Gyeongbuk Agricultural Research & Extension Services Achieves 14 Years of Soybean Breeding Success... New Varieties, Green-Seeded Black Soybeans 'Saebaram' and 'Gyeongheukcheong' Developed

National Seed Management Office Variety Protection Registration and National Variety List Inclusion

Comparison of Saebaram, Gyeongheukcheong, and Cheongja No.3 (from left to right).

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Gwi-yeol] The Gyeongbuk Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Services has registered two varieties of dark green black soybeans, ‘Saebaram’ and ‘Gyeongheukcheong,’ which were developed in-house, for the first time at the National Seed Management Office.

This achievement marks a milestone 14 years after starting soybean breeding in 2009 and is expected to significantly contribute to improving soybean self-sufficiency rates.

To address the issues of lodging and late maturity in traditional Seoritae soybeans and to complement the shortcomings of cultivated varieties, Saebaram was crossbred in 2011 between Seonheukkong and RCS 640 (a black Seoritae soybean collected from farms), while Gyeongheukcheong was crossbred between RCS 640 and Geomjeongsaeol soybeans.

After undergoing a two-year productivity verification test starting in 2015, Saebaram was named Gyeongbuk No. 5 and Gyeongheukcheong Gyeongbuk No. 6 (line names), and regional adaptability tests were conducted for three years from 2017.

Subsequently, in 2019, the Rural Development Administration’s New Variety Selection Committee designated them as newly registered varieties and named them Saebaram and Gyeongheukcheong.

Dark blue seed.

In 2020, applications for plant variety protection were filed with the National Seed Management Office (No. 182 and No. 154, respectively), and they underwent a two-year cultivation inspection at the Gyeongnam branch of the National Seed Management Office.

Thereafter, Saebaram was registered for plant variety protection (No. 9155) and listed in the National Variety Catalog (2022-5) on July 29 of this year, while Gyeongheukcheong was registered for plant variety protection (No. 9065) and listed in the National Variety Catalog (2022-1) on June 13.

Key characteristics of Saebaram include a mid-late maturity date of October 27 and a seed weight of 43g per 100 seeds, classifying it as an extremely large-seeded, dark green, powdery black soybean (with white powder on the seed coat).

Although it grows tall at 75cm, it is resistant to lodging, and the height at which pods grow is high, making it advantageous for combine harvesting. It is also resistant to blight, viruses, and black root rot.

Additionally, its deep green interior contains high levels of chlorophyll and lutein, which are beneficial for eye health.

In productivity tests, Saebaram yielded 408kg per 10a (300 pyeong) in productivity verification tests and 280kg in nationwide regional adaptability tests, showing 50% and 9% higher yields respectively compared to the standard variety, Cheongja No. 3, a dark green black soybean.

Cheongja No. 3 is a light-region variety that can be cultivated nationwide as a dark green black soybean.

Gyeongheukcheong matures earlier, around October 21, with a seed weight of 36g per 100 seeds, classifying it as a large-seeded, dark green, powdery black soybean.

It grows somewhat taller at 83cm but is relatively resistant to lodging. The pod height is 17cm, higher than existing dark green black soybean varieties developed by the Rural Development Administration, making it favorable for mechanical harvesting.

It is resistant to blight, viruses, and black root rot, but if not harvested on time, pod shattering may occur slightly, so timely harvesting is necessary.

Its yield is 401kg per 10a (300 pyeong) in productivity verification tests and 287kg in nationwide regional adaptability tests, showing 54% and 12% higher yields respectively compared to the standard variety Cheongja No. 3.

The Agricultural Research and Extension Services has been supporting the rapid distribution and cultivation expansion of Saebaram and Gyeongheukcheong black soybeans by selecting specialized complexes in the Andong and Gumi regions’ leading soybean farming groups and providing 100kg of basic soybean seeds annually from 2020 to 2023.

In these specialized complexes, research to promote the use of new varieties and demonstration projects are being conducted, along with on-site consulting covering cultivation techniques, pest and disease control, and threshing from sowing to harvest, providing great assistance to farmers.

Shin Yong-seup, Director of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Services, said, “For the first time in 14 years of soybean breeding at our institute, we have registered plant variety protection and listed varieties in the National Variety Catalog at the National Seed Management Office.” He added, “We plan to produce and distribute seeds so that the newly developed varieties can be cultivated not only in Gyeongbuk but also by soybean farmers nationwide.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.