South America, particularly the Southern Cone region, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, serves as a global hub for soybean production, accounting for more than 56% of global supply. However, this region experiences recurrent and severe drought risks driven by climate variability associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), resulting in significant economic losses. Consequently, biotechnology- based drought-tolerant soybean breeding has emerged as a critical national strategy across these countries. Argentina has positioned itself as a primary technology originator with the development of the HB4 soybean, the world’s first commercial drought-tolerant trait, utilizing the sunflower-derived transcription factor HaHB4. Brazil is advancing beyond single-trait approaches by developing multistacked biotech varieties that integrate drought tolerance with herbicide resistance, insect resistance, and oxidative stress mitigation. Furthermore, Paraguay and Uruguay are rapidly emerging as international hubs for field testing and commercialization, supported by streamlined regulatory frameworks and a “dual-track” strategy for both genetically modified (GM) and genome-edited (GE) crops. This review integrates molecular strategies, national regulatory systems, and commercialization trends in South America and discusses strategic implications for Korea. Despite Korea’s limited domestic experience in large-scale commercial cultivation owing to regulatory constraints, it possesses internationally competitive expertise in transcription factor engineering, CRISPR-based precision breeding, and AI-driven stress phenotyping. We propose a strategic technology export model that leverages Korea’s advanced R&D capabilities as a “technology provider” and “joint developer,” in partnership with South American countries. Such collaborations can foster a climate-resilient agricultural ecosystem and secure Korea’s position in the global biotech seed market.

In the present study, we conducted a detailed analysis of the genetic diversity and structural organization of 96 domestic Korean rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.) using 2,565 high-resolution TCS-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Genetic structural variations were investigated using diversity indices, PCA, genetic similarity, and network analysis. Genetic diversity analysis revealed a significant expansion of the genetic foundation after the 1980s, marked by a sharp increase in the number of alleles (Na) from the 2000s. Despite this, high genetic homogeneity was maintained, with an average similarity of 77.7%. The observed 10% difference among same-cross varieties suggests that critical genetic variations are fixed by strong selection pressures for quality traits. Network analysis (85% similarity threshold) confirmed that the Korean rice breeding population followed a distinct core-periphery model (eight communities). The connected 84 varieties had a centrality range of 0.01 0.39. Core Variety Groups (e.g., ‘Junam’ and ‘Sindongjin’) exhibited the highest centrality (up to 0.39), indicating their extensive use as key breeding parents and their function as the central axis of the genetic network. Bridge Variety Groups (e.g., ‘Hwayeong’ and ‘Samkwang’) played an intermediary role linking clusters. Crucially, 12 ‘isolated accessions’ showed zero centrality (0.00), representing a genetic disconnect from the main pool. This quantitative network-based assessment provides essential fundamental data for breeders to select appropriate germplasms. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the current cultivar naming system, which inadequately reflects genetic relationships, requires reassessment, and that the establishment of objective management standards based on this research is warranted.

Pears (Pyrus spp.) are economically important fruit trees grown extensively world-wide. To identify QTLs related to key agronomically important fruit traits, we conducted QTL analysis using an interspecific 178 F₁ populations derived from a cross between ‘Manpungbae’ and ‘Oharabeni’. Phenotyping data, including fruit weight, fruit length and diameter, fruit shape index (FSI), soluble sugar content, fruit firmness (FF), and titratable acidity (TA) were investigated from 2016 to 2018. Using the previously constructed genetic linkage map together with the three-year phenotypic dataset, we detected 14 significant QTLs associated with the control of fruit weight, fruit length and diameter, FSI, FF, and TA on linkage groups 3, 10, 11, 12, and 13. These findings provide a useful resource for advancing genetic and genomic studies in pears and will aid breeding efforts to improve major fruit traits.

