• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.57-63
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• 2007

Due to the strong influence of nitrogen(N) on plant productivity, a vast amount of N fertilizers is used to maximize crop yield. Over-use of N fertilizers leads to severe pollution of the environment, especially the aquatic ecosystem, as well as reducing farmer's income. Growing of N-efficient cultivars is an important prerequisite for integrated nutrient management strategies in both low- and high-input agriculture. Taking maize as a sample crop, this paper reviews the response of plants to low N stress, the physiological processes which may control N-use efficiency in low-N input conditions, and the genetic and molecular biological aspects of N-use efficiency. Since the harvest index(HI) of modern cultivars is quite high, further improvement of these cultivars to adapt to low N soils should aim to increase their capacity to accumulate N at low N levels. To achieve this goal, establishment and maintenance of a large root system during the growth period may be essential. To reduce the cost of N and carbon for root growth, a strong response of lateral root growth to nitrate-rich patches may be desired. Furthermore, a large proportion of N accumulated in roots at early growth stages should be remobilized for grain growth in the late filling stage to increase N-utilization efficiency. Some QTLs and genes related to maize yield as well as root traits have been identified. However, their significance in improving maize NUE at low N inputs in the field need to be elucidated.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.326-333
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• 1985

The genetic information was required to improve several plant characteristics of the two modified opaque-2 synthetics, which were synthesized in 1980 at the Chungnam National University. Genetic analysis to obtain the information was carried out by the method of Hallauer and Wright. The information obtained from the analysis indicates that plant characteristics such as plant height, ear height, kernel weight and yield of the two synthetics can be improved by proper breeding procedures, since these characteristics were showing high estimates of genetic and additive variance. The study also shows that some characteristics such as ear length or kernel row number may be not improved effectively and with ease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2001

To investigate the changes of carbohydrate metabolism in the senescing leaves of Zea mays during dark-induced senescence, the changes in the contents of reducing sugar, sucrose and starch as well as the activities of sucrose synthase, three isozymes of invertase, and ${\alpha}$-amylase were measured. In the senescing leaves, the content of reducing sugars temporarily increased at 4 d and rapidly decreased thereafter, whereas sucrose contents gradually decreased thereafter, whereas sucrose contents gradually decreased until 3 d of senscence and significantly decreased thereafter. The activities of intracellular invertases such as soluble acid and alkaline formed gradually enhanced until 4 d of leaf senescence and significantly declined thereafter. The extracellular invertase activity showed no significant changes during leaf senescence. The deactivation of sucrose synthase was observed within 3 d of leaf senscence. On the other hand, the starch contents gradually declined during 2 d of leaf senescence, and showed a temporary increase at 3 d, which is similar to the pattern of sucrose synthase activity., These results imply that sucrose in the senescing leaves. The major enzymes which correlated to the breakdown of sucrose during dark-induced senescence were soluble acid and alkaline invertases, not sucrose and ABA accelerated leaf senescence by inducing the accumulation of reducing sugar. These result, therefore, that leaf senescence may be mediated by the temporary quantitative changes of reducing sugar induced by the activation of intracellualr inveertases.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.37 no.4 s.147
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• pp.307-313
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• 2006

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy by hyperglycemia. To find natural agents improving diabetic nephropathy, 63 natural resources which used to the treatment of diabetes mellitus in a folk remedy were investigated with an in vitro system employing radical scavenging activity and inhibitory activity of AGEs formation. In results, the extracts of Aspalathus linearis, Rubus coreanus, Rosa rugosa, and Epimedium koreanum significantly inhibited the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical with $IC_{50}$ values less than $10{\mu}g/ml$. The extracts of Zea mays, Cucurbita moschata, Cudrania tricuspidata, and Aspalathus linearis effectively reduced the formation of AGEs compared with the positive control $N-acetyl-_L-cystenine$ (NAC) and aminoguanidine (AG). In addition, the extracts of Aspalathus linearis, Commelina communis, Cornus officinalis, and Lespodeza cuneata showed the all inhibitory activity against DPPH radical and AGEs formation. Also, these resources definitely showed the radical scavenging activity against peroxynitrite $(ONOO^-)$ and hydroxyl radical $({\cdot}OH)$ relating to high glucose-induced ROS production. Thus, these results suggest that some natural resources may regulate the initiation and progression of diabetic nephropathy through inhibition of ROS production and AGEs formation.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.491-498
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• 2007

It has been hypothesized that efficient exclusion of methylated retrotransposons and repeated DNA region is one of the rapid and cost-effective approaches for comprehensive gene discovery in large genome size of maize. Three kinds of methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, HapII, MspI and McrBC, were used to identify the restriction frequency of cytosine methylation sites in maize genome. Roughly 60% of total maize genomic DNA was restricted less than 500bp by McrBC, and the most of restricted small size fraction was composed retrotransposon. In order to validate the efficient construction of gene-rich shotgun library, we compare two gene-rich methyl-filtration shotgun libraries using in vivo and in vitro methyl-filtration system. The size selected DNA fraction by Sau3A-McrBC enzyme treated was very stable and has not appeared modification in E. coli, but most insert DNA size of partially digested with Sau3A were decrease less than 500bp by bacterial methylation-modification system. In compare of retroelements portion, A 44.6% of the sequences were retroelement in unmethyl-filtered library, and the most of them was Copia type, such as Prem, Opie and Ji. The portion of retroelement was drastically decreased to 25% and 20% by in vivo and in vitro filtration system, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 1992

