Academic Staff

The Japanese agriculture is facing its toughest situation yet. The agricultural environment is deteriorating because of global warming and post-earthquake damage such as salt and radioactive contamination. Moreover, the opening of Japan’s agricultural product market after joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership will accelerate the import of Koshihikari from USA and China. To overcome such situations, it is crucial to develop new cultivars superior to Koshihikari, which can adapt to deteriorating conditions and that possess novel traits including low cost and high yielding. The Genomics-assisted Breeding Biotechnology Group examines mutants by genomics and genetic engineering approaches to discover useful genes responsible for favorable traits, such as those that improve cost efficiency, yield (high lodging resistance, large grains, and high biomass), adaptability (maturing characteristics), and stress resistance (heat tolerance during grain ripening and salinity resistance). We then accumulate these genes by genomics-assisted breeding in order to develop novel plant cultivars for the new era. Another research interest is transposons (movable genetic elements), which mediate biological evolution and serve as useful tools in genomics. The Revolver transposon, which generates various noncoding RNAs, is of particular interest as it will provide a clue for understanding genome function. We also aim to develop salt-tolerant transgenic rice by using wheat genes. With the aim of achieving social contribution, we apply the outcomes of genomics research to develop cultivars through the breeding biotechnology. The current Abe government has made innovation a priority as the key in progress of science and technology. We believe that making advances in agriculture is an important theme in green innovation.