Perilla is a traditional oilseed crop cultivated in Korea. The ‘Nulsaemi’ cultivar was developed for oil use because of its large seed size and high functional compound content. It originated from a cross between ‘Daesil’ (IT274265), with high crude fat content and a soft seed coat, and ‘Milyang16’ (K015415), with large, brown seeds and a hard seed coat. The cross was created in 2008, and promising lines were selected through pedigree breeding up to the F₆ generation. Advanced yield trials were conducted in 2016 and regional yield trials were conducted at four sites (Milyang, Suwon, Cheongju, and Iksan) from 2017 to 2019. ‘Nulsaemi’ matures around October 8, which is slightly later than the standard cultivar ‘Dayu’. It also has a 1,000-seed weight of 5.2 g, which is 1.4 g heavier than ‘Dayu’. The seed hardness was low, making it suitable for processing. The average yield was 125 kg/10a, about 3% higher than that of ‘Dayu’. The seeds contained approximately 45.1% crude fat and 63.4% alpha-linolenic acid, similar to those of the standard cultivar. However, rosmarinic acid content was significantly higher at 2,130.6 μg/g, about 18% more than ‘Dayu’. In sensory evaluation, oil extracted from ‘Nulsaemi’ showed better appearance, aroma, taste, and overall preference compared to the control, in both cold-pressed and roasted oil types. ‘Nulsaemi’ is expected to be a high-quality oilseed cultivar suitable for premium perilla oil production (Registration No. 8792).

Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. (the Korean angelica tree) is a popular wild spring vegetable crop in East Asia. Owing to its ease of cultivation and harvesting from the second year after planting, this species is a promising forest crop for short-term income. However, the presence of prickles on the stems and shoots reduces harvesting efficiency and negatively affects product quality. This study reports the breeding and morphological characteristics of a new prickle-less cultivar, ‘Seochun’, which exhibits strong cold tolerance and early sprouting. Among the 192 native accessions collected across Korea, a superior prickle-less and cold-tolerant clone was selected and evaluated over two years (2019-2020) of field trials. The stems of ‘Seochun’ were completely smooth and prickle-less, with a larger basal diameter (40.0 mm) compared to the control (29.7 mm). The sprouting and harvesting times were approximately seven days earlier than those of the control. As an early harvest and prickle-less cultivar of A. elata, ‘Seochun’ is expected to improve both the shoot productivity and labor efficiency during harvesting and cutback operations (Research support number: 375).

‘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).

‘‘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).

Bakanae disease, caused by various Fusarium species, poses a significant threat to global rice production, with its incidence increasing in major rice-producing regions. Currently, no rice varieties exhibit complete resistance to this disease. Enhancing resistance in rice cultivars could serve as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to fungicide application. Developing resistant rice varieties may offer a practical solution to mitigate yield losses and reduce dependency on chemical treatments. ‘Jinokchal’ was derived from the cross between ‘Milyang299’, which harbors bakanae disease-resistant QTL qBK1. and ‘Baekokchal’ in 2014. A promising line, YR31624-5B-2, was then selected and designated as ‘Milyang366’ in 2019. The local adaptability test of ‘Milyang366’ was conducted at five locations from 2020 to 2022, and the cultivar was subsequently named ‘Jinokchal. ’ The heading date of ‘Jinokchal’ was August 13, classifying it as a medium-late maturing cultivar. The culm was 77 cm long and had 108 spikelets per panicle. The 1,000 grain-weight of brown rice is 22.7 g, which is heavier than that of ‘Sinseonchalbyeo’. This variety is resistant to blast, rice stripe virus, and bacterial blight, but susceptible to insect pests. The yield potential of ‘Jinokchal’ was approximately 497 kg/10a at the ordinary fertilizer level in the local adaptability test over three years. ‘Jinokchal’ is moderately resistant to bakanae disease and harbors the qBK1 gene derived from the tong-il type rice ‘Shingwang’ (Registration No. 8135).