This experiment was Conducted ta screening for the anti-cancer efficacy from the wild plants which are naturally growing in the Korea. The results are as follows. The results were shown thatZea may L. nad significantly effects on mediculal efficacy anganist anti-tumor by usulg the totalpacked cell volume methods and also, severals plants, such as Sofonum nigrum, Patrinia hispidoBunge, Eragrostis, ferrugenia Beauv, Salaginela pouzolgiana Spring, Platrycarya strobilacea Bunge,Codonopsis lanceolata Benth. et Hook fil. which are collected from Giri and Mooju mountain in Koreaand Nagano in Japan were showed effects on auti-tumor. But the pharmaceologial activities ofPharbitis nil Choisy was believed to strong effec on anti - cancer tumors, while toxicity of its wasshown high that induced te kill all used mice. Extraction of Patrinia hispida Bunge, Pharbitis nilChoisy, Toilis japonica DC, Eragrostis erruginea Beauv. and Forsythia koreana Nakai showed effec-tively supressed on growth rate of cancer tumor by the below 50 percent of T/C ratio at 30mg /mlof extraction from plant. That Is strong activity while Reynouxria japonica Houtt. was observed onlymild activities. The above results many possibly suggest that Patrinia hispido Bunge and Eragrostisferrugina Beauv. inhibited the growth of cancer tumor by the both total packed cell volume methodand cytotoxicity method. Although basic research is still going on, we will find out an accurate moth-od for developing useful medicinal plant to improve pharmacological activites against anti-cancertumor, especialy, in Eragrostis ferruginea Beauv.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.75-78
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• 1977

Corn (Zea may, L.) was grown alternatively in nutrient solution and hydroxy Al or Al-citrate solution to identify the form of Al which induces Al toxicity on Corn seedlings. Corn seedlings exposed to hydroxy Al solution was very toxic but Al-citrate solution did not show any toxic symptoms. At pH 7 with Al-citrate solution, severe Fe, deficiency was induced probably by the decrease of stability constant of Al-and Fe-oganic complexes and subsequent precipitation of Al-and Fe-as a hydroxide form. Addition of humic acid ameliorated the Al toxicity somewhat at pH 4.7 with hydroxy-Al solution but at pH 7 it induced more severe Fe deficiency.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.257-260
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• 1976

Corn (Zea may L.) and Algae (Botridium sp.) were grown in the nutrient solution to investestigate the effects of humic substances on the moderation of high salt toxicity. The results are as follows: 1) The addition of small amount of humic substances (5 ppm C) drastically decreased the high salt toxicity of corn growth. 2) The addition of 20ppm humic substances was also decreased the high salt toxicity in algaegrowth. Different concentration of humic substances, however, did not show significant difference in algae yield.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.29.1-29.11
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• 2020

Maize seed pigmentation is one of the important issue to develop maize seed breeding. The differently gene expression was characterized and compared for three inbred lines, such as the pigment accumulated seed (CM22) and non-pigmented seed (CM5 and CM19) at 10 days after pollination. We obtained a total of 63,870, 82,496, and 54,555 contigs by de novo assembly to identify gene expression in the CM22, CM5, and CM19, respectably. In differentially expressed gene analysis, it was revealed that 7,044 genes were differentially expressed by at least two-fold, with 4,067 upregulated in colored maize inbred lines and 2,977 upregulated in colorless maize inbred lines. Of them,18 genes were included to the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathways, while 15 genes were upregulated in both CM22/5 and CM22/19. Additionally, 37 genes were detected in the metabolic pathway concern to the seed pigmentation by BINs analysis using MAPMAN software. Finally, these differently expressed genes may aid in the research on seed pigmentation in maize breeding programs.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.645-652
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• 2023

The aleurone layer in maize is crucial as it contains essential nutrients such as minerals, vitamins, and high-quality proteins. While most of the maize varieties are known to possess a single aleurone layer, several multi-aleurone layer mutants and landraces have been suggested for hierarchical genetic control of aleurone development. Conventional microscopy analysis often involves using immature seeds or sampling only a portion of the kernel sample, and whole kernel section analysis using a microtome is technically difficult and time-consuming. Additionally, the larger size of maize kernels posed challenges for comprehensive cross-sectional analysis compared to other cereal crops. Consequently, this study aimed to develop an efficient method to comprehensively understand the aleurone layer characteristics of the entire cross-section in maize. Through observations of diverse maize genetic resources, we confirmed irregular aleurone layer patterns in those with multiple aleurone layers, and we discovered a landrace having multiple aleurone layers. By selectively identifying genetic resources with multiple aleurone layers, this method may contribute to efficient breeding processes in maize.