Tofu, a widely consumed soy-based product, has seen increasing consumer demand, driven by health and dietary trends. Enhancing the processing suitability of soybeans requires analysis of the genetics associated with tofu quality traits. In this study, five key traits, namely water absorption (WA%), Brix of soymilk (°BS), soymilk yield (YM%), tofu residue (TR%), and tofu yield (YT%), were evaluated in two recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations: 81 lines of “Daepung”דSaedanbaek” and 122 lines of “Daepung”דGalchae”. Most traits exhibited normal distributions and transgressive segregation. Trait correlations revealed strong associations between WA and TR, and between YM and YT, with population-specific variation. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping identified eight loci in each population linked to WA, °BS, YM, TR, and YT across multiple chromosomes. Notably, co-localized QTL were detected for WA% and TR% (chromosomes 1 and 6) and for WA%, YM%, °Brix, and TR% (chromosome 8), indicating pleiotropic regulation. Candidate genes included Glyma.06g173500, associated with β-glucan biosynthesis, and Glyma.03g132700, encoding β-glucanase, both implicated in seed coat permeability and tofu yield. These results provide novel genetic insights into seed coat properties and processing quality, and the identified QTLs and candidate genes represent valuable targets for marker-assisted selection in soybean breeding programs optimized for tofu production in Korea.

Genetically modified (GM) crops have been developed to enhance various agronomic traits and increase the production of functional compounds. In the present study, the major agronomic characteristics of protopanaxadiol (PPD)-enriched GM rice, which was developed by introducing dammarenediol-II synthase (PgDDS) and protopanaxadiol synthase (CYP716A47) genes from Panax ginseng into Oryza sativa cv. Dongjin, were evaluated. The stability of the introduced genes was confirmed using PCR and immunostrip tests, which showed consistent expression across multiple generations (T5-T7). Agronomic traits, including days to heading, culm length, panicle length, tiller number, and grain weight per plant, were compared between GM rice and its non-GM counterpart, Dongjin rice. No significant differences were observed for these traits, indicating that genetic modification did not affect the overall plant growth. However, seed morphology analyses revealed that PPD-enriched GM rice had significantly longer brown rice grains. In contrast, other seed traits remained within the natural range of commercial rice varieties. Furthermore, PPD was consistently detected in GM rice, whereas it was absent in non-GM Dongjin rice. These findings suggest that PPD-enriched GM rice maintains a stable agronomic performance while successfully accumulating PPD, supporting its potential as a functional crop. However, further research is required to evaluate its environmental impact, food safety, and efficacy as a functional food source.

Image-based digitalization of germplasm stock holds significant promise for accelerating plant breeding and crop improvement. This technology facilitates efficient germplasm characterization, evaluation, and management through the capture and analysis of visual phenotypes. However, widespread adoption is hindered by challenges that include image quality control, data analysis complexity, and phenotypic representation limitations. This study investigated these constraints and proposed strategies to address them. By managing technical challenges, refining phenotypic data extraction, and developing robust data analysis pipelines, researchers can fully leverage image-based digitalization to enhance germplasm utilization and contribute to sustainable agriculture.

Preserving and utilizing genetic diversity is crucial in crop breeding to address unpredictable situations such as climate change and evolving consumer demands. It serves as a source of new traits and alleles. Core collections are established from approximately 10-20% of conserved resources, and they are not only used for efficient management of genetic resources in seed banks but also applied in crop improvement programs and new gene discovery. These core collections demonstrate diversity based on the geographic origin of genetic resources and provide information on genetic similarity among resource types and collection regions. Recent advances in high-throughput genotyping has enabled high-resolution association mapping, allowing for the precise discovery of new genes and QTLs. The wheat genetic diversity and population structure of core collections are important in determining appropriate GWAS statistical methods for detecting these novel genes and QTLs. To maximize their utility, collecting detailed phenotypic data is crucial. This will expand their application in gene discovery, marker development, and more. In this study, we provided reviews for wheat core collection in the world to face the digital breeding era, where precise gene detection and manipulation are possible. The accumulation of genetic diversity, and phenotypic and genotypic information by core collections will contribute to breeding cycle acceleration and trait selection optimization.