In 2022, Jindami was developed as an early maturing mealy sweet potato variety. It was derived from a cross between Dahomi (IT309420) with early maturity and Jinyulmi (IT327287) with early maturity and good palatability. The storage roots of Jindami have a light-purple skin, yellow flesh, and a reverse-ovate shape. When steamed, Jindami storage roots exhibit a mealy texture and are tenderer than those of the check variety, Jinyulmi. The sugar content of steamed Jindami storage roots was 25.4 mg/100 g on a dry weight basis, which was 6.0% higher than that of Jinyulmi. The marketable yield of Jindami storage roots was 28.6 t/ha in the early-season production, which was 19.2% higher than that of Jinyulmi with high yield in the early-season production. Jindami is resistant to root-knot nematode and Fusarium wilt. Jindami is expected to contribute to an increased income for sweet potato-growers as it has good palatability and can be shipped at a time when the market price is high owing to its high yield in the early-season production.

Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a highly adaptive, short-duration crop that is grown in Korea for food, feed, and fodder. ‘Yeonheechal’ is a variety of proso millet that was developed in 2013. This variety is a cross between Hwanggeumgijang (K263691) and IT297382. In terms of its phenotype, ‘Yeonheechal’ is erect and possesses drooping panicles. Regarding its growth-related outcomes, ‘Yeonheechal’ was found to have a growth period of 90 days. The culm and panicle lengths of this variety were 144 and 33.6 cm, respectively. These structures were both shorter than those of ‘Leebaekchal.’ Additionally, the weight of 1,000 seeds was 5.3 and 4.5 g in terms of husked and dehusked grains, respectively. The husked and dehusked grains were white and yellow, respectively, consisting of a characteristically glutinous endosperm. The yield potential of ‘Yeonheechal’ was approximately 2.67-ton ha-1 in the regional yield trials conducted from 2017 to 2019. The hardness of this variety’s grain was 1,749 gf, making it softer than that of ‘Leebaekchal’ (i.e., 2,158 gf) (Registration number: 9104).

As the rural farming population decreases and ages, there is a gradual decrease in watermelon cultivation. Although the production of small- and medium-sized watermelons is increasing, typical large-sized watermelons are still, which culminates in their cultivation being a burdensome task for elderly farmers. To address this issue, we developed a watermelon variety, namely, ‘Soonzero,’ that does not require pruning, as its secondary lateral branches do not occur in primary lateral branches after the growing point it cut. ‘Soonzero’ is a diploid and broad, elliptical watermelon; its uniqueness lies in its green skin and pinkish-red flesh. The conspicuousness of veining on the skin is weak, and the width of the fruit's stripes is similar to that of ‘Sambokggul.’ In terms of variable characteristics, in this study, this variety produced 452 seeds, a yield similar to that of ‘Sambokggul,’ with the length and width of the resultant fruit being 25.5 and 24.2 cm, respectively. Additionally, the pericarp of ‘Soonzero’ had a thickness of 1.0 cm and a total soluble solid content of 11.8 °Bx. The yield of ‘Soonzero’ was found to be 6,150 kg per 10 acres, similar to that of ‘Sambokggul.’ However, ‘Soonzero’ differs from the control in terms of the following traits: fruit stripe width, flower spot shape, and the conspicuousness of veining on the fruit. In conclusion, the secondary lateral branchless varieties developed at the Watermelon Research Institute are expected to be quickly distributed to farmers with excellent quality by making up for their shortcomings by transferring technology to breeding companies and giving consumers the opportunity to choose according to their purchasing preferences. Above all, since it can reduce the labor required to remove lateral branches, it will help farmers grow watermelons more easily by solving aging and labor issues, which are chronic problems in rural areas (Grant number 8807).

