Rural Development Administration Research Articles

Carbon Footprint and Mitigation of Vegetables Produced at Open Fields and Film House using Life Cycle Assessment

This study was carried out to find out major factors to mitigate carbon emission using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). System boundary of LCA was confined from sowing to packaging during vegetable production. Input amount of agri-materials was calculated on 2007 Income reference of white radish, chinese cabbage and chive produced at open field and film house published by Rural Development Administration. Domestic data and Ecoinvent data were used for emission factors of each agri-material based on the 1996 IPCC guideline. Carbon footprint of white radish was 0.19 kg CO₂ kg -1 at open fields, 0.133 kg CO₂ kg -1 at film house, that of chinese cabbage was 0.22 kg CO₂ kg -1 at open fields, 0.19 kg CO₂ kg -1 at film house, and that of chive was 0.66 kg CO₂ kg -1 at open fields and 1.04 kg CO₂ kg -1 at film house. The high carbon footprint of chive was related to lower vegetable production and higher fuel usage as compared to white radish and Chinese cabbage. The mean proportion of carbon emission was 35.7% during the manufacturing byproduct fertilizer; white radish at open fields was 50.6%, white radish at film house 13.1%, Chinese cabbage at outdoor 38.4%, Chinese cabbage at film house 34.0%, chive at outdoor 50.6%, and chive at film house 36.0%. Carbon emission, on average, for the step of manufacturing and combustion accounted for 16.1% of the total emission; white radish at open fields was 4.3%, white radish at film house 15.6%, Chinese cabbage at open fields 6.9%, Chinese cabbage at film house 19.0%, chive at open fields 12.5%, and chive at film house 29.1%. On the while, mean proportion of carbon footprint for the step of N₂O emission was 29.2%; white radish at open fields was 39.2%, white radish at film house 41.9%, Chinese cabbage at open fields 34.4%, Chinese cabbage at film house 23.1%, chive at open fields 28.8%, and chive at film house 17.1%. Fertilizer was the primary factor and fuel was the secondary factor for carbon emission among the vegetables of this study. It was suggested to use Heug-To-Ram web-service system, http://soil.rda.go.kr, for the scientific fertilization based on soil testing, and for increase of energy efficiency to produce low carbon vegetable.

간척지에 플라스틱 온실 설치 시의 문제점 분석 및 개선방안

Upon setting up a dedicated plastic greenhouse for tomato cultivation developed by the Rural Development Administration on the Gyehwa reclaimed land, this study was aimed at analyzing the problems can be occurred in the installation of plastic greenhouse on reclaimed lands as well as finding out solutions for improvement. A relatively cheaper wooden pile was used in the installation in order to supplement the soft ground conditions. Based on the results of ground investigation of the installation site, both the allowable bearing capacity and pulling resistance of the wooden pile with a diameter of 150 mm and a length of 10 m were computed and came out to be 30.645 kN. It was determined that the values were enough to withstand the maximum compressive force (17.206 kN) and the pullout force (20.435 kN) that are generally applied to the greenhouse footing. There are three problems aroused in the process of greenhouse installation, and the corresponding countermeasures are as follow. First, due to the slightly bent shape of the wooden pile, there were phenomenon such as deviation, torsion, and fracture when driving the pile. This could be prevented by the use of the backhoe (0.2) rotating tongs, which are holding the pile, to drive the pile while pushing to the direction of the driving and fixing it until 5 m below ground and applying a soft vibrating pressure until the first 2 m. Second, there exists a concrete independent footing between the column of the greenhouse and the wooden pile driven to the underground water level. Since it is difficult to accurately drive the pile on this independent footing, the problem of footing baseplate used to fix the column being off the independent footing was occurred. In order to handle with this matter, the diameter of the independent footing was changed from 200 mm to 300 mm. Last, after films were covered in the condition that the reinforcing frame and bracing are not installed, there was a phenomenon of columns being pushed away by the strong wind to the maximum of <TEX>$11m{\cdot}s^{-1}$</TEX>. It is encouraged to avoid constructions in winter, and the film covering jobs always to be done after the frame construction is completely over. The height of the independent footing was measured for 9 months after the completion of the greenhouse installation, and it was found to be within the margin of error meaning that there was no subsidence. The extent to the framework distortion and the value of inclinometers as well showed not much alteration. In other words, the wooden pile was designed to have a sufficient bearing capacity.

