• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.167-172
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• 2019

Background: Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa belongs to the flowering plant family Apiaceae. Its young leaves are consumed as a vegetable, and its roots have medicinal properties. This study was conducted to analyze the seed germination characteristics of A. acutiloba according to its ripening stages. Methods and Results: The seeds were harvested from a research farm managed by the Department of Herbal Crop Research, Rural Development Administration in 2018 and were divided into six groups according to their specific gravities. In particular, we studied the effect of harvesting periods and umbel orders on seed characteristics. The results showed that the rates of germination, emergence, and early growth improved as the specific gravity of the seeds increased. In addition, the germination rates of the seeds harvested in mid July and early August were significantly higher than those harvested in the other seasons, and the seeds obtained from the first floret had the greatest mass and weight. Conclusions: In this study, we demonstrated that it is possible to improve the germination rate by appropriate selection of seeds and harvesting period both of which are closely related to seed maturity.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.370-378
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• 2015

Background : Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus, functional wild vegetable, is perennial herb and young leaves with soft texture are generally used as edible food. So the demand for the vegetable has increased recently. This study was carried out to determine the effects of temperature and shading on germination characteristics of A. dioicus. Methods and Results : The experiment was performed by temperature and shading treatments. Seed pre-treatment before the germination experiment was carried out by the storage in low temperature ($4^{\circ}C$) under wet condition (LTW) for 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days and shading treatment were 35%, 50%, and 75% under control, BA (6-benzyladenine) and $GA_3$ (gibberellic acid) condition for 24 hours. Increasing the length of the storage periods led to increases seed germination percent in low temperature ($4^{\circ}C$) under wet condition (LTW), germination rate of A. dioicus seed was the highest at $15^{\circ}C$ with 60 days of seed pre-treatment. In the case of seeds pre-treatment with LTW, the more temperature went up, the more days to 50% of Germination of Final Germination Rate ($T_{50}$) went down. As a result of surveying shading treatment, germination rate was the highest in control of 35% shading and the next higher was in control of 50% shading. Conclusions : It is concluded that the temperature and shading are important factors to produce A. dioicus. Also, We suggest these results as basic data of A. dioicus for sexual propagation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.336-352
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• 1998

The horticultural seed industry has made great progress in the last fifty years of its history after the independence of this country. The industry has accomplished self-sufficiency in major vegetable seeds and has even gained international competitive edge in certain crop seeds, particularly in hybrid cultivar development. However, the industry is facing a crisis at present coming from excessive competition among the domestic seed companies as well as the foreign currency crisis of the country. Several major seed companies have already been acquired by multinational corporations. Many people in the country as well as agriculturists are concerned about this situation. Although it is true that the industry is undergoing hard times, this crisis can be turned into a chance for making new progress depending on the joint efforts of the groups responsible, i.e., private companies, public institutions, and policy makers. Therefore, we have to turn this crisis into an opportunity for self-reform and progress. We should not be discouraged or give up. We Propose some ideas for the Progress of the seed industry. Public institutions and policy makers should do such things in cooperation as 1) training human resources for future breeders, 2) securing a wide range of genetic resources and improvement of the management system, 3) basic science research including biotechnology, 4) releasing breeding stocks from germplasm enhancement through use of exotic accessions, 5) support for breeding region- or use-specific cultivars, and 6) collection of foreign agricultural information for breeding cultivars for overseas markets. Eventually the responsible group for the final development of commercial cultivars, production, sales and management is private companies. Therefore, private companies also should have to do their best to develop competitive cultivars with a missionary spirit and endeavor for both domestic and overseas markets in cooperation with public institutions. Management based on competition, professionalism and rationalism is also urged. We are going to conclude with optimism that we can make a new vault of progress once the private and public sectors closely cooperate for the development of Korean horticultural seed industry by overcoming this crisis.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.663-672
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• 2013

