JIRCAS maintains diverse genetic resources of sugarcane, indica rice, tropical fruit trees, and Brachiaria (tropical grass) at the Tropical Agriculture Research Front in Ishigaki Island, a subtropical environment. These tropical crops play an important role as food, energy production, calorie and nutrient sources, cash crops, and fodder in the production areas. Amid concerns about global climate change, sustainable and stable production of these crops is an urgent issue. The introduction of tropical crops and their cultivation and dissemination technologies is expected to be one of the measures to combat global warming in Japan, and will contribute to the expansion of production areas and diversification of food and nutrient sources.

This project aims to create a shared resource of information, technology and materials, and contribute to the promotion of sustainable production under unstable environmental conditions, as well as production and utilization in Japan through the research networking of tropical crop genetic resources to share issues with domestic and overseas organizations, and development of varieties and technologies that take advantage of the diversity.

• Organization of diversity information and establishment of collaboration for advanced utilization of genetic resources
• Development of evaluation methodologies and functional analysis of genetic resources
• Development of new varieties and breeding materials using genetic resources, and development of cultivation techniques for utilization
• Domestic research collaboration to promote the utilization of genetic resources

Thailand, Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, Japan (and other countries/regions covered through external project collaborations)

Farmers in the target area, staffs of technical extension offices, local government and administrative agencies, research institutions for agriculture and genetic resources, seed suppliers, processors, international organizations, etc.

YAMANAKA Shinsuke (Tropical Agriculture Research Front)