The genus Calanthe includes species of terrestrial orchids that produce attractive flowers with diverse floral traits. Breeding programs have been established to improve the horticultural value of various Calanthe species, but studies to identify the genetic components contributing to the key phenotypic characteristics have not been undertaken. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying floral development associated with floral morphology, color, and fragrance production, the flower buds of two typical Korean Calanthe species, C. discolor and C. sieboldii, were subjected to gene expression analysis by differential display RT-PCR (DDRT-PCR). A total of 66 non-redundant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were isolated and sequenced. Of these, 26 and 40 DEGs were found to be highly expressed in C. discolor and C. sieboldii, respectively. Moreover, the expression patterns of a subset of genes presumably implicated in signal transduction, metabolic pathways, and hormonal signaling differed between the two species. The data presented here may improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying floral development and contribute to advances in orchid biotechnology.

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Rhodococcus fascians is an important pathogen that infects various herbaceous perennials and reduces their economic value. In this study, we examined R. fascians isolates carrying a virulence gene from symptomatic lily plants grown in South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis using the nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA, vicA, and fasD led to the classification of the isolates into four different strains of R. fascians. Inoculation of Nicotiana benthamiana with these isolates slowed root growth and resulted in symptoms of leafy gall. These findings elucidate the diversification of domestic pathogenic R. fascians and may lead to an accurate causal diagnosis to help reduce economic losses in the bulb market.

The Korean endemic Eranthis byunsanensis B.Y. Sun, 1993 (Ranunculaceae) is a rare plant distributed in the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of E. byunsanensis was sequenced by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using an Illumina HiSeq X platform. The cp genome of E. byunsanensis is 160,324 bp in length with 37.9% GC content. It showed a typical quadripartite structure consisting of a pair of inverted repeats (IRs; 28,356 bp), a large single-copy region (LSC; 87,671 bp), and a small single-copy region (SSC; 15,941 bp). The cp genome comprises 130 genes including 85 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The molecular phylogenetic analysis indicates that E. byunsanensis is closely related to Eranthis stellata , both of which belong to the genus Eranthis .