To characterize the nutraceutical property of Italian millet (Setaria italica) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), ten Korean landraces of each crop were collected and their vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols), squalene and phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol and ${\beta}$-sitosterol) contents as well as fatty acid composition in seeds were evaluated. Italian millet seeds exhibited 5 forms of vitamin E isomers: three (${\alpha}$-, ${\gamma}$- and ${\delta}$-) tocopherols and two (${\alpha}$- and ${\gamma}$-) tocotrienols, while sorghum seeds showed only three forms of vitamin E isomers: ${\alpha}$- and ${\gamma}$-tocopherol and ${\alpha}$-tocotrienol. In both crops, ${\gamma}$-tocopherol was the major constituent of vitamin E in terms of highest quantity. Total vitamin E content in Italian millet and sorghum landraces were 88.3 mg/kg and 44.3 mg/kg, respectively. Among three phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol and ${\beta}$-sitosterol) analyzed, ${\beta}$-sitosterol was the major form comprising about 85% and 65% in Italian millet and sorghum landraces, respectively. Total phytosterols content ranged from 443.0 to 568.5 mg/kg and 442.3 to 719.2 mg/kg in Italian millet and sorghum, respectively. Squalene, a precursor of phytosterols biosynthesis, ranged from 6.8 to 10.2 mg/kg in Italian millet and from 62.2 to 115.2 mg/kg in sorghum. Linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids were the major fatty acids in both of the crops and about 80% of the total fatty acids were unsaturated fatty acids. Among the tested landraces, M09 and S10 showed relatively higher proportion of phytonutrients, suggesting their potential as a gene source for further breeding program.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.179-185
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• 2008

The seeding rates of the vacuum suction nozzle seeders are affected by the jumping height of the seeds on the vibrating seed hopper. This study was performed to investigate the optimum vibration condition of the seed hopper on the vacuum suction nozzle seeder for improving seeding performance. Experiments were carried out to determine the vibration conditions of the seed hopper by air pressure and eccentric weight, and to optimize the seed-pickup performance of each nozzle by suction pressure. As the result with the experiments, the fluctuations of the jumping height of the seeds were showed at amplitude 0.4 mm and frequency 42 Hz, and jumping heights of the seeds were increased as the air pressure increase and the eccentric weight decrease, regardless number of seeds of the hopper. The best seeding rate of the seed hopper was 98% at the 300-seed cell, when the condition of the seed hopper was the suction air pressure of 94.6 kPa-abs., amplitude and frequency of the seed hopper vibration were at 0.57 mm and 43.6 Hz, respectively. The optimum vibrating conditions of the seed hopper were decided into frequency 43.6-43.8 Hz and the amplitudes 0.61-0.62 mm.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2021.04a
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• pp.11-11
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• 2021

Ferns have been consumed as food in many countries for centuries. As rich sources of protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, essential amino acids, and fatty acids, ferns provide important nutrients to humans. Eastern bracken (Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum (Desv.) Underw. ex A. Heller) is the most popular edible fern in South Korea where, additionally, it has long been used as an edible wild leaf vegetable. Recently, the production of eastern brackens in South Korea (2018) has reached 14,032 tons, for an annual revenue of 83.5 billion won, and even more eastern brackens are marketed if imports are taken into account as well. Most of the common ferns can be propagated using spores. However, fern farmers cultivate seedlings through traditional propagation methods, such as root pruning or rhizome division. These propagation methods exhibit limitations in forming roots and growing-points and are labor intensive. Quality seedlings of eastern bracken can be obtained through spore propagation, but the spores are fine and difficult to handle in the field. In addition, it would require appropriate environmental control. The production of synthetic seeds using encapsulation technology is easy to establish and it can be used to achieve high productivity at low cost. Synthetic seeds contain explants embedded into a seed foam, and they overcome the limitations of micropropagation and offer the possibility of using plug seedlings. Synthetic seed matrix, such as sodium alginate, has the advantages of low cost, low toxicity, and gel stability. The present study aimed to develop and produce synthetic seeds for the commercial exploitation of eastern bracken. Furthermore, we verified spore germination and the extent of gametophyte and sporophyte development achieved with our new synthetic seeds, whose production was intended to solve current problems with the handling, storage, and transportation of eastern bracken.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.531-537
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• 2013

The average annual and winter ambient air temperatures in Korea have risen by 0.7 and $1.4^{\circ}C$, respectively, during the last 30 years. Radish (Raphanus sativus), one of the most important cool season crops, may well be used as a model to study the influence of climatic change on plant growth, because it is more adversely affected by elevated temperatures than warm season crops. This study examined the influence of transplanting time, nitrogen fertilizer level, and climate parameters, including air temperature and growing degree days (GDD), on the performance of a radish cultivar 'Mansahyungtong' to estimate crop growth during the spring growing season. The radish seeds were sown from April 24 to May 22, 2012, at internals of 14 days and cultivated with 3 levels of nitrogen fertilization. The data from plants sown on April 24 and May 8, 2012 were used for the prediction of plant growth as affected by planting date and nitrogen fertilization for spring production. In our study, plant fresh weight was higher when the radish seeds were sown on $24^{th}$ of April than on $8^{th}$ and $22^{nd}$ of May. The growth model was described as a logarithmic function using GDD according to the nitrogen fertilization levels: for 0.5N, root dry matter = 84.66/(1+exp (-(GDD - 790.7)/122.3)) ($r^2$ = 0.92), for 1.0N, root dry matter = 100.6/(1 + exp (-(GDD - 824.8)/112.8)) ($r^2$ = 0.92), and for 2.0N, root dry matter = 117.7/(1+exp (-(GDD - 877.7)/148.5)) ($r^2$ = 0.94). Although the model slightly tended to overestimate the dry mass per plant, the estimated and observed root dry matter and top dry matter data showed a reasonable good fit with 1.12 ($R^2$ = 0.979) and 1.05 ($R^2$ = 0.991), respectively. Results of this study suggest that the GDD values can be used as a good indicator in predicting the root growth of radish.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.107-115
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• 2014