The lemon cultivar ‘Jeramon’ is a nucellar seedling obtained through controlled pollination, with ‘Frost Lisbon’ as the seed parent and ‘Meyer’ as the pollen parent. ‘Jeramon’ had its first fruit set in 2012 and was selected in 2015 after evaluating its characteristics for three consecutive years. The ‘Jeramon’ tree was vigorous, upright-spreading, and flowered three times a year (mid-May to Early June, late June to early August, and early September). The average fruit weight was 120 g. The rind thickness was approximately 5 mm, which was thicker than that of common citrus cultivars, including Satsuma mandarin and late-maturing cultivars. The rind and pulp were pale yellow at full maturity. Total soluble solid ratio and acidity were 8.5% and 11°Brix, respectively, which were higher than that of ‘Frost Lisbon’. ‘Jeramon’ is self-compatible, producing approximately 10 polyembryonic seeds per fruit (Registration No. 9060).

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.

A new winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar “Hwanggeumal” was developed by the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) Rular Development Administration (RDA) in 2019. Its heading date was April 20, and its maturity date was June 1, which was similar to that of Jokyung. “Hwanggeumal” had a shorter culm length (75 cm) and spike length (7.1 cm). However, it had lower spikes per m² (699) and 1,000-grain weight (44.2 g) than “Jokyung” (78 cm, 8.2 cm, 776, 46.6 g, respectively). “Hwanggeumal” displayed stronger winter hardiness than “Jokyung”, and was susceptible to powdery mildew (PM) and fusarium head blight (FHB). The average grain yield in the advanced yield trial (AYT) was 6.20 MT/ha, which was 11% more than “Jokyung”. In the regional yield trial (RYT) it was 5.13 MT/ha in upland and 4.77 MT/ha in paddy field, which were 16% and 13% less than “Jokyung”, respectively. “Hwanggeumal”s flour yield (71.4%) and flour lightness (91.82) was similar to that of “Jokyung”, while the protein content (14.0%), gluten content (10.3%), and SDS-sedimentation volume (60.3 ml) were higher than that of “Jokyung”. These results display that the “Hwanggeumal” dough strength of flour is stronger than “Jokyung”. High molecular weight gluten subunit (HMW-GS) composition is Glu-D1d (5+10), the granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) composition are Wx-A1a, Wx-B1b, and Wx-D1a, and the composition of puroindolines are Pina-D1a and Pinb-D1b (Registration No. 9173).

Removing secondary branch to produce commodity watermelons is labor-costing and time-consuming work in traditional watermelon cultivation. Moreover, because elderly farmers work for a long time with their backs bent, musculoskeletal disorders reduce the quality of life of farmers. To improve this working condition, we developed the watermelon 'Soonless' variety that does not need to be pruned because there is no secondary branch. For diploid oval watermelons, the stripe width of the fruit is wide, the color of it's skin is green, and the flesh is pinkish-red. It contains 480 seeds of ‘Soonless’, and the fruit weight is 8.6 kg, which is heavier compared to ‘Sambokggul’. The thickness of the pericarp is 1.3 cm, and the total soluble solids content is 12.0 °Bx, which is similar to ‘Sambokggul’. The characteristics which distinguish it from the control variety include the leaf blade length and width, the ovary size, the width of the fruit stripes, and the thickness of the pericarp. The yield was 6,450 kg/10a, an increase of 5.3% compared to ‘Sambokggul’. As a result of this research, ‘Soonless’ has been registered as a variety with the Korea Seed and Varieties Service in 2022 as it was filed for breed protection in 2019 (Registration No. 8808).

Bakanae disease, also known as the foolish seedling disease, caused by Gibberella fujikuroi, is a serious issue in Korea. Since 2007, there has been a rapid increase in the occurrence of bakanae disease; this has caused severe yield loss to rice farmers every year. The most reliable and economical solution for managing bakanae disease is to cultivate resistant varieties; however, there are only a few rice varieties in Korea that can withstand this disease. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the resistance of 61 major rice varieties which account for 89% of the total rice cultivation area. Only six varieties showed intermediate or higher resistance to bakanae disease; this included Anpyeong and Samkwang. The genetic inconsistency between the bioassay results and the allele types of 12 molecular markers (associated with four QTLs) ranged from 4.7% to 48.7%. Therefore, more accurate markers, such as gene-based markers, are essential for monitoring general breeding programs or gene pyramiding.

