Research activities
Tropical Bioresources Lab.
International Sago Palm Project for food security improvement
Agricultural food production must increase by 70% globally to feed the world's population that is projected to reach 9 billion by
2050. Faced with increasingly serious challenges to food security, including climate change and diminishing underground resources
such as oil and phosphorus, it is more important than ever to improve agricultural production and productivity in a sustainable manner
while minimizing post-harvest biomass losses. Our research group is focusing on sago palms that grow naturally in the Southeast Asianand South Paciﬁc regions.
This palm adapts well to infertile, acid soils or brackish-water regions that are
generally unsuited for crop cultivation. Additionally, it can store about 300 kg of starchin its trunk. Sago is a staple food for local residents, and is also used in food products
like biscuits and noodles. In Japan, sago starch is used for dusting when making udon,
as an ingredient in allergen-free or hypoallergenic foods, and as a substance capableof suppressing post-meal glucose spikes. With only 10% of wild and semi-cultivatedsago palm stands currently harvested, there is signiﬁcant potential for further
exploitation of this economically valuable plant.
Our laboratory is committed to developing stable cultivation techniques for sago
palm by elucidating the mechanisms underlying its environmental stress tolerance,
enabling eﬃcient seedling production, and utilizing useful microorganisms such as
nitrogen-ﬁxing fungi and mycorrhizal fungi.
(Hiroshi EHAHRA)

Survey conducted at the Sago Palm Pilot
Farm located in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Evaluation of root adaption to soil environments with water and nutrient stress in rice
To establish stable and sustainable crop production under unfavorable
soil environments is an important issue. As a trait related to crop stress
tolerance, in recent years attention has been focused on root traits, whichhave been retrenched requiring a great deal of time and eﬀort. The rootsystem architecture and anatomy change in response to changing soilenvironments. We are undertaking research on root system structure and its
physiological function for adaption to soil environmental stress such as
drought and nitrogen deﬁciency, mainly focusing on rice. We are also
investigating the methods for evaluating root traits from hydroponic
conditions to soil culture conditions using root box and tubes.
(Mana KANO-NAKATA)
Overall view of the rice plant's root structure (left) andmicroscopic view of the transverse section of a rice plant's root.

Genetic Information for Bioresources Lab.
Elucidating the environmental stress avoidance mechanism in plants
Under drought stress conditions, plants expand their rootzones to increase water absorption in an attempt to maintaintheir above - ground grow th. However, the capabilit y tomaintain the above-ground growth in drought conditions
varies signiﬁcantly across diﬀerent pl ant varieties . Fo r
exa m p l e, s o m e ri ce va ri eti es ex p e ri e n ce si g n i ﬁ c a ntly
compromised growth, while others maintain relatively betterg row t h o f t h ei r a b ove - g ro u n d p a r t s , a s s h ow n i n t h ephotographs to the right. We have initiated research toelucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying the variation indrought avoidance capabilities among diﬀerent rice varieties
and are, albeit gradually, beginning to discover some of theloci that may be key to developing drought-resistant varieties.

Diﬀering drought avoidance capabilities observed in diﬀerent rice varieties.
(Left) Variety with lower drought avoidance capability,(Right) Variety with higher drought avoidance capability.

03 International Center for Research and Education in Agriculture（ICREA）, Nagoya University

Genetic improvement of rice to secure stable rice production in unfavorable environments.
In addition to the conventional cross breeding and mutation breeding technologies, novel breeding techniques, such as quantitativetrait locus (QTL) analysis (which identiﬁes QTLs associated with stress tolerance) and marker-assisted selection (MAS) (which canquickly and accurately identify the presence of a speciﬁc quantitative trait locus) are now available to breed improved rice varieties
with a greater eﬃciency, thanks to the recent research advancements in the ﬁeld of agricultural sciences. Novel techniques, such as
next generation sequencing (NGS) (which quickly and inexpensively provides genome-wide genetic information on living organisms)
and new plant breeding techniques (NBT) (new approach to genome editing) have also been developed. We are using theset e c h n o l o g i e s to a c h i e v egenetic improvement of ricewith the goal of securing
stable rice p ro du c tio n inunfavorable environments.
(Yoshiaki INUKAI)

Growth inhibition of rice underunfavorable environments

Research activities for development of new rice varieties
with tolerance to environmental stresses

Practical Studies in Africa Lab.
Improvement of rice productivity under environmental stressconditions in Africa
In many sub-Saharan African countries, it is fundamental to boost rice production because theincreased rice consumption exceeds the growth in domestic rice production. However, rice yields in
sub-Saharan Africa have remained low due to various biotic and abiotic stresses. The Laboratory ofCold weather damage
onrice panicles (Mwea, Kenya)

Practical Studies in Africa is making comprehensive eﬀorts to increase and stabilize rice yield undersuch unfavorable environments. Our research activities include development of new varieties suitable
for the local environments, evaluation of gene-expression and local adaptability of rice varieties
carrying useful genes/QTL, development of cultivation technologies to maximize the potential of rice
varieties, elucidation of socio-economic conditions for technology dissemination.
https://rice-africa.agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp/
Photosynthesis measurement ina paddy ﬁeld (Mwea, Kenya)

Combatting root-parasitic weed Striga using suicide germination stimulant in Africa
The root-parasitic weed Striga hermonthica has been causing huge problems on cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa. Striga
seeds germinate in response to plant hormones called strigolactones released from the roots of host plants, and then infest the host.
In the absence of host plants, Striga dies within 4 days after germination. Recently, our collaborators developed a Striga-selective
suicide germination stimulant called Sphinolactone-7 (SPL7). It can induce germination of Striga without host plants. The Laboratory ofPractical Studies in Africa is working with researchers inside and outside our university to develop aStriga control method using SPL7. Our research activities include veriﬁcation of the eﬀects of SPL7,
evaluation of the genetic diversity of Stiga, and elucidation of socio -economic conditions fortechnology dissemination.
(Daigo MAKIHARA)

Maize infested with Striga(a plant with purple ﬂowers) in Kenya

International Center for Research and Education in Agriculture（ICREA）, Nagoya University04