The European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) proposed this day in the autumn of 2011 as a day for everyone across the world to think about the importance of plants, and since 2012, has designated May 18th every year as international “Fascination of Plants Day”.

In Japan, plant-related academic societies have been sponsoring events in honor of International Plant Day. Plant research is related to various fields such as agriculture, horticulture, forestry, paper, textiles, chemicals, energy, and pharmaceuticals, and plants are also essential in providing a suitable environment for all living things.

In the 5th Medium to Long-Term Plan (FY2021-2025), JIRCAS has started to pursue projects related to the environment and food systems with the aim of developing agricultural technologies for climate change, resource recycling and environmental conservation, developing technologies towards building a new food system with improved productivity, sustainability and resilience, and strengthening function as an international hub for providing strategic information on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and mobilizing new research partnerships.

JIRCAS has also constructed many databases and published online illustrated books on plants, which have contributed in dissemination of basic information to many researchers in Japan and abroad. At the Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF) in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, we are also pursuing the conservation of many genetic resources of tropical fruit trees, such as mango and passion fruit, which have become popular in Japan in recent years and can be utilized domestically for evaluation and breeding research.

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Reference

Tropical Fruits Research at TARF
https://www.jircas.go.jp/ja/program/program_d/blog/20200409

Contributor: KANAMORI Norihito (Information and Public Relations Office)