Selecting High Amylose Rice Germplasm Combined with NIR Spectroscopy at the RDA Genebank Conserved

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasms with an amylose content above 30% were identified by screening 9481 accessions from the Rural Development Administration (RDA) gene bank. The total set of accessions came from 65 countries, including Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, India, Taiwan, the United States, and Russia. High-throughput near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy equipped with a fiberoptic probe (700~2500 nm) was used to estimate the amylose content. The amylose contents ranged from 5 to 40% based on NIR spectroscopy; divided into 5% increments, the amylose content of 2820 accessions was found to be between 15 and 20%. To select rice accessions high in amylose, 239 accessions with an amylose content of 30% or greater were selected based on NIR spectroscopy data and cultivated in the field for final selection. Among the 239 accessions selected and cultivated, 151 were deemed agronomically satisfactory. Among the 151 accessions, based on laboratory analysis, 14 had an amylose content higher than 30% and 33 had an amylose content between 28 and 30%. The amylose contents of the reference cultivars Hopum-byeo and Sobi-byeo were 20.7% and 19.9%, respectively. Finally, successful selection of accessions with high amylose content from the large RDA gene bank collection was achieved based on a combination of NIR spectroscopy and laboratory data.

토마토 유전자원의 Ralstonia solanacearum에 의한 풋마름병 저항성 평가

This study was conducted to evaluate tomato plant resistance against bacterial wilt by Ralstonia solanacearum using tomato cultivars or tomato breeding lines maintained in RDA-Genebank of Rural Development Administration and to select resistant tomato lines for breeding purpose. We evaluated the disease responses of a total of 13 cultivars and 39 breeding lines from RDA-Genebank using R. solanacearum SL341 strain, which is a representative strain in Korea. Tomato cultivar Hawaii 7996 and Moneymaker were used as a resistant control plant and a susceptible control plant, respectively. A total of 32 cultivars were susceptible and 10 cultivars showed various disease response suggesting resistant phenotype segregation in the lines. Five commercial cultivars and 5 breeding lines exhibited strong resistance to bacterial wilt by the SL341 strain. These 5 breeding lines might be used for further study of plant defense response against bacterial wilt and cloning of the resistance gene from tomato plants. Ultimately, the selected lines could be used for tomato breeding to generate bacterial wilt resistant tomato plants.

26 HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITOR SCRIPTAID IMPROVES EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING AND CLONING EFFICIENCY IN THE PIG

After somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the epigenetic state of a differentiated donor cell nucleus must be reversed to the embryonic state. Incomplete epigenetic reprogramming and abnormal gene activation of the donor cell nuclei is thought to be the cause of low cloning efficiency. To improve cloning efficiency, we investigated the effect of scriptaid, a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, on the in vitro development of porcine SCNT embryos were investigated. Cumulus cells collected from cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) after 44 h of maturation were used for donor cell, and embryos were cultured in porcine zygote medium (PZM)-5 medium for 7 days. We found that treating SCNT embryos with 300 or 500 nM scriptaid for 20 h after activation increased developmental rate to the blastocyst stage (300 nM, 26.2%; 500 nM, 24.6% v. 100 nM, 18.3%; Ctrl, 15.7%; P &lt; 0.05) and total cell numbers (300 nM, 43.5; 500 nM, 40.8 v. 100 nM, 33.8; Ctrl, 32.3; P &lt; 0.05). Additionally, results of the TUNEL assay indicated that scriptaid decreased apoptosis (300 nM, 6.8% v. Ctrl, 11.4%; P &lt; 0.05) in SCNT blastocysts. After the 300 nM scriptaid treatment, the levels of acetylated histone H3 lysine 9 and 5-hydroxymethylcytosines were increased (P &lt; 0.05), and histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation and 5-methylcytosine were decreased at the 1-cell stage, which might explain the enhanced (P &lt; 0.05) transcript levels of mir-152, Oct4, Cdx2, and Bcl-xL and reduced (P &lt; 0.05) transcription of Dnmt1, Casp3, and Bax in blastocysts. In conclusion, scriptaid enhances the developmental capacity by preventing apoptosis, and improves nuclear reprogramming in porcine SCNT embryos.This work was supported by the Bio-industry Technology Development Program, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Republic of Korea, and by a grant from the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Program (No. PJ009601 and PJ009098), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

