• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.510-522
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• 2017

To better understand the morphological variation for Perilla crop in different areas of China, we studied the morphological variation in 87 accessions (84 cultivated var. frutescens and three cultivated var. crispa) from high latitude (Northeast China) and middle latitude (North and Northwest China) areas of China by examining seven quantitative and 10 qualitative characters. Analysis of the morphological variation determined that there was significant morphological differences in five quantitative traits between cultivated var. frutescens and cultivated var. crispa, including effective number of branches (QN2), number of internodes (QN3), number of branches (QN4), length of the largest inflorescence (QN5), and days from germination to flowering (QN7). However, two quantitative traits-plant height and number of florets of the largest inflorescence-did not show any significant differences between cultivated var. frutescens and cultivated var. crispa. In addition, significant differences for six quantitative traits were found between the accessions of cultivated var. frutescens originating from high and middle latitude areas in China, which included QN2, QN3, QN5, number of florets of the largest inflorescence (QN6), and QN7. Principal components analysis (PCA) identified five quantitative characters [plant height (QN1), QN2, QN3, QN4, QN7] and six qualitative characters [fragrance of plant (QL1), color of reverse side of leaf (QL3), degree of pubescence (QL5), color of flower (QL6), shape of leaf (QL7), and hardness of seed (QL10)] that contributed to the positive direction on the first axis. The other quantitative and qualitative characters contributed to the negative direction on the first axis. Most accessions of cultivated var. frutescens and cultivated var. crispa were clearly separated by the first axis. In addition, most accessions of cultivated var. frutescens are from high latitude and middle latitude areas that were clearly separated by the first axis, except for several accessions. The findings from this study will provide useful information towards understanding the morphological variation of Perilla crop according to geographical distribution in high and middle latitude regions of China.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.78-87
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• 2021

Background: To understand shade and wind effects on seedling traits of common reed (Phragmites australis), we conducted a mesocosm experiment manipulating day length (10 h daytime a day as open canopy conditions or 6 h daytime a day as partially closed canopy conditions) and wind speed (0 m/s as windless conditions or 4 m/s as windy conditions). Results: Most values of functional traits of leaf blades, culms, and biomass production of P. australis were higher under long day length. In particular, we found sole positive effects of long day length in several functional traits such as internode and leaf blade lengths and the values of above-ground dry weight (DW), rhizome DW, and total DW. Wind-induced effects on functional traits were different depending on functional traits. Wind contributed to relatively low values of chlorophyll contents, angles between leaf blades, mean culm height, and maximum culm height. In contrast, wind contributed to relatively high values of culm density and below-ground DW. Conclusions: Although wind appeared to inhibit the vertical growth of P. australis through physiological and morphological changes in leaf blades, it seemed that P. australis might compensate the inhibited vertical growth with increased horizontal growth such as more numerous culms, indicating a highly adaptive characteristic of P. australis in terms of phenotypic plasticity under windy environments.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.229-238
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• 2022

Q. mongolica and Q. dentata are representative species of deciduous forest communities in Korea and are known to be relatively resistant to soil drying condition among Korean oaks. This study attempted to elucidate the degree of competition and ecological niche characteristics of the two species by comparing the ecological responses of the two species according to soil moisture. Competition between Q. mongolica and Q. dentata was shown to be more intense under the conditions where moisture content was low than under the conditions where moisture content was high. As for the ecological niche overlaps of the two species for soil moisture, the structural traits of plant such as stem diameter overlapped the most, the traits of biomass such as petiole weight overlapped the least, and photosynthetic organ-related traits such as leaf width and length overlapped intermediately. When looking at the competition for soil moisture between the two species, it can be seen that Q. mongolica won in nine traits (leaf width length, leaf lamina length, leaf lamina weight, leaf petiole weight, leaf area, leaves weight, shoot weight, root weight, and plant weight) and Q. dentata won in the remaining seven traits (leaf petiole length, leaves number, stem length, stem diameter, stem weight, shoot length, and root length). Competition between the two species for the moisture environment of the soil was shown to be intense under the conditions where moisture content was low. The degree of competition between Q. dentata and Q. mongolica for soil moisture is high under the conditions where soil moisture content is low, and it is judged that Q. mongolica is more competitive for soil moisture than Q. dentata.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1382-1388
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• 2009

