JIRCAS, in collaboration with the Department of Livestock Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand (hereinafter "DLD"), the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, the University of Miyazaki, and Okinawa Prefecture, has developed "Isan," a tropical forage grass variety in the genus Urochloa, for Asia. "Isan" was registered in Japan in August 2021 and in Thailand in July 2024. 

"Isan" is a tropical forage grass with a higher yield (dry matter yield: approximately 20 t/ha) than existing varieties and has good qualities such as strong drought tolerance and high crude protein content. In addition, because it is apomictic (reproduces asexually), it can produce seeds with the same genotype as the mother plant without fertilization, and it also has good early growth and suppresses weeds, making it easy to create highly uniform grazing land or grassland. As it is suitable for low-cost grazing use, it will contribute to the development of the Thai livestock industry, which needs to improve its feeding system that relies heavily on low-nutrient rice straw. 

In the future, "Isan" seeds will be multiplied with the cooperation of DLD for commercial use and will be supplied to both Japan and Thailand. In Japan, the recent rise in feed prices and the summer withering of temperate forage grasses due to global warming have become social issues, so perennial cultivation of “Isan” in the frost-free areas of the Nansei Islands and single-year cultivation of “Isan” in the grasslands from Kyushu to Kanto regions are expected

JIRCAS President　KOYAMA Osamu

Program Director

IIYAMA Miyuki (Information Program)

Principal Investigators

ANDO Shotaro (Research Planning and Partnership Division)
YAMANAKA Shinsuke (Tropical Agriculture Research Front)
KANAMORI Norihito (Southeast Asia Liaison Office)

Press Coordinator

OMORI Keisuke (Head, Information and Public Relations Office)
Press e-mail: koho-jircas@ml.affrc.go.jp

National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)

Principal Investigators

EBINA Masumi (Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science)

Press Coordinator

TAKAHASHI Tomohiro (Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science)
Inquiry: https://www.naro.go.jp/inquiry/index.html

University of Miyazaki

Principal Investigators

AKASHI Ryo (Director)

Press Coordinator

USHIRODA Goshiro (General Affairs Department)

Press e-mail: kouhou@of.miyazaki-u.ac.jp

Okinawa Prefectural Government

Principal Investigators

KOUKI Kaori (Hokubu Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Promotion Center)

Press Coordinator

CHINEN Tsukasa (Animal Husbandry Research Center)

Press e-mail: chinets@pref.okinawa.lg.jp