Vegetable oils (triacylglycerols) produced mainly in seeds of plants are used for valuable foods that supply essential fatty acids for humans as well as industrial raw materials and biofuel production. As the demanding for vegetable oils has increased, plant metabolic engineering to produce triacylglycerols in biomass such as leaves has been considered and explored for alternative source of vegetable oils. Leaves are genetically programmed to supply the fixed carbon by photosynthesis to other organs for plant development and growth. Therefore, in order to produce and accumulate triacylglycerols in leaves, one should take account of multiple metabolic pathways such as carbon flux, competition of carbohydrate and fatty acid biosynthesis, and triacylglycerols turnover in leaves. The recent metabolic engineering strategy has showed potential in which the co-expression of three genes WRINKLED1, DGAT1, and OLEOSIN involved in the critical step for increasing the fatty acid synthesis, accumulating triacylglycerols, and protecting triacylglycerols, respectively produced higher amount of vegetable oils in leaves. Developing of genetically engineered plants producing vegetable oil in biomass at non-agricultural lands will be promising to the future success of the field.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2009

Seed storage lipids of plants, essential for seed germination as energy supplier, have been used for humankind and animal as nutrition sources. Fatty acids of vegetable oils have the characters appropriate for industry based on their chain length, the position and the number of double bonds. So they are used as raw materials for lubricants, cosmetics, soaps, paints and plastics or as energy source such as bio-diesel. However, there is a limit that applies vegetable oils from typical oil crops for industrial uses, mainly because of the mixture of five common fatty acids. Therefore, identification of unusual fatty acids for industrial uses from diverse plant resources and metabolic engineering to produce unusual fatty acids have been carried out in Arabidopsis as a model for the study of oilseed biology. Here, we discuss the unusual fatty acids for industrial uses, the genes synthesizing them in lipid metabolism, and the current limits in production of transgenic plants accumulating unusual fatty acid in their seeds. In addition, we describe our work on metabolic engineering of Brassica napus for the production of the unusual fatty acid ricinoleic acid in the seed, because of its industrial uses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.433-440
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• 2003

Osmotic and solid matrix priming treatments enhanced germination performance. We compared osmotic with solid matrix priming to determine the more effective treatment for improving seed germination in pepper and tomato. Seed hydration was immediately observed after osmotic priming and solid matrix priming treatment. The moisture content of solid matrix primed seeds was lower than that of osmotic primed seeds in the two vegetable crops. Osmotic priming and solid matrix priming did not increased percent germination, but showed shorter number of days to 50% of the final germination percentage ($T_{50}$) compared with untreated seeds, regardless of germination temperature. $T_{50}$ value was reduced in osmotic or solid matrix primed pepper seeds about 6.0, 5.0, 4.6 and 4.0 days compared with untreated seeds at 15, 20, 25, and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. While, that in tomato seeds was reduced about 3.3, 5.0, 4.6 and 4.0 days compared with untreated seeds at 15, 20, 25, and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. The effectiveness of osmotic priming or solid matrix priming in reducing the $T_{50}$ was greater when the seeds were germinated at $15^{\circ}C$ than at temperature of higher than $20^{\circ}C$. Solid matrix primed seeds germinated faster than osmotic primed seeds at all temperature in pepper. However, there was no significant difference on the percentage germination between solid matrix and osmotic primed seeds in tomato. After priming, dried-bark seeds showed faster germination than surface-dried seeds in pepper. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in tomato. Emergence of pepper and tomato seeds was markedly enhanced by osmotic priming or SMP treatment although the final emergence percentage was not significantly influenced. On the other hand, early growth was not significantly influenced by osmotic priming or SMP treatment of pepper and tomato seeds.