Interspecific hybridization has long been used to produce Phalaenopsis hybrids with superior traits such as flower size, color, lip morphology, heavy pigmentation spots, spike number, plant height, floret number and size, inflorescence angle, and branching. For a successful breeding program, superior parents with desirable horticultural traits must be selected for hybridization based on market preferences. However, many existing hybrids produce triploids or aneuploids and are almost completely sterile. A database of the cytogenetic backgrounds of species and cultivars is essential for formulating systematic breeding programs. However, this information is limited to the Phalaenopsis cultivars. Therefore, chromosome composition, pollen viability, and meiotic abnormality of two Phalaenopsis yellow cultivars, namely Phalaenopsis ‘Fuller’s Sunset’ and Phalaenopsis ‘Geumgongju,’ were analyzed in this study. Cytogenetic analyses revealed that both cultivars had hypotetraploid and asymmetrical chromosomes. Assessment of pollen viability using the 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining test and in vitro pollen germination in five flower developmental stages demonstrated that P. ‘Fuller’s Sunset’ pollinia were viable because it were stained in all stages with pollen tube growth. In contrast, unstained pollinia and the absence of pollen tubes were observed in P. ‘Geumgongju.’ Sporad stage analysis showed that P. ‘Geumgongju’ contained predominantly abnormal sporads with micronuclei compared to those of P. ‘Fuller’s Sunset.’ The results of this study provide vital information for breeding programs for Phalaenopsis cultivars and emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate parents for hybridization.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the world's three staple crops and accounts for approximately 20% of the total calories consumed by the world's population. It is known that wheat is a difficult crop to introduce foreign genes into, having a large genome (16 Gb) containing three highly related subgenomes (AABBDD). Owing to the low transformation efficiency of wheat, it is difficult to apply new technologies such as genome editing and basic research based on molecular biology, such as the discovery of useful genes and functional analysis. Recently, the completion of a wheat genome map by the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) and the development of a stable and reproducible wheat transformation system have accelerated research regarding the expression and control of useful genes. In this review, we introduce in detail the recently developed highly efficient Agrobacterium-mediated wheat transformation system and its applications in plant biotechnology, such as RNA interference (RNAi), overexpression, and gene editing using this system.

As recent advances in gene editing technologies have enabled rapid and accurate modification of target genes, new varieties are being developed through the application of gene editing technologies in various crop species. In particular, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has become a tool of choice for gene editing because it is much more economical and efficient than previous tools such as ZFN and TALEN, and is being actively used to improve various breeding traits, including biotic and abiotic stress tolerance to overcome the limitations of conventional plant breeding technologies. In this review, we retrieved 210 papers describing the utilization of CRISPR/Cas9 in rice published between 2013 and 2021 and classified them according to the field of study and traits of interest. Further case studies were conducted on 21 and 12 research papers that reported the enhancement of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, respectively. This demonstrated that CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing can be highly effective in improving resistance to bacterial (bacterial leaf blight and bacterial leaf streak), fungal (blast, sheath blight), and viral (rice tungro spherical virus, rice black streak virus) diseases as well as various abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, cold, and heat, in many cases, without diminishing important agronomic traits. As recent technological advances have begun to overcome the major limitations of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, such as low HDR efficiency and off-target effects, it is expected that more research on gene function and cultivar development will adopt CRISPR/Cas9 as a major gene editing tool in the future. To effectively apply such innovative technologies in crop improvement, much effort is required to establish more reasonable and detailed policies for regulating crops developed through new breeding technologies.

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is a perennial fruit tree with high heterozygosity, consisting of 38 chromosomes (2n=38), and it takes a long time for grape seedlings to grow into fruit-bearing trees. Therefore, it is difficult to study grape genetics and breeding strategies. However, it has recently become possible to discover many SNPs through whole genome resequencing or genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis. In this study, we aimed to develop high-resolution melting (HRM) markers from the detected SNPs and construct a genetic linkage map using HRM markers. In a previous study, 2,553 SNPs were identified using GBS analysis. In this study, 1,336 SNPs were used to design primer sets for HRM analysis. The developed HRM markers were used for construction of a genetic linkage map in an F₁ segregating population consisting of 192 individuals from a cross between ‘Tano Red’ (V. labrusca×V. vinifera) and ‘Ruby Seedless’ (V. vinifera). A total of 805 polymorphic HRM markers were developed, of which 363 were mapped onto the genetic linkage map of grape, with a total length of 1,453.5 cM consisting of 19 chromosomes. This SNP-based genetic linkage map and HRM markers can be used for QTL identification and marker development for important fruit traits of grape.

The breeding objective for crops changes constantly due to environmental changes, customer requirements, and farming convenience, among other factors. As breeding takes a long time, suitable mating candidates must be obtained from the beginning. In this study, we propose a breeder-friendly system and datasets. We investigated 11 traits that affect adaptation to the cultivation environment in Jeju Island using 27 buckwheat germplasms and selected good germplasms for breeding new cultivars. Data on the various traits of the target crop could assist breeders or researchers in identifying the traits of each genetic resource that will facilitate the development of new cultivars that suit the requirements of customers. Therefore, this study suggests establishing a breeder-friendly system and datasets in GenBank.

