Increasing vitamin E activity in economically important oil crops such as perilla will enhance the nutritional value of these crops. Perilla (Perilla frutescens Britt) represents an important oil crop in Asian countries, including Korea. Using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, we have engineered perilla with the c-tocopherol methyltransferase (c-TMT) gene under the control of seed-specific vicillin promoter. Molecular characterization including PCR, Southern and Northern blots confirmed that the c-TMT transgene was successfully inherited to and expressed in the progeny plants. The c -TMT transgene was specifically expressed in immature seeds of transgenic plants, leading to efficient conversion of c-tocopherol to a-tocopherol and dramatic increase in seed a-tocopherol content, as detected by high performance liquid chromatography analysis. We also showed that such a high a-tocopherol content phenotype was transmitted to the progeny plants. In addition, there was no significant change in fatty acid composition in transgenic seeds as compared with untransformed control Yeupsil cultivar, suggesting the lack of interplay between the fatty acid and tocopherol biosynthesis pathways. This was the first report on over expression of the c-TMT gene in transgenic perilla displaying desirable high a-tocopherol content phenotype. Since a-tocopherol has the highest vitamin E activity, the transgenic perilla with high a-tocopherol content in seeds developed in this study will benefit both human and animal health.

The present study aims to: 1) identify acid sulfate soil (ASS)-tolerant rice varieties from the genetic stock of Korean rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties under ASS conditions; 2) to evaluate their yield performance, and elucidate the physiological mechanism for ASS tolerance with the identified tolerant varieties. Two hundred sixty-six rice varieties were screened for ASS tolerance, and we identified two japonica-indica hybrid varieties, Geumgang (GG) and Pungsan (PS), as having high tolerance under ASS paddy conditions (pH 3). We first conducted a yield trial of GG and PS grown in Wagner pots to determine their potential yields under ASS conditions. A yield trial under paddy field condition followed. In the pot experiment, the ASS-tolerant varieties, GG and PS, showed significantly higher yields than PT-1, which is a local reference variety in mildly improved soil pH conditions (pH 4.1-4.6). Al and Fe content in GG and PS were significantly lower than that of PT-1, so there might be some mechanism that inhibits the absorption of toxic metal ions in the tolerant varieties. In the paddy conditions, the grain yields more than 5 t ha -1 of the two tolerant varieties under mildly improved soil pH condition were significantly higher than PT-1. Dry matter weights of above ground parts also showed the same trend as grain yield. The study demonstrated that the ASS-tolerant japonica-indica rice varieties with high yielding potential could contribute to the improvement of rice yield in ASS regions, and will be good materials for the development of acid soil-tolerant rice varieties.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation system for perilla (Perilla frutescens Britt) was developed. Agrobacterium strain EHA105 harboring binary vector pBK I containing bar and c-tmt cassettes or pIG121Hm containing nptII, hpt, and gusA cassettes were used for transformation. Three different types of explant, hypocotyl, cotyledon and leaf, were evaluated for transformation and hypocotyl explants resulted in the highest transformation efficiency with an average of 3.1 and 2.2%, with pBK I and pIG121Hm, respectively. The Perilla spp. displayed genotype-response for transformation. The effective concentrations of selective agents were 2 mg l )1 phosphinothricin (PPT) and 150 mg l )1 kanamycin, respectively, for shoot induction and 1 mg l )1 PPT and 125 mg l )1 kanamycin, respectively, for shoot elongation. The transformation events were confirmed by herbicide Basta spray or histochemical GUS staining of T 0 and T 1 plants. The T-DNA integration and transgene inheritance were confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analysis of random samples of T 0 and T 1 transgenic plants.

Peanut is grown primarily for human consumption due to their favorable nutrient profile and functional compound such as isoflavone in seeds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the amino acid, fatty acid, and isoflavone profile in seeds of seven peanut cultivars (Suwon 88, Daewon, Daekwang, Seonan, Saedeul, Satonoka, and Pungan) grown in Korea. The protein and oil contents in peanut seeds varied at the range of 21.4 to 32.0% and 41.7 to 47.2%, respectively. The quantity of protein was relatively similar in all peanut cultivars except Pungan seeds. The result of amino acid analysis showed that Suwon 88, Daewon, and Seonan seeds had higher concentration of amino acid (Asp, Thr, Ser, Glu,

Luteolin is a medicinally valuable phyto-chemical, which was indentified in plants. This study was aimed to analyse the luteolin content in peanut waste (shell) of 42 peanut cultivars. The concentration of luteolin varied in the range of 546.8 to 4485.0 mg/kg and a significantly higher concentration of luteolin (4485.0 mg) was found in Mikwang. This is the first report on luteolin analysis in Korean peanut shells. The results of the present study suggest that Mikwang peanut shells have higher concentration of luteolin, which would be useful for agricultural, industrial and pharmaceutical purposes.