95 DOSAGE COMPENSATION OF X CHROMOSOME INACTIVATION CENTER (XIC)-LINKED GENES IS ALREADY ACHIEVED IN PORCINE BLASTOCYST

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an epigenetically essential process for balancing dosage of X-linked genes between male and female eutherian. Importance of this complex and species-specific event has been highlighted recently in developmental and stem cell biology. However, the process has been confirmed only in restricted species, even though the species-specific studies are needed for comprehensive understanding of XCI in specific species. XCI is regulated by the various genes, many of which are coded on the X chromosome inactivation centre (XIC). Among the XIC-linked genes, especially non-coding RNA (ncRNA) like XIST, which is master gene for XCI, are known to regulate XIC. But the centre is not identified in various species. In this study, we identified XIC in pig and analysed the dosage differences of XIC-linked gene in porcine embryos. At first, the centre was searched in pig. The genomic length of the porcine XIC was similar to human XIC and the order and coding strand of the counterparts in pig XIC were same as the human XIC-linked genes. However, sequence comparison between human XIC-linked gene and its porcine counterpart showed that ncRNA around XIST were less conserved rather than protein-coding genes. This would be caused by rapid evolution of genomic region harboring ncRNA. The expression of XIC-linked genes was compared between male and female porcine embryonic fibroblast (PEF) to confirm that dosage compensation is completed in PEF. Most of the genes were not expressed sex-specifically, but two genes, XIST and an uncharacterized gene, LOC102165544, were expressed female preferentially in PEF. Interestingly, LOC102165544, which had low sequence homology with human JPX, was expressed about 2-fold higher in female PEF. This means that XIST and LOC102165544 are XCI-escaping genes. Among the XIC-linked genes, CHIC1, XIST, LOC102165544, and RLIM were stably expressed in embryonic stage, and XIST and LOC102165544 were up-regulated after morula formation. As XIST accumulation is a requisite for XCI initiation, expression levels of the 4 genes between male and female blastocysts were compared. Interestingly, expression levels of CHIC1 and RLIM were not different in male and female blastocysts. This means their dosage would be already compensated in porcine blastocyst. Additionally, to confirm loci of the 2 genes CHIC1 and RLIM harbor one of the inactive alleles in female blastocyst, the DNA methylation pattern was examined. One of the CHIC1 alleles was inactive but RLIM CpG site was hypo-methylated in female blastocyst. This would indicate that one of the RLIM alleles is transcriptionally inactivated by chromatin modification rather than by DNA methylation of the allele. Regulatory regions of XIST and LOC102165544 were demethylated in blastocyst and this showed XCI was not finished in porcine blastocyst. Conclusively, our results demonstrate the XCI already occurs in porcine blastocyst at least one gene but it is not completed.This work was supported by Next BioGreen21 program (PJ009493), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

215 SNAIL AND SLUG, MARKERS OF EPITHELIAL MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION, APPEARED TO BE ALTERED BY ALKYL-PHENOLS, BISPHENOL A AND NONYL-PHENOL, IN OVARIAN CANCER CELLS EXPRESSING ESTROGEN RECEPTORS

The ovary is the important organ to produce oocytes. Any disorder will affect embryo production. Ovarian cancer is one of gynecologic cancers in women which can affect ovarian functions. Oestradiol (E2) may be involved in ovarian cell growth and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) for diverse functions. EMT is an important process in embryo development and tumour migration or progression. Bis-phenol A (BPA) and nonyl-phenol (NP) have an estrogenic property, which can be suspected as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). In this study, it has been examined whether BPA and NP can cause EMT process and migration in BG-1 ovarian cancer cells. To confirm the effect of these EDCs, BG-1 ovarian cancer cells were cultured and treated with DMSO (0.1%), E2 (10–7 M), BPA (10–6 M) and NP (10–6 M) for 0, 6, and 24 h. The mRNAs were extracted to perform reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR and the changes in the mRNA expressions were analysed by ANOVA test. Following treatments with BPA and NP, alterations of EMT markers; that is, vimentin and E-cadherin, were examined at mRNA levels by RT-PCR. The levels of vimentin were up-regulated by E2, BPA, or NP in a time-dependent manner. In addition, transcriptional factors of EMT response, i.e. snail and slug, were enhanced by these treatments more than 2 times. BG-1 cells were exposed to these EDCs for 0, 24, and 48 h. Vimentin and snail proteins were induced by E2, BPA, or NP, while the expression of E-cadherin was decreased by them. To reveal that this EMT response is affected by oestrogen receptor (ER), the cells were treated with these EDCs in the presence of an ER antagonist, ICI 182 780 (10–6 M). Treatment with ICI 182 780 reversed EDC-induced alteration of these EMT markers, E-cadherin, vimentin, and snail. Since EMT response can cause metastasis, a scratch assay was performed to show migration caused by BPA or NP. BPA or E2 enhanced migratory capability of these BG-1 cells. Taken together, these results indicate that BPA and NP, potential EDC, may have an ability to influence ovarian cancer metastasis via regulating snail and slug genes in ER-positive ovarian cancers. In a future study, their effects in inducing EMT and migration will be tested in a xenograft mouse model.This work was supported by a grant from the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Program (no. PJ009599), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