‘Dian’ was developed by crossing ‘Milyang85/Suwon335’, which has tolerance to lodging and high yield, and ‘Milyang122’, which has good brewing qualities, in 2003. The regional yield trials were conducted for ‘Dian’ as a breeding line ‘Iksan168’ in four different regions of Korea from 2012 to 2014. The heading and maturing dates of ‘Dian’ in paddy and upland fields were similar to ‘Hopum’. ‘Dian’ had a shorter culm length than ‘Hopum’ in paddy and upland fields, showing tolerance to lodging stress. The yield potential of ‘Dian’ was approximately 18% higher than that of ‘Hopum’ in the paddy fields, but there were no significant differences in the upland fields. ‘Dian’ had rym1 and rym5 genes and showed resistance to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV), but was susceptible to powdery mildew. It also had good quality for brewing and was similar to ‘Hopum’. ‘Dian’ had a higher assortment ratio (94%) than ‘Hopum’ (89%). Regarding grain quality, ‘Dian’ was similar to ‘Hopum’ in protein content, β-glucan content, and husk rate. Concerning malt quality, ‘Dian’ showed a 71.6% extraction rate, 3.6% soluble protein content, and 33.0% Kolbach index, which are similar to the values of ‘Hopum’. Other malt qualities of ‘Dian’ include 185 WK (Windisch-Kolbach) diastatic power and 81.4% friability, which were lower than those of ‘Hopum’. Therefore, ‘Dian’ with high yield, tolerance to lodging, and resistance to BaYMV is considered to be stable for cultivation (Registration No. 8241).

The sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) variety ‘Noeulchal’ was developed and registered by the Department of Southern Area Crop Science, National Institute of Crop Science, in 2019. This variety was developed from the cross between ‘RTx2907’, with white grain, and ’Sodamchal’, with brown grain and semi-dwarf traits. The yield performance of ‘Noeulchal’ was 3.71 MT/ha in a local adaptability test run for two years. It had a culm length of 93 cm, which is 11 cm longer than that of ‘Sodamchal’, a panicle length of 29 cm, a culm 22 mm thick, and a panicle exsertion of 9 cm. It could reduce the lodging problem experienced with current cultivars, and is also adapted to mechanized cultivation. ‘Noeulchal’ has a waxy endosperm with 3.2% amylose and contained high levels of rapidly digestible starch. The rapidly digestible starch with gluten-free flours could contribute to the development of foods with different properties (Registration No. 9105).

In 2020, ‘Sodammi’ was developed as a sweetpotato with a slightly moist texture, excellent palatability, and appearance. It was derived from a cross between ‘Hogammi’ (IT327288), which has a slightly moist texture and excellent palatability, and ‘Kyushu No. 121’ (IT309496), which has a yellow flesh and good appearance. The storage roots of ‘Sodammi’ have a purple-red skin, yellow flesh, and an ovate shape. ‘Sodammi’ storage roots exhibit a slightly moist texture and are more tender than those of the check variety ‘Jinhongmi’. The sweetness of steamed storage roots of ‘Sodammi’ was 19.1, which was 24.8% higher than that of ‘Jinhongmi’. Palatability of steamed storage of ‘Sodammi’ was better than that of ‘Jinhongmi’. The marketable storage root yield of ‘Sodammi’ was 19.6 MT/ha during the normal season culture. ‘Sodammi’ is moderately resistant to Fusarium wilt and root-knot nematodes. ‘Sodammi’ had very good storability, as there was almost no decay rate and no internal cavitation during long-term storage. Cultivation of the ‘Sodammi’ variety is expected to expand considerably, as it has characteristics favored by consumers, farmers, and distributors due to its excellent palatability, appearance, and storability (Registration No. 8789).

