In recent years, new plant breeding technologies (NPBT) have had enormous effects on breeding and the agricultural industry. In particular, genome editing technology, including site-directed nuclease technologies, has progressed dramatically since the first-generation Zinc finger nucleases to the third-generation clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9). CRISPR/Cas9 technology has yielded a revolutionary breakthrough in the accurate, efficient, and user-friendly genome editing of eukaryotes. Several methods for basic research and applications, such as knock-out, base editing, gene targeting, and transcriptional activation or repression have been derived from CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Herein, we will describe the current progress in NPBTs and also summarize the crops developed by NPBTs. After analyzing the current status of NPBTs and crop development, we have proposed potential strategies for crop development using NPBTs.

Recently, several attempts have been undertaken to develop breeding technologies by combining new biotechnologies. Gene-editing technology is currently one of the most interesting areas. The plant breeding methods using this technique have the advantage of greatly improved accuracy and efficiency of the plant genetic correction compared with conventional breeding methods, which has raised expectations for the useful application of this technology as a cutting-edge breeding technology. Although not all countries around the world currently have established appropriate regulation policies on crops developed with gene-editing technology, the number of cases in which GMO regulations are not applied on a case-by-case basis according to the scientific background is growing. However, Korea has not yet established policies on which criteria should be applied to crops generated from the application of gene-editing technology. As the number of cases of crop development and commercialization using gene-editing technology is expected to increase in the near future, it will be necessary to prepare reasonable policies to support developers and seed industries in Korea to ensure harmonization with international regulatory policy trends.

In this study, genetic analysis was conducted on the inheritance of qualitative traits, such as leaf color, flower color, seed size, and seed hardness, in the F₂ population derived from the cross between var. frutescens and var. crispa. As determined by the separation pattern of each trait in the F₂ population, F₂ plants with a green color were more common than those with a purple color on the leaf surface, whereas F₂ plants with a purple color were more common than those with a green color on the reverse side of the leaf. For flower color, more F₂ plants were observed to have a white color. For seed size, more F₂ plants were observed to have a seed size of above 2 mm, and for seed hardness, more F₂ plants were observed to have characteristics of seed hardness. Our examination of the genetic separation ratios with respect to Mendel’s law of genetics revealed that three traits, leaf color (surface and reverse side) and flower color, did not follow the separation ratio of 1:2:1, and the seed size did not follow the segregation ratio of 3:1, but seed hardness was found to follow the separation ratio of 3:1. The results of this study are expected to provide basic information to help understand the genetic segregation of leaf and seed characteristics in the F₂ population derived from the cross between var. frutescens and var. crispa, and also to provide useful information for breeding studies to assist the development of varieties of Perilla crop.

It is reported that the absence of lipoxygenase-3 (LOX-3) may contribute to a reduction in stale flavor after the storage of rice. To improve the quality of stored rice of the Korean japonica rice cultivar, we conducted a breeding program to develop near-isogenic rice without LOX-3 in the genetic background of Saenuri, a mega variety of Korea. In the first step of the breeding program, we used a donor parent of LOX-3 null, Daw Dam, and a recurrent japonica parent, Sindongjin, to develop HR27873-AC12 by backcross (BC₁), color test for introgression of lox-3, and anther culture for rapid fixation. In the second step, we used the donor parent, HR27873-AC12, and the recurrent parent, Saenuri, to develop HR28896-31-3-1-1 by backcross (BC₁), marker-assisted selection (MAS) for lox-3, and phenotypic selection (PS) for agronomic traits. Finally, in the third step, we developed HR30960-186-2-1-2-1 (Jeonju624), derived from a cross between Saenuri and HR28896-31-3-1-1, by MAS for lox-3 and PS with high selection pressure for agronomic characteristics. Jeonju624 was confirmed with the introgression of lox-3 by molecular marker. Jeonju624 was a mid-late maturing rice with similar agronomic characteristics to Saenuri, lodging tolerance with short culm, erect plant architecture, and resistance to bacterial blight and rice stripe virus. The yield components of Jeonju624 were mostly similar to Saenuri, except for the 1,000-grain weight of brown rice. The appearance of the grain of Jeonju624 was better than that of Saenuri, and the characteristics of cooked rice were similar to those of Saenuri. In the genetic background analysis using 406 KASP (Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR) markers, Jeonju624 was confirmed to be the near-isogenic line (NIL) of Saenuri with a 95.8% recovery rate. Jeonju624 is the NIL of Saenuri without LOX-3, and overcomes the linkage drag of Daw Dam with similar agronomic characteristics and genetic background to Saenuri. Jeonju624 can be utilized as a practical cultivar to improve the quality of stored rice, breeding material for the introgression of lox-3, and genetic material to elucidate the effect of introgressed genes.

Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. is one of the major flowering crop plants worldwide. However, domestic chrysanthemum markets have recently faced a downturn. To stimulate related industries, breeding technologies and efficient protection systems using molecular markers must be established. However, high cost and intensive efforts are required to develop useful molecular markers for the chrysanthemum as it is a polyploid crop with highly complex genome organization. Thus, the aim of this research was to develop expressed sequence tag-based simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers, which are applicable to the chrysanthemum breeding program and cultivar protection, based on next-generation sequencing technology. From the RNAseq data of the standard chrysanthemum cultivars ‘Jungwoon’ and ‘Seinoisei,’ we identified 31,121 SSR loci and further retrieved 1,846 polymorphic SSRs. To test the marker efficiency of the 1,846 SSRs, we first chose 50 of the SSRs and designed primers by using the flanking sequences. It is noted that the nine EST_SSR markers show a single band-like amplicon, which can be exploited in various genetic studies. We proceeded to polymorphism tests for those SSRs with 56 chrysanthemum cultivars, confirming that the average polymorphism index content (PIC) was 0.69±0.058. Among those, we found that six SSRs were sufficient to specify the genetic identities of 55 chrysanthemum cultivars, which may be useful for protections of the related cultivars, as well as breeding programs, in the future.

A cowpea cultivar Vigna unguiculata L. Walp ‘Seonhyeon’ is a cross species between V. unguiculata ‘IT145373’ and V. unguiculata ‘IT101362’ developed at the Jeollanamdo Agricultural Research and Extension Services (JARES) in 2017. ‘Seonhyeon’ is an erect plant with an intermediate plant habit, green hypocotyls, light purple-colored corolla, heart-shaped leaflets, black seed surface, and straight, brown mature pods. The anthocyanin content of ‘Seonhyeon’ was 1,632 µg/g, and it contained seven anthocyanins, including cyanidin-3-glucoside and delphinidin-3-glucoside. The stem length of ‘Seonhyeon’ was 54 cm, which was 13 cm longer than that of the control cultivar ‘Okdang’. Its 100-seed weight was 11.8 g, which was 3.6 g lighter than that of the control cultivar. Field resistance of ‘Seonhyeon’ to leaf and systemic diseases was similar to that of the control cultivar, whereas its field resistance to lodging was slightly lower compared to that of the control cultivar. The average yield of ‘Seonhyeon’ was 2.26 ton/ha, which was 15% higher compared to that of control cultivar. Black seed coat of the ‘Seonhyeon’ cultivar is expected to contribute to species specialization as well as to development of various processed products. (Registration number: 7499)