302 EFFECT OF GROWTH DIFFERENTIATION FACTOR 8 ON PORCINE OOCYTE IN VITRO MATURATION AND SUBSEQUENT EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AFTER PARTHENOGENETIC ACTIVATION AND IN VITRO FERTILIZATION

Growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF8) is a member of the transforming growth factor-β that has been identified as a strong physiological regulator. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of GDF8 on in vitro porcine oocytes maturation and subsequent embryonic development after pathenogenetic activation (PA) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). We investigated nuclear maturation, intracellular glutathione (GSH), reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, sperm penetration (SP) analysis, and subsequent embryonic development after PA and IVF. Each concentration (0, 1, 10, and 100 ng mL–1) of GDF8 was added in maturation medium during process of in vitro maturation. Data were analysed by ANOVA followed by Duncan using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) mean ± s.e.m. After 44 h of IVM, no significant difference was observed on nuclear maturation from the different concentration (0, 1, 10, and 100 ng mL–1) of GDF8 treatment groups (85.5, 85.9, 89.4, and 87.6%, respectively) compared with the control (P &gt; 0.05). The 10- and 100-ng mL–1 GDF8-treated groups showed a significant (P &lt; 0.05) decrease in intracellular ROS levels compared with other groups. The embryonic developmental competence after PA was affected with GDF8 treatment during IVM. The 10- and 100-ng mL–1 treatment groups showed significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher cleavage rates (67.5 and 69.1%, respectively) compared with control group (53.7%). The 10- and 100-ng mL–1 treatment groups also showed significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher blastocyst formation rates (50.5 and 52.7%, respectively) compared with other groups (34.5 and 35.8%). The IVF embryonic developmental competence also was affected with GDF8 treatment during IVM. The 10-ng mL–1 treatment group showed a significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher blastocyst formation rates and total cell number compared with control (21.5 and 131.3 v. 15.0 and 92.6%, respectively). Also, in the sperm penetration assessment, the 10- and 100-ng mL–1 treatment groups showed higher mono spermy ratio and fertilization efficiency (32.7 and 27.1, 32.0 and 26.5 v. 22.6 and 19.7%, respectively) than control, which was significant (P &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, the treatment with 10 ng mL–1 of GDF8 during IVM improved the PA and IVF porcine embryo developmental competence by decreasing the intracellular ROS levels.This work was supported, in part, by a grant from the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Program (No. PJ00956901), Rural Development Administration, and the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2013R1A2A2A04008751), Republic of Korea.