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.

Plant germplasm is a part of living genetic resources, including seeds and plant materials, such as roots, leaves, and stems, and should be conserved and managed to maintain ecological biodiversity and to consistently generate the product and supply food crops. Plant germplasm can be categorized based on various genetic traits such as race, and clustering based on similar genetic traits is an efficient method for managing large numbers of germplasms. Therefore, we developed an algorithm, termed cacGMS (Clustering Analysis for Categorical genetic traits of germplasms in Genebank Management System), using categorical variables which statistically differentiate the datatype of genetic traits such as seed-coat color, seed shape, and flower color. Briefly, using Newman’s modularity method, cacGMS combines the hierarchical clustering algorithm using the Ward2 method and representative-based algorithms such as K-medoids, and it regroups all germplasms using germplasm core sets. We tested cacGMS using 2,378 pepper germplasms with 46 different categorical genetic traits, and it exhibited better performance than the hierarchical and K-medoids algorithms for the average distance among clusters (0.4534) and entropy (1.2672). Moreover, cacGMS showed better performance in terms of threshold (from 15 to 30) for genetic traits than other algorithms and provided similar results in a test run using tomato germplasm. From these results, we expect that cacGMS will be a useful tool for managing each group with numerous plant germplasms and facilitate the analysis of other studies, such as analysis of representative characteristics of clustered germplasms and of correlations among germplasms in a particular cluster.

In this study, genotype analysis was conducted using the Fluidigm system with 13 SNP markers related to anthracnose, powdery mildew, phytophthora root rot, cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), potyvirus, and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) resistance. A total of 25,350 data points were obtained, 8.2% of which indicated resistance genotypes. Resources having perfect resistance genotype to each disease-related molecular marker set were 58 accessions for anthracnose, 57 for powdery mildew, 246 for phytophthora root rot, and 765 for CMV. There was no resource having a perfect resistance genotype of all three potyvirus-related molecular SNP markers including pvr1, pvr2 (123457), and pvr2 (689). Thirty-seven accessions for pvr1, 349 accessions for pvr2 (123457), and 23 accessions for pvr2 (689) were identified as resources with resistance genotype. No resource with the TMV-resistance genotype was found in this study. The resources with complex resistance genotypes of anthracnose and powdery mildew were 55 accessions, and they were mainly Capsicum baccatum. Among these, seven accessions had a three-disease combined resistance genotype with phytophthora root rot. Thirty-six accessions, 16 accessions, and nine accessions each had resistance genotypes of the three potyvirus-related markers. These resources also had CMV and phytophthora root rot resistance genotypes, and they were mainly Capsicum chinense. The statistical analysis considering the evaluated resistance genotypes, revealed that the anthracnose resistance genotype showed a tendency to be linked with powdery mildew resistance genotype. The potyvirus-related marker pvr1 was positively correlated with Phytophthora root rot markers.

Interspecific and intersubspecific crosses have been an important strategy for rice breeding programs to obtain useful characters by expanding genetic diversity. However, the wide cross routinely causes undesirable characters in rice, such as spikelet sterility and poor quality. In this study, we developed near-isogenic lines of R-gene (Xa4+xa5+Xa21+Pi40+Bph18) introgression population to investigate the genetic relationship between the occurrence of poor characters and R-genes induced by MAS. The ANOVA analysis revealed that Pi40, Bph18, and Xa4 were associated with spikelet fertility (SF), ratio of ripened grain (RRG), third internode length (TIL), panicle extraction (PE), and protein content (Pro), whereas others showed no association with the 14 traits tested. In the three-way ANOVA, the impact of two R-genes (Pi40 and Bph18) on the poor characters was independent, with no interaction with others. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis identified QTLs for PE and TIL traits near Pi40, and in particular, QTLs for five traits (SF, RRG, TIL, PE, and Pro) were negatively affected around Bph18. The occurrence of a poor character in R-gene pyramiding lines could be associated with linkage drag caused by the Bph18 gene. We speculate that the development of DNA markers that effectively eliminate poor characters will not only improve breeding efficiency using MAS, but will also help improve traits of japonica rice through wide crossing.