‘Aram’ is a soybean cultivar developed for soy-sprout. It was developed from the crossing of ‘Bosug’ (Glycine max IT213209) and ‘Camp’ (G. max IT267356) cultivars in 2007. F₁ plants and F₂ population were developed in 2009 and 2010. A promising line was selected in the F₅ generation in 2011 using the pedigree method and it was evaluated for agronomic traits, yield, and soy-sprouts characteristics in a preliminary yield trial (PYT) in 2012 and an advanced yield trial (AYT) in 2013. Agronomic traits and yield were stable between 2014 and 2016 in the regional yield trial (RYT) in four regions (Suwon, Naju, Dalseong, and Jeju). Morphological characteristics of ‘Aram’ are as follows: determinate plant type, purple flowers, grey pubescence, yellow pods, and small, yellow, and spherical seeds (9.9 g 100-seeds^-1) with a light brown hilum. The flowering date was the 5^th of August and the maturity date was the 15^th of October. Plant height, first pod height, number of nods, number of branches, and number of pods were 65 cm, 13 cm, 16, 4.5, and 99, respectively. In the sprout test, germination rate and sprout characteristics of ‘Aram’ were comparable to that of the ‘Pungsannamulkong’ cultivar. The yield of ‘Aram’ was 3.59 ton ha^-1 and it was 12% higher than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’ in southern area of Korea. The yield of ‘Aram’ in the Jeju region, which is the main region for soybean sprout production, was 20% higher than that of ‘Pungsannamulkong’. The height of the first pod and the tolerance to lodging and pod shattering, which are connected to the adaptation to mechanized harvesting, were higher in ‘Aram’ compared to those in ‘Pungsannamulkong’. Therefore, the ‘Aram’ cultivar is expected to be broadly cultivated because of its higher soybean sprout quality, and seed yield and better adaptation to mechanized harvesting. (Registration number: 7718)

‘Haepum’ is a bacterial blight-resistant, medium maturing rice cultivar with high grain quality. It was derived from a cross between ‘Iksan493’ (cultivar name ‘Jinbaek’) and the F₁ cross between ‘Iksan495’ (‘Dacheong’) and ‘Iksan496’ (‘Jungmo1005’). Of these three cultivars, ‘Jinbaek’ is a bacterial blight-resistant mid-late maturing rice cultivar with high grain quality, ‘Dacheong’ is a mid-late maturing rice cultivar with multiple resistance to disease and insects, and ‘Jungmo1005’ is a mid-late maturing rice cultivar with lodging tolerance. To develop fixed lines, the anther culture method was applied to F₁ plants. The cultivar ‘Haepum’ was selected using the pedigree method, yield trials, and local adaptability tests. The heading date of ‘Haepum’ was August 11^th, three days earlier than that of ‘Nampyeong’ cultivar. Haepum’ is a cultivar tolerant to lodging and it has short culms. Due to its low rate of viviparous germination, ‘Haepum’ could be useful for preventing pre-harvest sprouting in cultivation of medium maturing rice in the southern plain area of Korea. ‘Haepum’ carries two bacterial blight resistance genes (Xa3 and xa5), and in our study, it exhibited high-level and broad-spectrum resistance against bacterial blight, including K3a, the most virulent race in Korea. ‘Haepum’ is also resistant to the rice stripe virus and moderately resistant to rice blast. The yield of ‘Haepum’ was similar to that of ‘Nampyeong’. ‘Haepum’ showed excellent grain appearance and good taste of cooked rice, and therefore it could contribute to the development of bacterial blight-resistant rice cultivars of improved quality. ‘Haepum’ would be suitable for cultivation in the southern plain area of Korea as well as in bacterial blight-prone areas. (Registration No. 6068)

‘Bodrami’ is a brown rice cultivar suitable for cooking, developed by crossing ‘Hwaseong’ and ‘Congsengla’ cultivars at Rural Development Administration, Korea, in 2003. Cooked brown rice of ‘Bodrami’ naturally has a soft texture, and after 24 hours of warm treatment, it maintained its soft texture and it was evaluated that the taste and texture of cooked brown rice were better than that of another rice cultivar. ‘Bodrami’ is a mid-maturing rice cultivar. The average heading date in ordinary planting was August 11^th in Suwon, Korea, which also exhibits strong to blast leaf and rice stripe virus, and brown rice yield of ‘Bodrami’ had a yield of 5.56 MT/ha in ordinary planting. The advantages of eating brown rice are high intake of GABA (which is excellent for controlling blood), γ-oryzanol (which is good for Antioxidation), rice embryos (rich in fiber), and rice bran (rich in minerals). Another advantage of ‘Bodrami’ is that, compared to glutinous rice varieties (which is a higher glycemic index), it has a lower glycemic index and a smooth texture. The consumption of white rice has been decreasing recently, while interest in brown rice has been increasing as a consequence of these advantages. ‘Bodrami’ was developed in response to recent changes in consumption preferences. (Registration No. 5644)