A new garden chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflorum Ramat.) cultivar ‘Burning Ball’ was developed at the Flower Research Institute of Chungcheongnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services in 2011. ‘Burning Ball’ was bred in 2005 through a cross between the ‘05-72-04’ line with a red-purple flower color as the female parent, and the ‘04-26-22’ line with a red-purple flower color as the male parent. Adaptation trials were conducted for two years, from 2006 to 2007, under natural conditions. To identify morphological and genetic originality, we compared the external shape type with ‘Pretty Ball’ and conducted ploidy and RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) marker analyses. The results indicate that the ‘Burning Ball’ cultivar has unique characteristics compared to ‘Pretty Ball’. As a result, ‘Burning Ball’ will be favorably accepted as a novel bed chrysanthemum in the landscaping industry, contributing to farm income (Registration No. 4184)

‘Heugho’, a new cultivar developed in 2014, is a two-rowed hulled barley with black grains that was selected among doubled haploid lines produced by anther culture from a backcross between two cultivars. Black barley, which has black grains, was used as the donor parent and ‘Hopum’, which has an elite genotype, was used as the recurrent parent. Agricultural characteristics of the new cultivar such as heading date, lodging and disease resistance were similar to those of ‘Hopum’. The yield was approximately 3.8 ton/ha, which was also comparable to that of ‘Hopum’. In terms of grain quality, the thousand grain weights of ‘Heugho’ and ‘Hopum’ were similar at 44.9 g and 41.4 g, respectively. The malt quality of both cultivars, which was mainly determined by extract, diastatic power, Kolbach index, and soluble protein content, were also similar. The total polyphenol contents of ‘Heugho’ and ‘Hopum’ malts were 0.274% and 0.244%, and the anthocyanin contents were 37.1 µg/g and 16.5 µg/g, respectively. After malting, ‘Heugho’ had high antioxidant capacity, making it a functional food source for beer as well as tea. We expect that ‘Heugho’ will contribute to farmer’s income and regional economic activation associated with the barley processing industry(Registration No. 8239).

Temperate japonica is used as the parent for crossing in the breeding of new rice cultivars in Korea, and the grain shape of the developed lines or cultivars is a semi-round and medium-short grain length. To overcome the current low quantity of japonica cultivar germplasm and deterioration in quality caused by climate change, it is necessary to diversify the grain characteristics of japonica. Most of the United States (US) cultivars are classified as medium, long, extra-long, and half spindle- and spindle-shaped grains. The qSW5 allelotype, a major gene involved in grain width, is found in all US cultivars. In addition, the US cultivar ‘Saber’ has both qgl3 and GS3_B alleles, which have low allele frequencies among Korean rice cultivars, and ‘A020’ had gw8, an allele with a reduced grain width. The pasting properties and texture of medium-grain length and half-spindle-shaped cultivars were relatively similar to those of the Korean rice cultivar, but different from those of long-grain and long spindle-shaped cultivars. Therefore, grain shape is associated with pasting properties and texture traits. Among the rice cultivars in the US, tropical japonica belongs to the same japonica as the Korean rice cultivar; however, its grain shape is similar to that of indica. As grain shape is also related to grain quality, US cultivars can be used as a useful genetic resource for diversifying the grain characteristics of Korean japonica cultivars and breeding new cultivars.

Bakanae disease is caused by several species of Fusarium and imposes serious limitations to rice production worldwide. The incidence of this disease is increasing in the top rice-growing countries. No rice variety has been found to be completely resistant to this disease. Thus, higher resistance to the disease may be a cost saving solution preferable to the application of fungicides. ‘Anpyeong’ was derived from the cross between ‘YR24982-9-1’ and ‘Saeilmi’ in 2012 and selected as the promising line, ‘YR30389-B-2GH-103’; it was further selected and designated as ‘Milyang 313’ in 2016. The local adaptability test for ‘Milyang 313’ was conducted at five locations from 2016 to 2018 and the cultivar was named ‘Anpyeong’. The heading date for the medium-late maturing cultivar ‘Anpyeong’ was August 13. The ‘Anpyeong’ culm was 77 cm long and had 115 spikelets per panicle. The brown rice 1,000 grain-weight was 22.2 g, which is higher than that of ‘Nampyeong’. This variety is resistant to blast disease and rice stripe virus, but susceptible to bacterial blight and insect pest. The potential ‘Anpyeong’ yield was approximately 562 kg/10 a at ordinary fertilizer level in the local adaptability test and for three years. ‘Anpyeong’ harboring the qBK1 gene derived from a tongil type rice ‘Shingwang’ is moderately resistant to bakanae disease (Registration No. 8135).

