GYEONGSANGBUK-DOAGRICULTURAL RESEARCH& EXTENSION SERVICES

The Bioresources Research Institute is located along National Route 5, approximately 14 kilometers along the highway to Yeongju from Andong. Founded as the Northern Sub Branch Station of the Rural Development Administration in 1974, the Center’s early research focused on local adaptability tests for various crop types (rice, beans, etc.) and studies on the selection of government-recommended breeds. In 1992, research began on Chinese yam, a specialized crop of the northern Gyeongsangbuk-do region.

The Center has multiple primary responsibilities: breed improvement and enhancement of cultivation technologies for food crops and cash crops grown in northern Gyeongsangbuk-do, development of technologies for storage, processing and utilization of local specialized produce, production and distribution to farms of outstanding breeds of locally-adapted crops, and agricultural application of bioengineering technologies.

Research focuses on the following areas: development of superior strains and breeds of locally-adapted rice and sesame seeds; specialized research on Chinese yam, the primary crop of the northern Gyeongsangbuk-do region; collecting and studying characteristics of genetic resources; and development of agricultural bioengineering technologies. Research on the agricultural use of genetic engineering technologies focuses on Chinese yam and beans, particularly on transformation and transformed plants as well as the development of control technologies for pigment-related gene expression. Research on the use and conversion into mass-cultivated crops focuses on growth of virus-free Chinese yam and production of registered seeds, development of technology that freezes plants conducive to clonal propagation (Chinese yam, peony, etc.) at ultra-low temperatures, and the collection, evaluation and preservation of genetic resources on disappearing traditional crops (millet, sorghum, buckwheat, etc.). Research on production and enhancement of added value for locally specialized produce focuses on the development of cultivation technologies and the cultivation of various breeds to enhance the quality of Chinese yam, development of processed foods based on Chinese yam, development of safe long-term storage technologies for Chinese yam, and cultivation and development of related technologies for high-functioning sesame seeds. Research on the development of outstanding breeds of major crops involves joint research on the cultivation of new breeds of rice and sesame seeds.