Kwon Ah-reum, a local agricultural researcher at the Chungnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services (ARES), has been honored with the Science and Technology Excellent Paper Award in recognition of her research achievements in Baeksuo (wilford swallowwort) seedling raising and transplanting technology.

Chungnam ARES announced on the 30th that Researcher Kwon received the honor at the '36th Science and Technology Excellent Paper Award' ceremony held during the 60th-anniversary celebration of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST) at the Korea Science and Technology Center.

The Science and Technology Excellent Paper Award is presented by KOFST to boost the research motivation of domestic scientists and engineers and to disseminate outstanding research achievements. It selects and honors exceptional papers recommended by member academic societies among those published in domestic academic journals the previous year.

Researcher Kwon won the award for her paper titled "Effects of Seedling Tray Cell Number, Seedling Raising Period, and Transplanting Date on Seedling Quality and Root Yield of Baeksuo (Cynanchum wilfordii)."

The paper was published in February last year in Vol. 33, No. 1 of the Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science, co-authored by Researcher Kwon, researchers Jang Won-seok and Seong Bong-jae from Chungnam ARES, and Professor Kwak Sung-hee from Chonbuk National University. This study is significant as it analyzed how the number of cells in seedling trays, the duration of seedling raising, and the transplanting date affect seedling quality and root yield, thereby establishing standardized criteria for stable production.

According to the study results, Baeksuo seedlings exhibited better growth when the tray cell volume was larger and the seedling raising period was longer. Root yield was highest in seedlings raised for over 40 days in 105-cell trays.

Regarding the transplanting date, earlier dates showed a tendency to increase yields, indicating that transplanting in mid-April is advantageous within Chungnam Province. For the April 17 transplanting treatment, the fresh root weight per plant was estimated at approximately 95g, and the yield per 10a at around 309kg.

Baeksuo is a representative medicinal crop whose roots are used for medicinal purposes. Recently, a cultivation method of raising seeds into seedlings before transplanting them to the main field has been increasingly adopted.

However, due to a lack of specific standards regarding seedling tray specifications, duration, and transplanting timing, there was a pressing need to establish practical cultivation techniques applicable for farmers.

The Ginseng and Medicinal Herb Research Institute under Chungnam ARES expects that this study will help produce high-quality seedlings, secure stable yields, and standardize cultivation techniques by clarifying step-by-step management standards from seedling raising to transplanting.

Moving forward, Chungnam ARES plans to develop seedling technologies for other medicinal crops such as milkvetch (hwanggi) and udo (dokhwal), and expand research on stable production technologies to cope with climate change and rural labor shortages.

"This award is a recognition of both the field applicability and academic value of Chungnam's medicinal crop research," Researcher Kwon said. "We will continue to develop practical cultivation techniques that farmers can readily utilize to enhance the competitiveness of Chungnam's medicinal crop industry."

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]