A new black barley variety, ‘Heukdahyang’, was developed from the cross between ‘Keunalbori 1ho’ and ‘Masankwamaek/Mortoni’ at the National Institute of Crop Science, RDA in 2015. ‘Heukdahyang’ had a shorter culm length (76 cm) than that of ‘Olbori’, and had lodging tolerance. The average heading and maturity dates of ‘Heukdahyang’ were April 28 and June 2, respectively, which were later than those of ‘Olbori’. ‘Heukdahyang’ also had a spike length of 5.1 cm, spike density of 534 spikes/m², and 57 grains/spike. The thousand grain weight of ‘Heukdahyang’ (35.9 g) was greater than that of ‘Olbori’. ‘Heukdahyang’ showed moderate resistance to barley yellow mosaic virus. The yield potential of ‘Heukdahyang’ was about 6% higher than that of ‘Olbori’ in upland and paddy fields. Among qualitative characteristics, protein and β-glucan content of ‘Heukdahyang’ were 11.3% and 4.7%, respectively, which were similar to those of ‘Olbori’. However, ‘Heukdahyang’ showed higher polyphenol content (0.162%) and higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than those of the check cultivar (Registration No. 7007).

A new malting barley variety, ‘Baegrok’, was developed in 2016 at the National Institute of Crop Science, RDA: Rural development administration by crossing the high-yield ‘Milyang130’ variety with ‘Myoginijo’, which has lodging tolerance and resistance to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV). ‘Baegrok’ is suitable for use in brewing, similar to ‘Hopum’, and has resistance to powdery mildew and tolerance to lodging. From 2014 to 2016, regional yield trials were conducted in four different regions, with ‘Baegrok’ as a breeding line of ‘Iksan176’. The heading dates of ‘Baegrok’ in paddy and upland fields were April 6 and April 11, respectively, 2 days earlier than those of ‘Hopum’. Maturing dates of ‘Baegrok’ in paddy and upland fields were May 16 and May 21, respectively, similar to those of ‘Hopum’. The yield potential of ‘Baegrok’ was approximately 14% and 6% higher than that of ‘Hopum’ in upland and paddy fields. ‘Baegrok’ had a shorter culm length than ‘Hopum’ showing tolerance to lodging. Screening for powdery mildew resistance in the greenhouse showed that ‘Baegrok’ had resistance to powdery mildew, unlike ‘Hopum’ which was susceptible. It also is suitable for use in brewing, similar to Hopum. ‘Baegrok’ showed good grain quality in terms of β-glucan content (3.4%), starch (61.0%), and husk rate (12.7%). Regarding malt quality, ‘Baegrok’ exhibited 75.1% acrospire length, 70.8% friability, 4.4% soluble protein, and 345.8 WK (Windisch-Kolbach) diastatic power, superior to the malt quality of ‘Hopum’. Thus, ‘Baegrok’ is resistant to powdery mildew, tolerant to lodging, and more suitable for brewing. (Registration No. 8399)

In 2019, ‘Bodeuremi’ was developed as a high-yielding sweetpotato variety with good palatability. It was derived from a cross between ‘MI2006-58-02’ with high yield and ‘Beniharuka’ (IT309504) with good palatability. The storage roots of ‘Bodeuremi’ have a red skin, light orange flesh, and an ovate shape. When steamed, ‘Bodeuremi’ storage roots exhibit a moist texture and are more tender than those of the check variety ‘Pungwonmi’. The sugar content of steamed ‘Bodeuremi’ storage roots was 33.4 mg/100 g dw, which was 6.0% higher than that of ‘Pungwonmi’. The marketable yield of ‘Bodeuremi’ storage roots was 30.3 MT/ha in the early season culture, which was 4.5% higher than that of ‘Pungwonmi’ with high yield in the early season culture. ‘Bodeuremi’ is resistant to root-knot nematode and moderately resistant to Fusarium wilt. ‘Bodeuremi’ is expected to contribute to increased income of sweetpotato growers as it has high cultivation stability and can be shipped at a time when the market price is high owing to its high yield in the early cultivation.

