybean sprouts were 97%, 19.1 cm, 8.8 cm, 2.1 mm, and 513%, respectively. The yield in adaptable regions was 337 kg/10 a, 16% higher than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’. ‘Haewon’ can be used for soy-sprout with favorable seed size and soy-sprout characteristics, such as germination and sprout-yield. (Registration No. 6637).

AbstractIn 2014, a mung bean cultivar, Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek ‘Dado’, was derived from a hybrid between ‘Jeonnam14’ and ‘IT208777’ developed in 2001 at the Jeollanamdo Agricultural Research and Extension Services, South Korea. ‘Dado’ has an erect growth habit, lobed leaflets, green hypocotyls, light yellow corolla, and dull green seed surface. The number of pods per plant was 23.3, 1.5 more than that of the control cultivar ‘Owool’, and the 1000-seed weight was 43 g, 6 g lighter than that of the control. ‘Dado’ and ‘Owool’ exhibited similar field resistance to mung bean mottle virus, cercospora leaf spot, powdery mildew, and lodging. ‘Dado’ had a sprout yield ratio of 824%, 132% higher than that of ‘Owool’, and its hard seed rate was 1.2%, 3.1% lower than that of the control. The average seed yield of ‘Dado’ was 1.9 ton/ha, which was 23% greater than that of ‘Owool’ (Registration No. 5874).

‘Haepum’ is a bacterial blight-resistant, medium maturing rice cultivar with high grain quality. It was derived from a cross between ‘Iksan493’ (cultivar name ‘Jinbaek’) and the F₁ cross between ‘Iksan495’ (‘Dacheong’) and ‘Iksan496’ (‘Jungmo1005’). Of these three cultivars, ‘Jinbaek’ is a bacterial blight-resistant mid-late maturing rice cultivar with high grain quality, ‘Dacheong’ is a mid-late maturing rice cultivar with multiple resistance to disease and insects, and ‘Jungmo1005’ is a mid-late maturing rice cultivar with lodging tolerance. To develop fixed lines, the anther culture method was applied to F₁ plants. The cultivar ‘Haepum’ was selected using the pedigree method, yield trials, and local adaptability tests. The heading date of ‘Haepum’ was August 11^th, three days earlier than that of ‘Nampyeong’ cultivar. Haepum’ is a cultivar tolerant to lodging and it has short culms. Due to its low rate of viviparous germination, ‘Haepum’ could be useful for preventing pre-harvest sprouting in cultivation of medium maturing rice in the southern plain area of Korea. ‘Haepum’ carries two bacterial blight resistance genes (Xa3 and xa5), and in our study, it exhibited high-level and broad-spectrum resistance against bacterial blight, including K3a, the most virulent race in Korea. ‘Haepum’ is also resistant to the rice stripe virus and moderately resistant to rice blast. The yield of ‘Haepum’ was similar to that of ‘Nampyeong’. ‘Haepum’ showed excellent grain appearance and good taste of cooked rice, and therefore it could contribute to the development of bacterial blight-resistant rice cultivars of improved quality. ‘Haepum’ would be suitable for cultivation in the southern plain area of Korea as well as in bacterial blight-prone areas. (Registration No. 6068)

‘Aram’ is a soybean cultivar developed for soy-sprout. It was developed from the crossing of ‘Bosug’ (Glycine max IT213209) and ‘Camp’ (G. max IT267356) cultivars in 2007. F₁ plants and F₂ population were developed in 2009 and 2010. A promising line was selected in the F₅ generation in 2011 using the pedigree method and it was evaluated for agronomic traits, yield, and soy-sprouts characteristics in a preliminary yield trial (PYT) in 2012 and an advanced yield trial (AYT) in 2013. Agronomic traits and yield were stable between 2014 and 2016 in the regional yield trial (RYT) in four regions (Suwon, Naju, Dalseong, and Jeju). Morphological characteristics of ‘Aram’ are as follows: determinate plant type, purple flowers, grey pubescence, yellow pods, and small, yellow, and spherical seeds (9.9 g 100-seeds^-1) with a light brown hilum. The flowering date was the 5^th of August and the maturity date was the 15^th of October. Plant height, first pod height, number of nods, number of branches, and number of pods were 65 cm, 13 cm, 16, 4.5, and 99, respectively. In the sprout test, germination rate and sprout characteristics of ‘Aram’ were comparable to that of the ‘Pungsannamulkong’ cultivar. The yield of ‘Aram’ was 3.59 ton ha^-1 and it was 12% higher than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’ in southern area of Korea. The yield of ‘Aram’ in the Jeju region, which is the main region for soybean sprout production, was 20% higher than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’. The height of the first pod and the tolerance to lodging and pod shattering, which are connected to the adaptation to mechanized harvesting, were higher in ‘Aram’ compared to those in ‘Pungsannamulkong’. Therefore, the ‘Aram’ cultivar is expected to be broadly cultivated because of its higher soybean sprout quality, and seed yield and better adaptation to mechanized harvesting. (Registration number: 7718)

