Dr. SASAKI Kazuhiro (Senior Researcher, Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division) and his co-authors received the Best Paper Award for their research article, titled "Effect of drought stress on flowering characteristics in rice (Oryza sativa L.): a study using genotypes contrasting in drought tolerance and flower opening time", at the 257th Meeting of the Crop Science Society of Japan (CSSJ).
On Monday, February 19, 2024, 58 young agricultural trainees from Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines visited JIRCAS. The trainees were divided into two groups for an introduction to JIRCAS research (indoor lecture) and an outdoor tour at the Hachimandai Experimental Field.
The work of development economists is sometimes compared to that of a doctor. This is because it is like writing a "prescription" for poverty reduction. Indeed, the process of listening to farmers (i.e., interviewing), conducting surveys (i.e., medical examination), and suggesting ways to improve their lives (i.e., writing prescriptions) may be similar to the work of a doctor. However, farmers do not come to us for consultation (=see the doctor). I would like to talk about the deeper reason why we go all the way to the field to listen to the farmers.
The JIRCAS research on the “Development of resilient crops and production technologies” is also linked to the “Research on production of crops adapted to the space environment”.
Tomorrow is Soybean Day, a celebration deeply rooted in the Japanese tradition of “setsubun”, which is observed as the day before the arrival of spring. In commemoration of Soybean Day, today's feature highlights the importance of soybeans in Japan and around the world. The spotlight extends to ongoing soybean research at JIRCAS, offering insights into the crop's status and impact.
On December 1, 2023, JIRCAS hosted a hybrid official TICAD 30th anniversary side event, "Toward Building Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems in Africa". We are pleased to announce that the video of the seminar is now available on the JIRCAS website. Please take a look.
Tillering in rice and other cereal crops is an important trait for determining panicle number, but it is also a trait that can be easily affected by unstable environments such as climate change and nutrient deficiencies. The MP3 gene, recently discovered at JIRCAS, has been shown to promote tillering and moderately increase panicle number even in such unstable environments, and is expected to be a useful technology for sustainable food production.