301 ZINC IS INVOLVED IN PORCINE OOCYTE MEIOTIC MATURATION

Zinc is an extremely important trace element that plays important roles in several biological processes. In this study, we investigated the role of zinc during meiotic resumption and metaphase arrest in in vitro-matured porcine oocytes. Oocytes at either germinal vesicle (GV) or MII stage were treated with TPEN, a Zn2+ chelator. Meiotic resumption and activation were assayed. Effect of PMA, a PKC activator, on GV breakdown (GVBD) and oocytes activation after TPEN treatment were checked. Results showed that depletion of zinc with 3 µM TPEN-blocked oocytes at GV stage (60.85 ± 5.15 v. 15.60 ± 0.20%; P &lt; 0.05) after 25 h of maturation. The 10-µM TPEN treatment at MII stage significantly (P &lt; 0.05) increased pronucleus formation (90.61 ± 9.10 v. 5.56 ± 9.62%; P &lt; 0.05) and the second polar body extrusion (93.64 ± 5.53 v. 8.59 ± 8.34%; P &lt; 0.05). The p34cdc2 activity was decreased in both MII and GVBD oocytes that were treated with TPEN as compared to control. Phosphorylated MAPK measured by Western blot was also decreased in GVBD oocytes when zinc was depleted. This might be explained by the low expression of C-mos Cyclin B1 and Cdc2 at this stage. Treatment of the oocytes with PKC agonist PMA (100 nM) rescued the meiotic resumption arrest observed after TPEN treatment (GV stage: 26.91 ± 3.10 v. 83.89 ± 11.94%; P &lt; 0.05). The level of phosphorylation of MAPK and p34cdc2 activity were rescued when PMA were used. Treatment oocytes with 100 nM PMA in the GV stage also increased the signal of zinc indicator, fluozin-3-a.m., by about 4-fold in cytoplasm (P &lt; 0.05). These results showed that zinc regulates meiotic resumption probably through PKC. However, although the TPEN treatment reduced phosphorylation of PKC substrates in both meiotic resumption and the MII stage, rescue of PKC substrates phosphorylation with PMA did not prevent the activation of oocytes caused by zinc depletion. These data demonstrate that zinc regulates meiotic resumption via a PKC-dependent pathway, but independent of that in maintaining of metaphase arrest in porcine oocytes.This work was supported by the Bio-industry Technology Development Program, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Republic of Korea, and by a grant from the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Program (No. PJ009601 and PJ009098), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

28 EFFECTS OF RECLONING ON THE PRODUCTION OF PIGS OVEREXPRESSING 11 β-HYDROXYSTEROID DEHYDROGENASE TYPE 1 (11β-HSD1)

The incidence of metabolic syndrome is increasing globally, as the prevalence of obesity continues to rise. However, the basic mechanisms of metabolic syndrome are not completely known yet. Therefore, animal disease models are required for the study of metabolic syndrome. The overexpression of 11 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) in mice leads to metabolic syndrome; thus, we attempted to produce pigs with overexpression of 11β-HSD1 gene by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). However, low transgenic (TG) efficiency has been an obstacle to the production of TG pigs. A SCNT method in which somatic cells derived from TG pig are used as the nuclear donor (re-cloning method) is an effective technique for TG pig production. In this study, we attempted to increase TG efficiency by the re-cloning method. Pregnancy efficiency, production efficiency, and TG efficiency were compared with sources of donor cells (transfected TG fetal fibroblast v. TG fibroblast derived from newborn TG cloned pig). A total of 1382 and 881 TG SCNT embryos were produced from fetal fibroblast v. cloned fibroblast, and then transferred to 13 and 10 recipients. The pregnancy rate was not significantly different (30.8% v. 20.0%). Seventeen live piglets and 5 stillborn piglets were born from 4 recipients in the fetal fibroblast group, and 8 live piglets, 2 stillborn piglets, and 3 mummies were born from 2 recipients in the cloned fibroblast group. There were no significant differences in the production efficiency (3.7% v. 5.0%). All of the 13 re-cloned piglets showed reporter and target gene integration. But, of 22 fetal fibroblast-cloned piglets, reporter gene integration was confirmed in 9, but only 3 clone piglets showed reporter gene integration. Efficiency of TG was significantly increased in re-cloning group (13.6% v. 100.0%). In this study, TG efficiency of 11β-HSD1 overexpressed pigs was improved by re-cloning method. These results indicate that re-cloning is an efficient method for production of TG cloned pigs.This work was supported by a grant from the Next-Generation Bio Green 21 Program (No. PJ009563032014), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

295 EFFECT OF TREHALOSE DURING IN VITRO MATURATION OF PIG OOCYTES ON OOCYTE MATURATION AND EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AFTER PARTHENOGENESIS