Interspecific hybridization is a valuable approach to generate genetic variation and to introgress desirable genes. The objective of the current study was to estimate the heritability and correlation coefficient of several fruit traits for three years (from 2016 to 2018) using a set of 178 interspecific F₁ populations developed from a cross between ‘Manpungbae’ (Pyrus pyrifolia) and ‘Oharabeni’ (P. pyrifolia×P. communis). For ‘Manpungbae’, the average values of fruit weight, length, diameter, fruit shape index, and soluble sugar content for the three years were 967.8 g, 109.0 mm, 125.7 mm, 0.87, and 13.4 °Brix, respectively. The average values for ‘Oharabeni’ were 268.2 g, 75.2 mm, 81.4 mm, 0.93, and 9.9 °Brix, respectively. The average values and heritability for three years in F₁ progenies were 222.0 g and 85.55%, 67.3 mm and 84.14%, 75.4 mm and 81.18%, 0.89 and 79.33%, and 10.7 °Brix and 77.75%, respectively. Among the five fruit traits we surveyed, the Pearson’s correlation coefficients between three traits (weight, length, and diameter) were highly significantly positive (over 0.8) for the three years.

A total of 285 Korean rice cultivars were used for amylose content and genetic analyses using KASP markers related to the amylose content. We used three polymorphic KASP markers targeting the Waxy (Wx) gene and compared the genotyping efficiency with previously reported molecular markers. The rice cultivars were raised in Miryang, Korea, for one period. Genetic analysis of the rice cultivars revealed that the three KASP markers on the Wx gene were functional for genomic selection of SNPs related to amylose content variation. Therefore, the three KASP markers targeting different Wx alleles can be used for genomic selection. In addition, KASP markers were more efficient than previously reported molecular markers that target the same alleles. These findings can be beneficial for the breeding and genomic selection of high-quality rice in Korea.

Prunus persica “Mihong” cultivar is a domesticated white peach that was generated from the crossing between “Yumyeong” and “Chiyomaru” cultivars in the Republic of Korea in 1995. We launched “Mihong” genome sequencing in 2018 and “Mihong” reached to 200 scaffold and 241 Mb sequences using long-read sequencing and Hi-C technology. F₁ populations of ”Kawanakajima Hakuto,” “Mihong,” “Changhowon Hwangdo,” and “Yumi” were developed in NIHHS. These four cultivars were sequenced and assembled using the SOAPdenovo version 2.04. First, we surveyed the SSRs in “Mihong” assembly sequences and extracted the ±300 bp flanking sequences containing SSRs. Second, the assembly sequences of three cultivars were aligned and mapped against “Mihong” ±300 bp flanking sequences using BLASTn (version 2.2.29+). We anticipated the differential length in SSRs among the four cultivars. We sorted the primers with a standard deviation over 4.5 (STEV > 4.5) among the four cultivars. In addition, we surveyed the primers having difference in over 10 bp with “Kawanakajima Hakuto” and “Mihong” for polymorphic markers in the mapping population. All primer pairs were designed to generate amplicons of 150-200 bp in coating SSR regions using primer3 (version 3-2.2.3). We selected 260 SSR markers with a physical distance of average per 1 Mb. These SSR markers accounted for 74% polymorphism in the four genotypes. Finally, a F₁ population of “Kawanakajima Hakuto” and “Mihong” covered 884.5 cM with 465 SNPs and 86 SSRs and this genetic map matched correctly to the HI-C pseudomolecule of P. persica.

New Breeding Technology (NBT) refers to gene editing technologies that are used to develop crop plants with beneficial traits, from biotic/abiotic resistance to nutritional enhancement, including zinc finger nucleases (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nucleases, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9, meganucleases, and oligo directed mutagenesis. A total of 1,119 valid NBT patents were analyzed in this study to examine global trends in the patent and market expansion strategies for major patent applicants. Based on the claims specified, valid patents in each patent office were analyzed through the applicant’s country of origin, field of technology, and plant/crop species. Patents claiming applications of CRISPR-based technology to major crop plants, including rice, corn, wheat, tomato, and canola, have rapidly increased in the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) since 2013. The patent family size (PFS) can be used as an indicator of intellectual property (IP)-based market expansion strategies and target markets of interests of patent applicants. Many university- and research-oriented institution Chinese applicants showed low PFS (2.1) because they filed patents mostly in CNIPA. In contrast, high PFS of US and German (DE) applicants such as Corteva Agriscience (US), KWS SAAT AG (DE), Cellectics (FR), and Syngenta Participations AG (CH) represented their active strategies for global gene-edited crop market expansion. Corteva Agriscience (US, 238 patents) was the global leader in patents using NBT, ranging from ZFN to CRISPR-based technologies applied to most major crops, including corn, soybean, and wheat.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of the three major food crops, along with rice and corn, and is the second most consumed crop after rice in Korea. However, the domestic production of wheat is insufficient, and the self-sufficiency rate is recorded in single digits. As wheat has a large genome size of 17 Gbp, and contains many repeated nucleotide sequences, it is difficult to conduct breeding studies and genome-based breeding lags behind that of other crops. To overcome the above challenges, we constructed a wheat core collection using simple sequence repeat markers that are suitable for the domestic cultivation environment with excellent reproducibility. Genetic diversity and population structure were analyzed using a core collection. Agricultural traits were evaluated in the Korean wheat core collection. Single marker analysis was correlated with 21 agricultural traits to identify potential molecular markers. These results may be useful for wheat breeding programs in the precision breeding era.