Haepum’ is a soybean cultivar for soy sprouts. ‘Bosug’ and ‘Suwon 214’ were crossed in 2001, and promised lines were selected from F₃ to F₅ using the pedigree method (Pedigree: HS1273-2B-4-1-2-3-3). Preliminary yield (PYT) and advanced yield (AYT) trials were conducted from 2008 to 2009, and regional yield trials (RYT) in four regions (Suwon, Naju, Miryang, Jeju) were conducted from 2010 to 2012. In RYT, ‘Haepum’ had higher plant height and first pod height than other cultivars, which are desirable characteristics for mechanized harvest. Morphological characteristics of ‘Haepum’ are as follows: determinate, white flowers, grey pubescence, yellow pods, yellow spherical small seeds (10.4 g/100 seeds), and light brown hilum. The flowering and maturity dates were July 29 and October 6, respectively. Plant height was 61 cm, 6 cm longer than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’ (standard cultivar). Moreover, the first pod height of ‘Haepum’ was 15 cm, 6 cm longer than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’. The lodging tolerance was also stronger (1) than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’ (6). The germination rate, total length, hypocotyl length, thickness, and sprout yield of ‘Haepum’ soybean sprouts were 99%, 20.6 cm, 9.7 cm, 2.1 mm, and 453%, respectively. The yield in adaptable regions was 301 kg/10 a, which was 10% higher than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’. ‘Haepum’ could be broadly used for soybean sprout culture and an adequate cultivar for conversion to jeju and mechanized harvesting.

‘Manbaek’ is a bacterial blight resistant mid-late maturing rice cultivar with high grain quality. ‘Manbeak’ was derived from anther culture using the backcross combination, Hopum*2/SR30075. ‘Hopum’ is a mid-late maturing rice cultivar with high grain quality and ‘SR30075’ is a pyramid line carrying three bacterial blight resistance genes. ‘Manbaek’ was selected through the pedigree method, yield trials, and local adaptability tests. ‘Manbeak’ carrying two bacterial blight resistance gene Xa3 and xa5 showed high-level and broad-spectrum resistance against bacterial blight. ‘Manbaek’ was resistant to K3a, mostly virulent race in Korea, and exhibited resistance reaction against 16 Korean bacterial blight isolates. ‘Manbaek’ was a mid-late maturing rice. The heading date of ‘Manbaek’ was August 19th, which was 5 days later than that of ‘Nampyeong’. Manbaek’ was a lodging-tolerant rice with short culm and dark green leaf. Due to the low viviparous germination, ‘Manbaek’ could be a useful material to prevent pre-harvest sprouting. ‘Mabeak’ was resistant to bacterial blight and rice stripe virus, but susceptible to other virus diseases and insect pests. The yield of ‘Manbaek’ was similar to ‘Nampyeong’. ‘Manbaek’ showed excellent grain appearance and good tastes of cooked rice, so that it could contribute to improving the quality of bacterial blight resistant cultivars. ‘Manbaek’, bacterial blight resistant cultivar with high grain quality, is suitable for the cultivation at bacterial blight prone area and has been utilized in the breeding programs for enhancing the resistance against bacterial blight (Registration No. 6069).

A mungbean variety ‘Suhyeon’ (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) was derived from the cross between ‘Jeonnam14’ and ‘IT208777’ at the Jeollanamdo Agricultural Research and Extension Services (JARES) in 2010. ‘Suhyeon’ has erect growth habit, heart leaflet, green hypocotyl, black and straight pod when matured, and dull green seed surface. The stem length of ‘Suhyeon’ was 66 ㎝, which was 5 ㎝ less than check variety ‘Owool’. The pods number per plant of ‘Suhyeon’ was 24, which was 5 more than check variety. The sprout yield ratio of ‘Suhyeon’ was 8.67 times, which was 16% more than check variety. The contents of starch, protein and fatty acid of seed were 62.7, 27.3, 1.89%, respectively. The average yield of ‘Suhyeon’ was 1.74 ton/㏊, which increased 8% more than that of check variety. (Variety registration number: 5107)

Seed dormancy is an important adaptive mechanism to protect seeds under the unfavorable environments. Unlike to wild type species, the seed dormancy trait of cultivated crops has been weakened by breeding programs during the domestication period. Weak seed dormancy often causes preharvest sprouting (PHS) problem in many cereal crops that result in significant economic loss. The seed dormancy is a quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlled by multiple genetic and environmental factors. So far, many QTLs for seed dormancy have been identified from rice and wheat as well as in the model plant Arabidopsis. Unveiling of QTL genes and complex mechanisms underlying seed dormancy is accelerated by the rapid progress of crop genomics. In the present study, we reviewed current status of research progress on the seed dormancy QTLs and correlated genes in Arabidopsis and cereal crops.

A soybean cultivar for sprout, ‘Joyang 1’ was developed at the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) in 2010. ‘Joyang 1’ (Iksan67) was released by pedigree selection from the cross between high yielding ‘Pungsannamulkong’ and ‘Suwon187’ tolerant to lodging and disease. It has purple flower, lanceolate leaf, grey pubescence and small yellow seed. Weight of hundred seed is 11.6gram. Maturing date of ‘Joyang 1’ is ten days earlier than check cultivar, ‘Pungsannamulkong’. ‘Joyang 1’ is resistant to bacterial pustule and shattering. It have similar tolerance to root rot and seed spot to check cultivar. It shows high germination ratio, less abnormal germination and hard seed. Sprout yield also 11 percent higher than check cultivar. The average seed yield of ‘Joyang 1’ was 3.03 ton per hectare in the regional yield trials (RYT) carried out for three years from 2008 to 2010 which was 3 percent higher than the check cultivar. The number of breeder’s right is ‘4900’.