Current Situation of Vegetable Production and Research in Japan

Tropical agriculture research series : proceedings of a symposium on tropical agriculture researches
ISSN 03889386
NII recode ID (NCID) AA00870529
Full text
In Japan, areas where vegetables are produced have expanded from the periphery of big cities to more distant areas to provide a large amount of fresh vegetables to the urban population. At the same time the scale of operation has been enlarged along with the improvement of the marketing structure, which is mainly associated with the development of the transportation system. Besides, the development of new cultivars and cultivation methods adapted to the various climatic zones of Japan has contributed to the promotion of vegetable cultivation over wide areas and in various seasons. As a result, the supply of main vegetables has become possible at any time of the year.
1. Recent statistics of vegetable production show that the planted area covers 600 thousand hectares, the production amounts to 16.5 million tons, and the yield to 25 -27 tons/hectare. However, one of the main constraints is the instability of the production mainly caused by the changes in the meteorological conditions. Although the amount of consumption has remained stable at 110 kg/person/year for a decade, consumer demand for various kinds of vegetables with good quality is increasing.
2. To meet such requirements, it is important to improve the quality of and increase the number of cultivars, to diversify the kinds of vegetables produced, stabilize production, and develop an appropriate distribution system. Therefore, research deals with the following aspects : evaluation and utilization of genetic resources, development of new breeding methods and propagation of strains by the use of biotechnology, analysis of physiological and ecological characteristics of cultivars and control of their growth, control of the environment in the greenhouse, control of pests, preservation and improvement of soils, prevention and control of natural disasters, etc. Besides, research for the development of methods to evaluate and preserve the quality of vegetables after harvest is also being promoted.
Date of issued
Creator Akira Kotani
Publisher Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
Volume 23
spage 74
epage 77
Language eng

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