Rubus crataegifolius is a shrub species and is primarily distributed throughout Asia and Europe. We collected 550 representative samples of the eleven populations in Korea to estimate leaf variation within species. The 35 morphological characteristics allowed us to resolve well-supported fixed characteristics and variable characteristics. Sixteen of twenty-three quantitative characteristics and five of twelve qualitative characteristics showed significant differences among populations. We argued that the population differentiation can accounted for the variation in phenetic characteristics such as spine in this species, but were less successful in accounting for variation in other traits. Within a polystatistic leaf structure, their morphological differences could be modulated by ecological pressure such as temperature, altitude, duration of sunshine, and solar radiation. The phenogram showed two distinct clades. One was a group in central Korea and the other was a group in the southern regions of Korea. If morphological characteristics in R. crataegifolius populations reflect their ecological niche, morphology should be regarded with caution as the main criterion for population studies in R. crataegifolius.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.107-114
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• 2021

During a disease survey on weeds and minor cultivated crops in Korea, a brown leaf spot disease was observed on Sonchus asper. Leaf lesions were round or irregular in shape, and grayish brown to brown with a purple margin. In severe infection, lesions enlarged and coalesced, resulting in blighting of the leaves. The isolates from these leaf lesions were identified as Alternaira sonchi based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of Internal transcribed spacer region, Alternaria allergen a1, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, RNA polymerase II, and translation elongation factor genes. This study provides a comprehensive description of the morphological characteristics and phylogenetical traits of A. sonchi causing brown leaf spot on S. asper in Korea.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 2018

This study was conducted to investigate a morphological trait in 294 rice accessions including Korean breeding lines. We also carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to detect significant single nucleotide polymorphism markers and candidate genes affecting major agronomic traits. A Manhattan plot analysis of GWAS using morphological traits showed that phenotypic and statistical significance was associated with a chromosome in each group. The significance of SNPs that were detected in this study was investigated by comparing them with those found previously studied QTL regions related to agronomic traits. As a result, SNP (S8-19815442), which is significant with regard to leaf angle, was located in the known QTL regions. To observe gene mutations related to leaf angle in a candidate gene, Os08g31950, its sequences were compared with sequences in previously selected rice varieties. In Os08g31950, a single nucleotide mutation occurred in one region. To compare relative RNA expression levels of candidate gene Os08g31950, obtained from GWAS analysis of 294 rice accessions and related to lateral leaf angle, we investigated relative levels by selecting 10 erect leaf angle varieties and 10 horizontal leaf angle varieties and examining real-time PCR. In Os08g31950, a high level of expression and various expression patterns were observed in all tissues. Also, Os08g31950 showed higher expression levels in the erect leaf angle variety group and higher expression rates in the leaf than in the root. The candidate gene detected through GWAS would be useful in developing new rice varieties with improved yield potential through future molecular breeding.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.236-245
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• 2021

This study aimed to characterize the morphological variations in the vegetative and floral traits of 73 wild Lilium amabile plants from six habitats in Korea. It was observed that L. amabile is distributed nationwide at any altitude from 300 m (Mt Mangdaeam) to 1550 m (Mt Halla). The majority of the natural habitats of L. amabile were found on mountain slopes, and some were found in rugged mountain regions. The down-facing flowers of this species not only had many blotches but also dense trichomes, and the flowering time was found to be from mid-June to mid-July. ANOVA revealed significant variations in vegetative and floral traits among the six habitats, indicating that the environment has substantial influences on the various growth parameters of L. amabile, such as plant height; number of leaves, bracts, papillae, and flowers; leaf angle; and lengths of the anther, longest blotch, and nectary of the petiole. In addition, the vegetative and floral traits were found closely correlated with each other under the direct impact of the environment. These findings will facilitate to find the appropriate environmental conditions for the conservation and development of L. amabile population as future lily-breeding materials.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2022

