In this study, we attempted to analyze the effect of color and temperature changes in the forest environment over time on the mood and physiological state of university students. The survey was conducted four times considering forest changes such as new leaf appearance and growth, autumn leaf changes, and fallen leaves. The participants’ moods and physiological states were first evaluated in an indoor environment; a second evaluation was conducted after contact with the forest. The color visual information of the forest environment was analyzed through color extraction from photographs taken each survey day. The participants’ moods and physiological states were measured using the Korean Profile of Mood States-Brief and a heart rate variability measuring device, respectively. Changes in the forest experience according to the season had an effect on university students’ mood states. In particular, the effects of the spring forest experience included the relaxation of tension and the activation of vigor. This result is considered to be influenced by factors such as the season’s temperature and the green color, which is predominant in the spring forest. However, no physiological changes were found in the participants according to each season. The results of this study can lead to greater consideration of the role of color in urban forest planning for universities and other public spaces.

Agaricus bisporus is a globally cultivated mushroom with high economic value. Despite its widespread cultivation, commercial button mushroom strains have little genetic diversity and discrimination of strains for identification and breeding purposes is challenging. Molecular markers suitable for diversity analyses of germplasms with similar genotypes and discrimination between accessions are needed to support the development of new varieties. To develop cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPs) markers, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mining was performed based on the A. bisporus genome and resequencing data. A total of 70 sets of CAPs markers were developed and applied to 41 A. bisporus accessions for diversity, multivariate, and population structure analyses. Of the 70 SNPs, 62.85% (44/70) were transitions (G/A or C/T) and 37.15% (26/70) were transversions (A/C, A/T, C/G, or G/T). The number of alleles per locus was 1 or 2 (average = 1.9), and expected heterozygosity and gene diversity were 0.0–0.499 (mean = 0.265) and 0.0–0.9367 (mean = 0.3599), respectively. Multivariate and cluster analyses of accessions produced similar groups, with F-statistic values of 0.134 and 0.153 for distance-based and model-based groups, respectively. A minimum set of 10 markers optimized for accession identification were selected based on high index of genetic diversity (GD, range 0.299–0.499) and major allele frequency (MAF, range 0.524–0.817). The CAPS markers can be used to evaluate genetic diversity and population structure and will facilitate the management of emerging genetic resources.

Plant resources are used as raw materials in various industries related to humans, such as edible, medicinal, taste, and flavor industries, depending on processes such as drying, processing, and collection period. In this study, we investigated the terpene compound composition and antioxidant activity of essential oils extracted from the needles of Pinus densiflora, Pinus koraiensis, Abies holophylla, and Juniperus chinensis collected in the harvest period (February, April, July, and October) planted on the campus of Chungbuk National University. The essential oil was separated by hydrodistillation. According to the analysis results of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, the terpene compounds changed depending on the season and tree species. The proportions of monoterpene and sesquiterpene classes in the needles of P. densiflora, P. koraiensis, A. holophylla, and J. chinensis changed depending on the harvest period. The antioxidant activity by DPPH and ABTS assays varied depending on the species and seasons, and needles harvested from P. koraiensis showed the highest activity in all harvest periods. High antioxidant activity has been confirmed even at low concentrations in pine trees, so it is expected to play a role as a natural antioxidant. Additionally, since the composition of terpene compounds varies depending on the harvesting time and species, it is expected to have various uses in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) play crucial roles in the physiology and development of plants. In the model plant Arabidopsis, BR signaling is initiated at the level of membrane receptors, BRASSINOSTEROIDS INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1) and BRI1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE 1 (BAK1) complex, thus activating the transcription factors (TFs) BRASSINAZOLE RESISTANT 1/BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR 1 (BZR1/BES1) to coordinate BR responsive genes. BRASSINOSTEROIDS INSENSITIVE 2 (BIN2), glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) like-kinase, negatively regulates BZR1/BES1 transcriptional activity through phosphorylation-dependent cytosolic retention and shuttling. However, it is still unknown whether this mechanism is conserved in Panax ginseng C. A. Mayer, a member of the Araliaceae family, which is a shade-tolerant perennial root crop. Despite its pharmacological and agricultural importance, the role of BR signaling in the development of P. ginseng and characterization of BR signaling components are still elusive. In this study, by utilizing the Arabidopsisbri1 mutant, we found that ectopic expression of the gain of function form of PgBZR1 (Pgbzr1-1D) restores BR deficiency. In detail, ectopic expression of Pgbzr1-1D rescues dwarfism, defects of floral organ development, and hypocotyl elongation of bri1-5, implying the functional conservation of PgBZR1 in P. ginseng. Interestingly, brassinolide (BL) and BRs biosynthesis inhibitor treatment in two-year-old P. ginseng storage root interferes with and promotes, respectively, secondary growth in terms of xylem formation. Altogether, our results provide new insight into the functional conservation and potential diversification of BR signaling and response in P. ginseng.

This study evaluated the physicochemical characteristics and storage stability (at 0, 3, and 7days) of hybrid beef patties with different amount of shiitake mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) added. Shiitake mushrooms contain healthy ingredients such as ergosterol and β-glucan. Four proportions of shiitake mushrooms were added to beef patties (T1, 20, T2, 40, T3, 60, T4, 80) as a substitute for beef and compared with a control group (CON 0). Chemical composition, water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss, pH, color, texture profile analysis, and sensory properties of the products were compared on day 0. As a storage stability experiment, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total microbial count were compared (0, 3, and 7days). The results revealed that replacement with shiitake improved the WHC and cooking loss of patties but had a negative effect on sensory properties and storage stability. These results indicate that shiitake mushrooms can be added along with beef to produce hybrid patties; however, the usage amount must be considered.

Lentinula edodes is a globally important edible mushroom species that is appreciated for its medicinal properties as well as its nutritional value. During commercial cultivation, a mycelial brown film forms on the surface of the sawdust growth medium at the late vegetative stage. Mycelial film formation is a critical developmental process that contributes to the quantity and quality of the mushroom yield. However, little is known regarding the genetic underpinnings of brown film formation on the surface of mycelial tissue. A novel causal gene associated with the formation of the mycelial brown film, named ABL (Abnormal browning related to light), was identified in this study. The comparative genetic analysis by dihybrid crosses between normal and abnormal browning film cultivars demonstrated that a single dominant allele was responsible for the abnormal mycelium browning phenotype. Whole-genome sequencing analysis of hybrid isolates revealed five missense single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ABL locus of individuals forming abnormal partial brown films. Additional whole-genome resequencing of a further 16 cultivars showed that three of the five missense SNPs were strongly associated with the abnormal browning phenotype. Overexpression of the dominant abl-D allele in a wild-type background conferred the abnormal mycelial browning phenotype upon transformants, with slender hyphae observed as a general defective mycelial growth phenotype. Our methodology will aid the future discovery of candidate genes associated with favorable traits in edible mushrooms. The discovery of a novel gene, ABL, associated with mycelial film formation will facilitate marker-associated breeding in L. edodes.