Autophagy is a critical process for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and mammalian early embryogenesis. Autophagy can be regulated by various chemical inducers. However, there are few reports about effect of autophagy inducer in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine oocyte. The present study investigated the effects of supplementary trehalose, a novel mTOR-independent autophagy enhancer, on oocyte maturation and embryonic development after parthenogenetic activation (PA). Immature oocytes were treated with various concentrations (0, 25, 50, and 100 mM) of trehalose in M-199 (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) supplemented with 10 ng mL–1 of epidermal growth factor (EGF; Sigma-Aldrich Corp.), 1 ug mL–1 of insulin (Sigma-Aldrich Corp.), 4 IU mL–1 of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG; Intervet, Boxmeer, Holland), 4 IU mL–1 of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; Intervet), and 10% (vol/vol) porcine follicular fluid (pFF) for 10 h, and transferred to another IVM medium without trehalose. Osmolality of each groups (0, 25, 50, and 100 mM trehalose) was in the 290 to 295, 310 to 315, 330 to 335, and 375 to 380 osmol range, respectively. After 44 h of IVM, trehalose treatment during IVM did not improve nuclear maturation rates of oocytes in any group (90.7, 92.1, 92.7, and 90.1%, respectively). The developmental competence of oocytes matured with different trehalose concentrations was evaluated after PA. There were no significant differences in cleavage rates. However, blastocyst (BL) formation was different. Oocytes treated with 25 mM of trehalose during IVM had a significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) BL formation rate (64.2%) after PA compared with the control (52.0%). The BL quality was also improved in the 25 mM trehalose-treated group. Early BL rate significantly reduced in the 25 mM trehalose-treated group as compared to control (19.6 v. 29.9%, P &lt; 0.05). By contrast, expanded BL rate significantly increased in the 25 mM trehalose-treated group than of control (27.7 v. 11.0%, P &lt; 0.05). Total cell numbers of BL were significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) in the 25 mM trehalose-treated group compared to those in the control group (52.2 v. 36.8). However, BL rate and quality of oocytes treated with 50 and 100 mM trehalose were similar with control group. In conclusion, these results indicate that 25 mM trehalose during IVM improved the developmental potential of porcine embryos. Trehalose will be useful for large-scale production of BL with good quality in porcine in vitro production.This work was supported by a grant from the Next-Generation Bio Green 21 Program (No. PJ009563032014), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

Satisfaction with the Quality of Agricultural Machinery and the Propensity for Replacement Purchases

National Academy of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, Korea Received: September 30th, 2014; Revised: November 4th, 2014; Accepted: November 17th, 2014 Purpose: This study was conducted to serve as a basis for strengthening policy support and R&D to improve the domestic and international competitiveness of domestic agricultural machinery. Levels of satisfaction among farmers and service engineers were analyzed regarding the current quality of agricultural machinery and the primary consumers' propensity for replacement purchases. Methods: A survey was carried out targeting farmers in over 150 townships and 300 villages in South Korea who collectively used 711 tractors, 286 rice transplanters, and 221 combine harvesters. Furthermore, agricultural machinery service engineers from 20 different after-services were surveyed regarding the quality of main components in domestic agricultural machinery versus those in imported agricultural machinery. Results: The farmers' overall quality satisfaction ratings for tractors, rice transplanters, and combine harvesters ranged from 57.1% to 62.6% in consideration of operating performance, failure rate, and durability. Compared with imports, satisfaction ratings for domestic agricultural machinery were 19.1%p to 38.1%p lower for quality. Regarding engines, transmissions, hydraulics, planters, reapers, threshers, and electrical components, only 5.3% to 25.0% of service engineers indicated that domestic agricultural machinery was higher in quality compared with imports. By contrast, 33.3% to 78.9% of those surveyed indicated that domestic components were lower in quality compared with imports. Intent to purchase replacement agricultural machinery at the end of their respective products’ lifecycles was indicated that they planned to purchase imported tractors, rice transplanters, and combine harvesters comprised 25.2%, 46.9%, and 43.9%, respectively. This clearly shows that a very high percentage of farmers were satisfied, particularly for transplanters and combine harvesters. Conclusions: The level of desire for purchasing imported agricultural machinery was very high among those who expressed intent to purchase replacement machinery. Therefore, strong policy support and R&D for domestic agricultural machinery is critical for improving competitiveness on the domestic and foreign markets.

