Field Information - Pick Up
Search Information Analysis
-
Pick Up1199. Multiple Ratoon Survey of Wild Sugarcane Species Completed! (Takaragawa’s Newsletter vol. 3)
Sugarcane is harvested in winter (or dry season), one to one and a half years after it is newly planted, and then the remaining ‘sprout’ from the plant stubble is grown until the next harvest as ratoon cropping. This method requires less tillage and is more efficient in terms of fertilizer use efficiency than new planting, and is therefore attracting attention as a labor-saving and low-carbon cultivation method. On the other hand, it is also known that multiple ratooning results in a gradual yield decline. With the ageing of producers and expectations for production with less environmental impact, the number of ratooning times is increasing, and there is a strong need for novel cultivation methods and improved varieties that do not reduce productivity even if sugarcane is cropped under multiple ratooning. The sugarcane research team at the Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF) began evaluating wild genetic resources contributing to the improvement of multiple ratooning in the C4 ‘Tropical Crop Resources’ project in April 2021, and completed a harvest survey of the third ratoon cropping in January 2025. -
Pick Up1198. Possibility of Entering a Long-term 1.5°C Warming Period
2024 was announced as the first year to exceed the Paris Agreement's target of 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels. An editorial in Nature Climate Change noted the possibility that, without very ambitious climate mitigation measures, we may not only be in the first year to exceed 1.5°C, but may enter a period in which the average temperature exceeds 1.5°C over a 20-year period. -
Pick Up1197. Mitigating the Environmental Impact of Innovations to Improve Crop Productivity
Innovations in crop breeding by domestic and international agricultural research institutes have not only contributed greatly to increasing the yield of staple crops in developing countries, but also have a significant impact on the environment. A study published in PNAS showed that between 1961 and 2015, crop improvements may have curbed the expansion of cultivated land, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land use, and saved thousands of endangered species. -
Pick Up1196. Impact of Climate Change on Cocoa Production
Cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolate, is facing a decline in yield and quality due to high temperatures that exceed the optimum and changes in rainfall patterns. -
Pick Up1195. The Arctic at +2.7°C Global Warming
With the current national carbon emission reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement, global temperatures are expected to rise by 2.7°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. Man-made climate change is affecting every region around the world, with the Arctic being one of the most affected. A review paper published in Science showed that with a warming of 2.7°C, the Arctic could change beyond recognition in modern times, with far-reaching effects. -
Pick Up1194.World Food Price Index for January 2025
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced the world food price index for January 2025 on February 7. The index averaged 124.9 points, down 1.6% from December, and the decline in the price indices for sugar, vegetable oil, and meat exceeded the increase in the price indices for dairy products and cereals. This figure was 6.2% higher than last year, but 22.0% lower than the all-time high in March 2022. -
Pick Up1193. Importance of Legume Crops in Sustainable Agriculture
February 10th is World Pulses Day. I will introduce the importance of legume crops in sustainable agriculture. -
Pick Up1192. Monthly Temperatures in January 2025 were 1.75°C Higher than Pre-industrial Levels
On February 6, Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) announced that, despite the La Niña phenomenon, January 2025 was the warmest January on record worldwide, 1.75°C higher than pre-industrial levels. -
Pick Up1191. World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025
As we enter February, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) cited the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025 in its newsletter and listed six things to know about 2025. -
Pick Up1190. From JIRCAS Southeast Asia Liaison Office #6: Offerings of Rice Cakes for Chinese New Year
January 29, 2025 was Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is the lunar new year in China, and is also celebrated in Thailand. During Chinese New Year, steamed rice cakes made from glutinous rice flour are eaten as offerings. -
Pick Up1189. Concerns about Global Food and Nutrition Security
Many countries are facing severe data shortages when it comes to tracking progress on food and nutrition security. A blog from the World Bank highlighted five concerning statistics about global food security, emphasizing the importance of data innovation in the fight against hunger. -
Pick Up1188. Ocean-surface Warming Four Times Faster Now than Late-1980s
A new research revealed that global ocean temperatures hit a record high for 450 consecutive days from 2023 to early 2024, and that the rate of ocean warming has more than quadrupled in the past 40 years. -
Pick Up1187. Balancing Land-based Mitigation Strategies with Biodiversity Conservation
In the ongoing global effort to combat climate change, land-based mitigation strategies that utilize plant carbon fixation are currently considered the only scalable way to remove carbon. The study, published in the journal Science, suggested that while the loss of biodiversity associated with afforestation and bioenergy cropping may outweigh the benefits of climate mitigation, reforestation is the most effective in terms of biodiversity conservation. -
Pick Up1186. Nature’s Contribution to People
In recent years, conservation policy and management frameworks have emphasized nature's contribution to humanity (NCP) and have incorporated considerations for its coordination and maintenance and improvement of material and non-material services. Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) defines NCP supported by wildlife as wildlife's contributions to people (WCP) and stressed the need to integrate wildlife conservation into NCP scientific decision-making. -
Pick Up1185. Increasing Frequency and Impacts of Multiyear Droughts
Multiyear droughts (MYDs) are becoming more frequent due to climate change, and the threat to nature and humans is increasing. A paper published in the journal Science identified global MYDs through a time-series and spatially continuous examination of extreme weather events, and showed that MYDs are becoming drier, warmer, and less vegetated. -
Pick Up1184. Building Resilience in a Changing Climate
Planning to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change is essential. Regardless of whether you are a developed or developing country, the threat of rising temperatures and extreme weather events is a real reality around the world. There is an urgent need for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to build climate-resilient societies that enable sustainable, low-inflation growth. -
Pick Up1183. CDR Portfolio towards Net Zero Targets
According to the IPCC, limiting global warming to the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target under the current trend of GHG emissions would necessitate the implementation of carbon dioxide removal (CDR). A paper by MIT researchers showed that portfolios of different CDR technologies can have potentials to effectively achieve net-zero goals while minimizing land, energy, and economic trade-offs while maximizing co-benefits. -
Pick Up1182. Human-Caused Shifts in the Global Water Cycle
In a recently published paper, NASA scientists used nearly 20 years of observational data to confirm that anthropogenic influences in the global water cycle are more significant than previously thought. The majority of the changes are caused by activities such as agriculture, suggesting that they may be affecting ecosystems and water management. -
Pick Up1181. Food Systems Countdown
Food system transformation is necessary to achieve the SDGs, climate change, biodiversity conservation, and many other international goals. The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) analyzed indicators on food system transformation and presented both positive developments, such as improved access to safe water, increased supply of vegetables, and enhanced conservation of animal and plant genetic resources, as well as concerns about the rising cost of healthy eating, the growing number of people experiencing food insecurity, and government accountability challenges. -
Pick Up1180. "Moonshot" Innovations to Eradicate Hunger
On January 14, 153 Nobel Prize and World Food Prize laureates published an open letter calling for financial and political support for the development of "moonshot" technologies with the greatest potential to avert a hunger crisis in the next 25 years.