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).

A malting barley variety, ‘Nurimaeg’, was developed with resistance to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV), tolerance to lodging stress, and good brewing quality. ‘Nurimaeg’ was developed by crossing Milyang127 and Miharu gold in 2004. Regional yield trials were conducted for ‘Nurimaeg’ as a breeding line ‘Iksan175’ in four different regions from 2014-2016. It has a type I growth habit, and its average heading and maturity dates were April 12 and May 20, respectively-which were 1 day later than the maturity date of ‘Hopum’ variety. As ‘Nurimaeg’ has a shorter culm length (77 cm) than that of ‘Hopum’, it showed tolerance to lodging stress. This variety possesses the rym5 gene and is resistant to BaYMV. It showed a 42.9 g 1000-grain weight and 90% assortment ratio. The yield potential of ‘Nurimaeg’ was 408 kg/10a, which is approximately 18% higher than that of ‘Hopum’. Analysis of grain quality for malting showed that ‘Nurimaeg’ has high quality of low protein and β-glucan content. Malt quality analysis revealed that it has 72.8% extract, 4.2% soluble protein, 38.9% kolbach index, and 243 WK diastatic power, which all were similar to those of ‘Hopum’. ‘Nurimaeg’ would be suitable for cultivation in the areas of Korea that have a daily minimum temperature of -4℃ in the month of January (Registration No. 7960).

‘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 winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar ‘Baekkang’ was developed by the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) and Rular Development Administration (RDA) in 2015. Its heading date was April 23, and its maturity date was June 3, similar to that of ‘Keumkang’. ‘Baekkang’ had a shorter culm length (75 cm), longer spike length (8.0 cm), more spikes per m² (703), and more 1,000-grain weight (47.5 g) than those of ‘Keumkang’, which were 76 cm, 7.6 cm, 631, 46.4 g, respectively. ‘Baekkang’ was not a winter hardy crop and is susceptible to powdery mildew. However, it has moderate resistance to fusarium head blight. The average grain yield in the advanced yield trial was 5.5 MT/ha, 20% more than ‘Keumkang’. In the regional yield trial, this average yield was 5.1 MT/ha upland and 5.2 MT/ha in the paddy field, which were 10% and 18% more than that of ‘Keumkang’, respectively. Baekkang’s flour yield (71.2%) and flour lightness (92.40) showed similarities to those of ‘Jokyung’. ‘Baekkang’ also showed a higher protein content (12.4%), gluten content (10.1%), and SDS-sedimentation volume (60.0 ml). These results showed that the ‘Baekkang’ flour’s dough strength was greater than that of ‘Jokyung’. Baekkang’s high molecular weight gluten subunits composition was Glu-D1 (5+10), granule-bound starch synthase composition was Wx-A1 (a), Wx-B1 (a), and Wx-D1 (a), and puroindoline composition was Pina-D1(a) and Pinb-D1(b) (Registration No. 6966).