Oryza sativa ‘Sinbo’ is a cultivar of japonica rice with good eating quality as well as resistance to rice dwarf virus (RDV) and bacterial blight disease (BB). It was developed in 2013 by the rice breeding team of Yeongdeok Branch, National Institute of Crop Science, RDA, Korea. This cultivar was derived from a cross between ‘Yeongdeog34‘, a cultivar with good eating quality, and ‘Saekyehwa’, a cultivar of a good plant type, in summer of 2002. A promising line (YR24264-25-3-2) selected using the pedigree breeding method was designated as ‘Yeongdeog55’ in 2010. After carrying out the local adaptability test at nine locations from 2011 to 2013, ‘Yeongdeog55’ was published under the name of ‘Sinbo’ in 2013. ‘Sinbo’ is a medium-late maturing cultivar with a short culm length of 70 cm. This cultivar is resistant to K1, K2, and K3 races of bacterial blight as well as to dwarf virus, and it is moderately resistant to leaf blast disease. The results of the panel test indicated that ‘Sinbo’ has translucent and clear milled rice kernel without white core and belly rice as well as good eating quality. The yield potential of ‘Sinbo’ was approximately 5.67 MT/ha at the ordinary fertilizer level in the local adaptability test (LAT). This cultivar could be adaptable to the middle plain, south plain, Yeongnam plain, east costal area, and south mid-mountainous area of South Korea. (Registration No. 5643)

‘Chamdream’ is a medium-late maturing, high-quality rice cultivar developed in 2014 by the crop breeding team of Crop Research Division, GARES, Hwaseong, Korea, in cooperation with the rice breeding team of the National Institute of Crop Science, RDA, Korea. ‘Chamdream’ was first developed in 2004 from a backcross between the F₁ hybrid ‘Samgwang/Jojeongdo’ and ‘Samgwang’ cultivar. The heading date of this cultivar is August 17^th in Gyeonggido Province. Its culm length is 79 cm and it has 15 panicles per hill and 115 spikelets per panicle. It is a medium-grain brown rice cultivar with a weight of 22.9 g per 1,000 grains. Its cold tolerance is lower than that of ‘Hwaseongbyeo’ and its degree of lodging tolerance is similar to that of ‘Hwaseongbyeo’. This cultivar is resistant to bacterial leaf blight and stripe virus diseases and moderately resistant to rice blast diseases, but it is susceptible to other virus diseases and pests. The appearance of milled ‘Chamdream’ rice is clear and its protein content is 5.4%, which is lower than that of ‘Hwaseongbyeo’. The palatability of cooked ‘Chamdream’ rice is better than that of ‘Chucheongbyeo’ which is mainly cultivated in Gyeonggido. Its milling ratio is 76.8% which is higher than that of ‘Hwaseongbyeo’. The yield of milled ‘Chamdream’ rice was 5.9 MT/ha in the local adaptability tests in standard cultivation in four regions from 2012 to 2014. ‘Chamdream’ is highly adaptable to the environmental conditions of Gyeonggido Province, especially to the southern region of Han River. (Registration No. 6065)