Barley is an economically important cereal crop grown under diverse environmental conditions and ranked fourth in terms of production volume. Barley is a diploid self-fertilizing plant with seven chromosomes, and has a 5.1 Gbp genome with more than 80% repeat sequences. Whole genome re-sequencing (WGR) has provided substantial information on sequence variation distributed on all chromosomes, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, insertions, and deletions, which are used in the development of DNA markers. In this study, we performed WGR to detect sequence variations among six Korean malting varieties. An average of 92,552 insertions and deletions (InDels) were detected in these varieties in comparison to the high-quality reference genome sequences. The InDel density of the six Korean malting varieties ranged from 17 to 19 InDel/1Mbp with an average of 18 InDel/1Mbp. No InDel could be detected in 193 regions in all chromosomes except chr. unassigned. One interval with high-density InDel, more than 150 InDel/1Mbp, was located on the 1H, 3H, 6H, and 7H chromosomes. A total of 145 InDel markers were developed using 225 large-InDel markers, longer than 50 bp. Seventeen large-InDel makers showed polymorphisms among 31 malting barley varieties. These 31 malting barley varieties were divided into four groups based on phylogenetic analysis. These results presented a development method of agarose-resolvable large-InDel markers using WGR. Seventeen polymorphic large-InDel markers were used to conserve and identify barley germplasms. This vast information on sequence variation in six Korean malting barleys could be used for the development of DNA markers and marker-assisted selection.

To better understand the morphological variation in the 189 accessions of cultivated var. frutescens of Perilla crop preserved at the RDA-Genebank in South Korea, morphological characteristics were investigated using seven traits related to leaf quality. In the principal component analysis (PCA), the first and second principal components accounted for 28.9% and 19.7% of the total variance, respectively. In the first component, leaf color (QL1) and stem color (QL3) contributed positively, whereas the flowering period (QL5) and degree of pubescence (QL6) contributed in a negative manner. In the second component, QL5 and QL6 contributed positively, whereas the fragrance of plants (QL7) contributed negatively. The results of PCA showed that the 189 Perilla accessions were clearly divided into three groups based on the 1st axis (X-axis), except for some accessions. However, the Perilla accessions collected in South Korea and abroad did not show a clear geographical distribution between the collection areas. Correlation analysis among the seven traits of 189 Perilla accessions showed a positive correlation coefficient for the combination of QL1 and QL3, and QL5 and QL6, and a negative correlation for the combination of color of the reverse side of the leaf and QL6, and QL5 and QL7. Therefore, the results of this study will provide useful information for the selection of useful resources for the development of leafy vegetable varieties of the Perilla crop and the preservation and management of genetic resources of the Perilla crop preserved at the RDA-Genebank in South Korea.