The damage caused by typhoons to rice production has been increasing. To reduce this damage, wind-tolerant rice breeding programs have been conducted at the Yeongdeok substation (YS) of the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS). This study was conducted to examine the effects of these wind-tolerant rice breeding programs. Under the wind-tolerance screening facility (WTSF), the wind-tolerance of 17 rice varieties bred at NICS (usual rice) and 20 rice varieties bred at YS (wind-tolerant rice) were analyzed by evaluating six traits: white spikelet (WS), white panicle (WP), degree of wind damage (DG), ratio of ripened grain (RRG) at control (RRG_C) and treatment (RRG_T), and reduction rate of RRG between control and treatment (RRG_R). Wind-tolerant rice showed more wind-tolerant characteristics than usual rice, such as lower WS, WP, DG, and RRG_R and higher RRG_T and RRG_C. In the principal component analysis, wind-tolerant rice showing a similar direction for RRG_T and RRG_C were located separately from the usual rice. The adaptability tests of wind-tolerant rice were conducted by evaluating eight yield-related traits in the wind-prone areas. Wind-tolerant rice was divided into three clusters by K-means clustering analysis using WP and RRG_T with the WTSF, RRG, and yield in the wind-prone areas. Among the three clusters, YC2 had the strongest wind tolerance performance, followed by YC3 showing moderate wind tolerance, and YC1 the weakest wind tolerance. ‘Sinbo’, a variety belonging to YC2, exhibited the strongest wind tolerance and high yield potential among all varieties. The wind-tolerant rice varieties bred at YS could be used practically to prevent wind damage and utilize breeding materials to enhance the wind tolerance of rice varieties.

We developed a malting barley, ‘Dapum’, with stable yield and enhanced quality for brewing. ‘Dapum’ was developed in 2015, by crossing Hopum, which has high brewing quality, and ‘GobDH96’, which has steady yield. The regional yield trials were conducted for ‘Dapum’ as a breeding line ‘Iksan173’ in four different regions from 2013 to 2015. It has a type I growth habit, and the average heading and maturing date in paddy fields were April 20 and May 26, respectively, which were 1 day earlier than those of ‘Hopum’. The yield potential of ‘Dapum’ was 411 kg/ha, which is approximately 10% higher than those of ‘Hopum’ under paddy field condition. ‘Dapum’ possesses the rym5 gene and is resistant to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV), although susceptible to powdery mildew and lodging tolerance. It is similar to ‘Hopum’ in terms of enhanced brewing quality. ‘Dapum’ had a higher 1,000-grain weight (46.1 g) and assortment ratio (92%) than those of ‘Hopum,’ at 43.8 g and 90%, respectively. Analysis of grain quality for malting showed that ‘Dapum’ has high quality protein content, β-glucan content, and water sensitivity. Malt quality analysis revealed that ‘Dapum’ has 73.3% extraction rate, 3.7% soluble protein content, 32.6% Kolbach index, 244 WK (Windisch-Kolbach) diastatic power, and 80.2% friability, which were similar to those of ‘Hopum’. It would be suitable for cultivation in the zones of Korea that have a daily minimum temperature of -4℃ in January (Registration No. 7512).

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have enabled large-scale cost-effective genotypic analyses, and consequently, obtaining reliable phenotypic data has now become a major bottleneck in data-driven plant breeding. In order to construct a phenotype database for commercial rice varieties released by the National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration, we initiated a systematic phenotype evaluation project, with the aim of investigating the major agronomic traits of Korean rice varieties released during the period between 1979 and 2017. Despite the narrow genetic background, we found that the days to heading (DTH) and culm length (CL) of the 297 Korean rice varieties assessed exhibited wide phenotypic variation under different environments. Under normal planting cultivation in 2018, the DTH ranged from 48 to 104 days in Suwon, 46 to 111 days in Wanju, and 39 to 97 days in Miryang, with CL values ranging from 59 to 134 cm, 55 to 122 cm, and 57 to 106 cm, respectively. During early planting cultivation in 2019, the DTH ranged from 56 to 113 days (Suwon), 58 to 109 days (Wanju), and 58 to 100 days (Miryang), with corresponding CL values ranging from 63 to 119 cm, 55 to 93 cm, and 51 to 115 cm. Despite the difference of one month in planting dates in 2018 and 2019, DTH in the different years and regions showed highly significant positive correlations (r=0.90-0.98), whereas CL showed positive but weaker correlations (r=0.45-0.82). Furthermore, we detected a weak, although significant, correlation between DTH and CL in each environment (r=-0.18-0.35). Analyses of additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) were conducted for DTH and CL to identify rice varieties with stable phenotypes under different environments. We anticipate that the findings of this study will provide a useful rice phenotype database to facilitate genotype-phenotype association studies and data-driven rice breeding.