A new barnyard millet variety, ‘Matnajik,’ was developed by the Chungcheongbukdo Agricultural Research and Extension Services from 2014 to 2023 through gamma-ray mutation breeding. Morphologically, ‘Matnajik’ exhibits a semi-straight plant type, conical green panicles, grayish-white seeds, yellowish-brown dehusked grains, and a non-glutinous endosperm. Its heading date is July 29, classifying it as a medium-maturing variety that heads approximately 11 days later than the control variety, ‘Borajik.’ Notably, ‘Matnajik’ has a large panicle type; its average culm length is 138 cm, and its panicle length is 23 cm, both of which are significantly longer than those of the control. In the yield trials conducted from 2022 to 2023, the average grain yield of ‘Matnajik’ was 252 kg⋅10a-1, a 13% increase over ‘Borajik’ (224 kg⋅10a-1). Furthermore, physiochemical and biological activity analyses revealed that ‘Matnajik’ contains higher levels of crude ash and essential minerals, including potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Specifically, it showed significantly higher total polyphenol and flavonoid contents as well as greater radical-scavenging activity than the control, indicating its high value as a functional food material. In conclusion, ‘Matnajik’ is a promising variety with a large panicle, high yield, and enhanced functional properties, and it is expected to be widely utilized as a new specialized cash crop in the Chungbuk region (Registration No. 10814).
Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a self-fertilized crop, and all ginseng cultivars developed until now have been bred by pure-line selection. Ginseng has few genetic variations and lacks diversity in genetic resources. To obtain genetic resources with useful traits, mutations must be artificially induced. In this study, indehiscent seeds from ginseng landrace were treated with 20 to 400 Gy of gamma rays for 24 hours to determine the optimal dose for mutation breeding. Results showed no significant differences in seed dehiscence rates among the 0 Gy (control) to 80 Gy groups. However, above 100 Gy, the dehiscence rate sharply decreased as the radiation dose increased. Seed development below 40 Gy was superior to that of control but declined rapidly above 60 Gy. The seedling survival rate decreased significantly at 60 Gy (less than 50% compared to that of the control), and most seeds did not survive above 100 Gy. We observed a significant reduction in the growth of seedlings irradiated above 60 Gy. The above results suggest that a suitable gamma-ray dose for inducing mutagenesis in indehiscent ginseng seeds is 40 Gy.
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