Rice is the most important staple food in Korea. Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most devastating diseases in the rice-growing world and in Korea. Eighteen major blast resistance genes were screened in 33 leading Korean japonica varieties using 44 DNA markers. The 33 leading japonica varieties are cultivated in 659,642 ha (90.4%), and a variety of Samkwang is cultivated widely on a nation-wide scale. Four resistance genes, Pia, Pib, Pi19, and Pb1, were detected in 10-21 varieties, and the R-genes of Pii, Pish, Pita/Pita-2, Piz/Piz-t, Pi35, and Pi65(t), were present in 2-5 varieties. Five R-genes, Pit, Pi5, Pi9, pi21, and Pi40, were not detected in the Korean japonica rice varieties. A total of six varieties, two mid-late flowering varieties, Ilmi and Saeilmi, a medium flowering variety Gopum; and three early flowering varieties Jopyeong, Haedamssal, and Haedeul; were resistant to blast nursery screening over 12 years. A variety of Gopum harbored alleles for Piz/Piz-t, and three early flowering varieties, Jopyeong, Haedamssal, and Haedeul, had extensive loci of the multiple-gene family Piz/Piz-t, Pi9, and Pi40 on chromosome 6. Two mid-late flowering varieties, Ilmi and Saeilmi, harbored the Pita-2 gene, and Gopum had Pita. In the japonica rice breeding program, an effective means for enhancing stable resistance to blast would be introduced to 2-3 R genes among resistance genes Pit, Pi5, Pi9, pi21 and Pi40 which were not identified in Korean japonica rice varieties, and resistance genes Pita/Pita-2, Piz-t/Piz-5, to 2-3 R genes among and Pi20 that showed stable resistance in monogenic IRBL lines.

The color and functionality of paprika fruits (Capsicum annuum L.) are important factors that determine consumption preferences. Paprika contains a large amount of functional phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols. In this study, the total polyphenol content by total phenol content (TPC) assay, antioxidant activity by 2,2’-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total red pigment content by American spice trade association (ASTA) color were evaluated in a total of 93 commercial cultivars and germplasms of red paprika. In results, the total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity by ABTS and FRAP, and total red pigment content ranged from 6.35-11.84 mg GAE⋅g^-1 dry weight (DW), 19.80-44.84 mg trolox⋅g^-1 DW, 8.82-31.06 mg trolox⋅g^-1 DW, and 5.30-75.03 ASTA value, respectively. For each trait, there were 2, 31, 16, and 44 germplasms, respectively, which were higher than those of the commercial cultivars. The correlation analysis between the total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP) showed highly positive correlations, with r=0.69 and r=0.75, respectively. In contrast, the ASTA values showed very low negative correlations with ABTS (r=-0.15) and FRAP (r=-0.26). These results imply that the antioxidant activity in paprika was largely affected by the total polyphenol content but was hardly affected by the ASTA value. Accessions 30, 31, and 56 were selected with high red pigment content, and accessions 5, 21, 24, and 26 had high antioxidant activity as well as high polyphenol content. These germplasms will be useful for the development of new paprika varieties with high red pigment content or high antioxidant activity.

Flooding stress causes a significant reduction in soybean yield. The development of flood-tolerant cultivars is an effective way to minimize yield loss due to flooding. Information on candidate genes for flooding tolerance is useful for developing tolerant lines. The objective of this study was to identify potential candidate genes for flooding tolerance in soybean by integrating the results of a quantitative trait locus analysis and RNA sequencing. A total of 19 genes showed good amplification in capillary electrophoresis and were further analyzed through a reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR); two of these genes showed differential expression among tolerant and susceptible lines. The expression of Glyma.12g030900 and Glyma.10g050300 in leaf and root tissues, respectively, was higher in several tolerant lines than in the susceptible lines under flooding stress. The chlorophyll index of the tolerant lines was also consistently higher than that of the susceptible lines over two years, supporting the qRT-PCR results. This study provides useful information on flooding tolerance in soybeans.

The National Agrobiodiversity Center of the RDA, Korea, has more than 22,700 accessions of global wheat genetic resources, including Korean wheat cultivars and landraces. Despite the numerous efforts to develop high-quality, hard winter wheat, the employment of new genetic resources into Korean wheat breeding programs is still hampered by the different growing environments. To overcome this limitation, 200 germplasms that were screened using the Genebank Management System (GMS) were evaluated in three different regions in Korea. In the 2018–2019 trial, 55 lines that showed superior field performance and high protein content were selected from among the 200 germplasms. These lines were re-evaluated in the 2019–2020 trial, and 24 lines that had suitable traits for growth, grain yield, and grain protein content in three locations were finally selected. These winter wheat germplasms also showed high yield stability throughout the three different environments in Korea. Preliminary screening using GMS information, consecutive regional tests, and quality tests could be effective procedures for the development of hard winter wheat in Korea. Therefore, introduction breeding could be a favorable breeding method aiming to improve quality, where useful genetic resources are limited.