国際植物改良学 (IPADS Plant Improvement)

Plant improvement (breeding) is the key driving force of the agricultural development in the world. A major goal of plant breeding is to develop useful crop cultivars with higher yielding traits and tolerance to various (a)biotic stresses. To this end, the systematic methodologies for targeting plant traits, selecting adapted genotypes, identifying genes or alleles of importance and developing the DNA markers should be focused. Physiological and molecular characterization of the promising genotypes also accelerates the plant breeding processes. The lectures, offered by experts with wide experiences in international research on plant breeding, genetics, genomics and/or molecular physiology will give the whole systemic view of plant improvement.

Prof. Yoshimichi FUKUDA will give students the following lectures.
Prof. Fukuda has conducted international research collaborations for targeting rice breeding study at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) from 1999 to 2004, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) from 2024 to 2022, and the University of the Ryukyus from 2020 to the present time. Through the breeding studies in them, genetic improvements of rice yield and stable rice production have been considered, and various breeding lines and systems have been developed as breeding materials and tools. And he is conducting a SATREPS (JICA-JST) project in Zambia, Africa, as one of the group heads for the establishment of basic technology for breeding in rice. Based on these experiences, He will demonstrate several scientific achievements and discuss the direction of rice agriculture after Green Evolution and feature through the trials in Zambia.

Prof. Yoshiaki UEDA will give students the following lectures.
Crops often experience biotic and abiotic stresses in the fields, which prevents them from achieving their maximum yield potential. To minimize the yield gap and boost crop productivity, it is crucial to understand how plants respond to such stresses and enhance crop resilience. In this lecture, Dr. Ueda will discuss advancements in basic understanding of how plants respond to environmental stresses and how plant science can contribute to enhancing crop productivity. He will also discuss my current research activities in Madagascar to increase tolerance of rice plants towards soil nutrient imbalances such as iron toxicity.