Roots play important roles in water and nutrient uptake and in response to various environmental stresses. Investigating diversification of cultivars through root phenotyping is important for crop improvement in adzuki beans. Therefore, we analyzed the morphological and architectural root traits of 22 adzuki bean cultivars using 2-dimensional (2D) root imaging. Plants were grown in plastic tubes [6 cm (diameter) × 40 cm (height)] in a greenhouse from July 25^th to August 28^th. When the plants reached the 2^nd or 3^rd trifoliate leaf stage, the roots were removed and washed with tap water to remove soil particles. Clean root samples were scanned, and the scanned images were analyzed using the WinRHIZO Pro software. The cultivars were analyzed based on six root phenotypes [total root length (TRL), surface area (SA), average diameter (AD), and number of tips (NT) were included as root morphological traits (RMT); and link average length (LAL) and link average diameter (LAD) were included as root architectural traits (RAT)]. According to the analysis of variance (ANOVA), a significant difference was observed between the cultivars for all root morphological traits. Distribution analysis demonstrated that all root traits except LAL followed a normally distributed curve. In the correlation test, the most important morphological trait, TRL, showed a strong positive correlation with SA (r = 0.97^***) and NT (r = 0.94^***). In comparison, between RMT and RAT, TRL showed a significantly negative correlation with LAL (r = -0.50^***); however, TRL did not show a correlation with LAD. Based on RMT and RAT, we identified the cultivars that ranked 5% from the top and bottom. In particular, the cultivar "IT 236657" showed the highest TRL, SA, and NT, while the cultivar "IT 236169" showed the lowest values for TRL, SA, and NT. In addition, the coefficient of variance for the six tested root traits ranged from (14.26-40%) which suggested statistical variability in root phenotypes among the 22 adzuki bean varieties. Thus, this study will help to select target root traits for the adzuki bean breeding program in the future, generating climate-resilient adzuki beans, especially for drought stress, and may be useful for developing biotic and abiotic stress-tolerant cultivars based on better root trait attributes.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.812-819
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• 2015

Gladiolus is one of the most popular cut flowers in the world floral market and is highly attractive to consumers. The production of poor-quality gladiolus spikes is one of the most important hurdles to obtaining high prices for this crop. The main objectives of this study were to improve the quantitative characteristics of gladiolus spikes, to increase propagule production and to enhance chemical constituent levels in leaves to help improve plant growth. We performed foliar application of bioregulators, including polyamines (putrescine and spermine) and vitamins (ascorbic acid and thiamine), at different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.4, 0.7 and 1 mM) to gladiolus plants at the three leaf, five leaf and slipping stages. Application of 1 mM putrescine was the most effective treatment, with prominent effects on economically important spike traits including spike length (55.53 cm), spike diameter (7.53 mm), florets per spike (13.99), first floret diameter (9.66 cm) and first floret weight (4.90 g), followed by spermine treatment. The 1 mM putrescine treatment also had positive effects on corm-associated traits including corm diameter and corm weight, with values of 4.57 cm and 26.16 g compared to 3.47 cm and 17.16 g in control plants, respectively. The contents of chemical constituents in leaves, including total chlorophylls ($8.06mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$), total carotenoids ($1.66mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$), total soluble sugars ($4.75 mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$) and phenolics ($0.89mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$) increased in response to foliar application of 1 mM putrescine compared to the control. Ascorbic acid and thiamine also had positive effects on various plant morphological traits and chemical constituents in leaves compared to control plants, but the growth-promoting effects of polyamines were more pronounced. Hence, applying polyamines to gladiolus leaves will help improve spike production and increasing propagule (cormel) yields.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.85-96
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• 2022

The plant "Hong-do-go-deul-ppae-gi" has been considered as Crepidiastrum × muratagenii, a hybrid between C. denticulatum and C. lanceolatum, based on its morphological traits and geographical distribution. To reveal the hybrid origin of Hong-do-go-deul-ppae-gi, we examined additional morphological traits of this plant and its putative parents (C. denticulatum, C. lanceolatum, C. platyphyllum) and analyzed one nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and four chloroplast regions (trnT-L, trnL-F, rpl16 intron, and rps16 intron). As a result of examining the morphological traits, putative hybrid individuals were classified into three types based on the habit, cauline leaf, outer phyllary, and achene beak traits. A molecular analysis found that the ITS sequences of Type 1 and Type 2 individuals showed additive species-specific sites of C. denticulatum and C. lanceolatum. Plastid sequences of Type 1 and Type 2 individuals showed C. denticulatum and C. lanceolatum sequences, respectively. However, Type 3 individuals had ITS and plastid sequences corresponding to C. denticulatum. Accordingly, Type 1 and Type 2 individuals not only share morphological traits with C. denticulatum and C. lanceolatum but also show additive species-specific sites for C. denticulatum and C. lanceolatum, and not C. platyphyllum, supporting its origin as a hybrid between C. denticulatum and C. lanceolatum. Type 3 had morphological traits similar to other hybrid types but was distinguished with respect to outer phyllaries and demonstrated some resemblance to C. denticulatum. In a molecular analysis, Type 3 was found to be identical with regard to the sequence of C. denticulatum and was judged to be an ecological variation of C. denticulatum.