Web-based Agricultural Machinery Rental Business Management System

Seung-Yeoub Shin, Chang-Ho Kang, Seok-Cheol Yu, Byounggap Kim, Yu-Yong Kim, Jin-Oh Kim, Kyou-Seung Lee* National Academy of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, Korea Department of Bio-Mechatronic Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea Received: October 6th, 2014; Revised: November 6th, 2014; Accepted: November 12nd, 2014 Purpose: This study was conducted to develop a web-based business management system to ensure the efficient operation and transparent management of government-subsidized agricultural machinery rental businesses. Methods: An MS_SQL2000 database management system (DBMS) solution was utilized in the system for high system compatibility and integrated management. This system was targeted to be compatible with Internet Explorer 6.0 or later and to ensure security and seamless web operations. The system administrator is able to manage a fleet of agricultural machinery, including various inventory codes, release and return, fleet registry, and business performance. Users (farmers) may search the database of rental machinery and reserve them. Results: With respect to rental reservations, the system administrator can manage the fleet by setting the rental status to Approved, Released, or Returned. Through the web, the administrator can also create a database that includes machinery specifications, features, and rental rates. In addition, business performance data can be analyzed using a diverse array of tools to streamline the rental business. Without having to go to the rental office, users can save time and money by searching for and renting agricultural machinery through the information available on the website, including availability, specifications, and rental fees. After deploying the system, the time required to analyze monthly performance and create reports was dramatically reduced from 20 days per person to one day per person. Conclusions: Since 2014, AMRB has been installed and is operating in agricultural machinery rental businesses in 31 cities and counties in South Korea. This study recommends continued expansion and dissemination of AMRB for the systematic and efficient management of agricultural machinery rental businesses.

Public Organizations' Management Strategies toward The Government3.0 Environmental Change : Focused on Rural Development Administration

Public Organizations' Management Strategies toward The Government3.0 Environmental Change : Focused on Rural Development Administration

길항 미생물 HC5를 이용한 버섯의 친환경방제 기술개발의 가치평가

This study evaluated the economic value of the development of an environment-friendly controlling method of mushroom using IRR and NPV. The environment-friendly controlling method of mushrooms was developed by the national institute of horticultural and herbal science in Korea rural development administration. This technology can be used to improve the efficiency and practicality of cultivation of mushroom. The research results show that the technological value of the development of an environment-friendly controlling method of mushroom was evaluated at 135.4 billion won (average), 182.6 billion won (maximum), and 88.1 billion won (minimum) based on the discount rate of 7.3%. The IRR was 1,958.5% - 4,054.4%, which was greater than the discount rate (6%∼10%). The NPV was evaluated at 134.8 billion won (average), 218.1 billion won (maximum) and 87.5 billion won (minimum) based on the discount rate of 7.3%. Therefore, the economic validity of the development of an environment-friendly controlling method of mushrooms was identified by the results of a technology evaluation.

A Study on Carbon Footprint and Mitigation for Low Carbon Apple Production using Life Cycle Assessment

Carbon footprint of apple was a sum of CO₂ emission in the step of manufacturing waste of agrimaterials, and greenhouse gas emission during apple cultivation. Input amount of agri-materials was calculated on 2007 Income reference of Apple by Rural Development Administration. Emission factor of each agri- materials was based on domestic data and Ecoinvent data. N₂O emission factor was based on 1996 IPCC guideline. Carbon dioxide was emitted 0.64 kg CO₂ to produce 1 kg apple fruit, and carbon dioxide was emitted 43.6% in the step of the manufacturing byproduct fertilizer, 1.3% in the step of the manufacturing single fertilizer, 4.7% in the step of the manufacturing composite fertilizer, 6.3% in the step of the manufacturing agri-chemicals, 14.6% in the step of the manufacturing fuel, 11.5% in the step of the fuel combustion, 17.7% of N₂O emission by nitrogen application and 0.18% of disposal of agri-materials. It is needed for farmers to use fertilization recommendation based on soil testing (soil. rda.go.kr) because scientific fertilization is a major tools to reduce carbon dioxide of apple production. The fertilization recommendation could be also basic data in Measurable-ReporTablele-Verifiable (MRV) system for carbon footprint.