Oriental Cymbidium ‘Sael Bit’ cultivar was developed as a hybrid in 2013 by the National Institute of Horticultural & Herbal Science, Rural Development Administration, Suwon, Korea. This hybrid was developed from a cross between C. faberi ‘Ilgyounguhwa’ and C. ’98CD05-1’ in 2002. C. ‘Ilgyounguhwa’ has a sweet floral scent, and C. ’98CD05-1’ was obtained from a germplasm from Vietnam. After the cross and successful planting and acclimatization in a greenhouse, 72 seedlings were obtained. In 2007, one line was selected on the basis of flower color, leaf shape, flower stalk, and vigorous growth, and it was named ‘Wongyuo F1-37’. The line with the code ‘02-0428-33’ had consistent uniformity and excellent characteristics. The line selected after the evaluation of secondary characteristics was named ‘Sael Bit’. This hybrid has bright yellow and green colored petals (GY1B), red spot lips (R53A), and a pleasant fragrance. Flower and plant size of ‘Sael Bit’ are medium and it has approximately 9.1 flowers per stalk, which can be considered as a good spike habit. Petals and sepals are generally narrow and acute and the inflorescence is erect. Under optimal culture condition, flowers start blooming in late October. (Registration No. 5754)

‘Sinjinbaek’ is a bacterial blight (BB)-resistant, mid-late maturing rice cultivar with high grain quality. To diversify the resistance genes and enhance the resistance of Korean rice cultivars against BB, ‘Sinjinbaek’ was developed from a cross between ‘Iksan493’ (cultivar name ‘Jinbaek’) and the F₁ cross between ‘Hopum’ and ‘HR24670-9-2-1’ (‘HR24670’). ‘Jinbaek’ is a BB-resistant cultivar with two BB resistance genes, Xa3 and xa5. ‘Hopum’ is a high grain quality cultivar with the Xa3 resistance gene. ‘HR24670’ is a near-isogenic line that carries the Xa21 gene, a resistance gene inherited from a wild rice species O. longistaminata, in the genetic background of japonica elite rice line ‘Suweon345’. ‘Sinjinbaek’ was selected through the pedigree method, yield trials, and local adaptability tests. Using bioassay for BB races and DNA markers for resistance genes, three resistance genes, Xa3, xa5, and Xa21, were pyramided in the ‘Sinjinbaek’ cultivar. ‘Sinjinbaek’ exhibited high-level and broad-spectrum resistance against BB, including the K3a race, the most virulent race in Korea. ‘Sinjinbaek’ is a mid-late maturing rice cultivar tolerant to lodging. It has multiple disease resistance against BB, rice blast, and stripe virus. The yield of ‘Sinjinbaek’ was similar to that of ‘Nampyeong’. ‘Sinjinbaek’ showed excellent grain appearance, good taste of cooked rice, and enhanced milling performance, and we concluded that it could contribute to improving the quality of BB-resistant cultivars. ‘Sinjinbaek’ was successfully introgressed with the Xa21 gene without the linkage drag negatively affecting its agronomic characteristics. ‘Sinjinbaek’ improved the resistance of Korean rice cultivars against BB by introgression of a new resistance gene, Xa21, as well as by pyramiding three resistance genes, Xa3, xa5, and Xa21. ‘Sinjinbaek’ would be suitable for the cultivation in BB-prone areas since it has been used in breeding programs for enhancing plants’ resistance to BB (Registration No. 7273).

As a result of the efforts to breed a high yield naked barley cultivar with disease and stress tolerance in response to climate change and proper double cropping of barley and rice in a paddy field. A new naked barley cultivar named ‘Hogang’ was developed from the cross between ‘Suyoung’ and ‘Geukjosuk 55’ at the National Institute of Crop Science, RDA, Korea, in 2016. ‘Hogang’ is a naked barley cultivar used for powdering and mixing with rice. It has good cooking quality, high whiteness, water absorption rate, and expansion rate. Among other quality characteristics, β-glucan content (5.5%) was higher than that of ‘Saessalbori’ cultivar, while the amylose content (21.7%) was lower than that of ‘Saessalbori’. ‘Hogang’ has a short culm length of 69 cm and it is resistant to BaYMV as well as lodging-resistant. As in ‘Saessalbori’, the maturity date of ‘Hogang’ is May 26^th. It has large seed size and grain weight of 34.6 g per 1,000 grains. The yield potential of ‘Hogang’ was 4.56 MT/ha, which was 7% higher than that of ‘Saessalbori’. ‘Hogang’ is expected to spread in BaYMV-prone areas since it is a stable and resistant cultivar. (Registration No. 7375)