농촌 거주 70-80대 노인의 주거 및 식생활 환경 변화추이 2001-2010 -40대와 비교-

To prepare for the changes in the future, this study considered people in their seventies and eighties in rural areas in the last decade. Based on a survey of rural life by the Rural Development Administration, all factors were analyzed using SAS ver. 9.3. The rate of rice farming decreased, and vegetable-cultivation increased from 8.4% in 2001 to and 26.6% in 2008 for people in their seventies and eighties. The number of family members decreased to 1.96 in 2010 from 2.04 in 2001, and annual income increased by KRW 20-29 million for those in their seventies and eighties, whereas it was more than KRW 30 million for those in their forties. Bathing with warm water increased to 88.9% from 69.8%, and household waste treated by self-incineration decreased from 86.4% to 40.0% in the last decade. Separate collection spread since 2008. Food waste disposal and the burial (46.0%) showed had for people in their seventies and eighties, and animal feed increased (50.7%) for those in their forties at 2001. The separate collection increased by 39.6% in 2010 for those in their seventies and eighties and by 53.5% for those in their forties(p<0.05). The manufacture of jang and kimchi showed were little annual changes for people in their seventies and eighties. Food storage processing was higher for those in their forties. For those in their seventies and eighties, food group intake over the 2004-2010 period increased from 3.3 times a week to 4.2 times a week for protein foods and from 4.9 times a week to 5.5 times a week for vegetables. There was no change in fruits, milk, and seaweeds for those in their seventies and eighties, but there was an increase for those in their forties. The results suggest the continued increase in the manufacture of jang and kimchi and protein and vegetable intake for those in their seventies and eighties. Some direction to welfare, mechanized rice planting and living with neighbors together would be continued with good nutrition for elderly residents.

강소농 육성사업 참여농가의 성과 만족도 분석

ABSTRACT : The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the effect of the Strong Small Farm Development Project by Rural Development Administration is positively associated with participating farmers. The data that used in this study is a survey data that targets 442 farming households who have participated in the strong small farm development project. This study applies ordered-probit model to evaluate level of the participants’ satisfaction of the project. This study found that participants’ level of satisfaction is closely associated by satisfaction level of project contents that contains education and consulting, friendly attitude toward the project, active participation of the project, and understanding of the project’s contents and their importances. Based on research findings, this research provides some implications of future upbringing policy for strong small farms and the principal point of the policy that leads to succeed in implementing the project when formulating agricultural policy in participants view.the strong small farms.

Pregnancy of bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos reconstructed by using donor cells: iPS cell vs AID transfected cell*

bryos reconstructed by using donor cells: iPS cell vs. AID transfected cell* Tae Suk Kim1, Sang Ki Baek2, Song Yi Moon2, Sang Jin Jin2, Yeoung-Gyu Ko3, Sung Woo Kim3, Hae-Geum Park3, Hwan-Hoo Seong3 and Joon Hee Lee2 1Institute of Agriculture & Life Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 660-701, Republic of Korea, Jin ju, Republic of Korea 2Animal Development & Biotechnology Group, Department of Animal Bioscience, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, Jin ju, Republic of Korea 3National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Namwon, Republic of Korea

An Analysis of Factors Relating to Agricultural Machinery Farm-Work Accidents Using Logistic Regression

National Academy of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, Suwon, Korea Received: August 1st 2014; Revised: August 14th 2014; Accepted: August 20th 2014 Purpose: In order to develop strategies to prevent farm-work accidents relating to agricultural machinery, influential factors were examined in this paper. The effects of these factors were quantified using logistic regression. Methods: Based on the results of a survey on farm-work accidents conducted by the National Academy of Agricultural Science, 21 tentative independent variables were selected. To apply these variables to regression, the presence of multicollinearity was examined by comparing correlation coefficients, checking the statistical significance of the coefficients in a simple linear regression model, and calculating the variance inflation factor. A logistic regression model and determination method of its goodness of fit was defined. Results: Among 21 independent variables, 13 variables were not collinear each other. The results of a logistic regression analysis using these variables showed that the model was significant and acceptable, with deviance of 714.053. Parameter estimation results showed that four variables (age, power tiller ownership, cognizance of the government’s safety policy, and consciousness of safety) were significant. The logistic regression model predicted that the former two increased accident odds by 1.027 and 8.506 times, respectively, while the latter two decreased the odds by 0.243 and 0.545 times, respectively. Conclusions: Prevention strategies against factors causing an accident, such as the age of farmers and the use of a power tiller, are necessary. In addition, more efficient trainings to elevate the farmer’s consciousness about safety must be provided.