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| The biology group consists of four researchers. At the group, we are working
on two major themes: plant breeding with ion-beams, and the development
of efficient utilization of unused biological resources. |
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◆Plant breeding with ion-beams
The induction of mutations by the irradiation of ion-beams has attracted
attention recently as a new method for plant breeding. Ion-beams are produced
by accelerating charged atoms by the accelerator. It has been found that
high mutation rates and wide variations of mutation, which is difficult
to achieve by the past methods with X-ray or gamma-rays, can be obtained
by applying such beams as a mutagen.
Our group has carried out breeding research using ion-beam irradiation
in collaboration with Fukui Agricultural Experiment Station and Fukui Prefectural
University, and succeeded in producing the self-compatible buckwheat strain
with larger crops to be expected, and new ‘Koshihikari’ strain, a brand
of rice, which has a shorter plant height than that of an original strain
and hardly falls down even in bad weather.
And now, we are working on plant breeding including an African violet applicable
to maintenance-free ornament plants in vitro, the tomato which is easily
grown and hardly cracks, the petunia which has high ornamental value, etc…
in collaboration with universities and companies both inside and outside
Fukui Prefecture.
Plant breeding with ion-beams has a short history, and there are a number
of unknown aspects about the mechanism of mutation. We consider that the
elucidation of the mechanism will lead to the improvement of the plant
breeding with ion-beams. Therefore, we are studying on the mechanism of
mutation induced by ion-beam irradiation, mainly paying attentions to the
damage formation on DNA and its repairing mechanisms by means of gene-engineering
and cytochemical methods.
Arrow incicates a fragmented chromosome after the irradiation.
Areas of damaged DNA are depicted as green fluorescent on the background
red fluorescent of DNA molecule.
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◆Efficient utilization of unused biological resources
Humans have depended for a large portion of their energy resources and
industrial raw materials on fossil fuels. However, alternatives for fossil
fuels are strongly required now due to the issues of resource depletion
and global warming by excessive CO2 release.
The woody biomass including construction wood wastes and thinned wood has
been rarely utilized in spite of its potential as energy resources. Furthermore,
plants and microorganisms synthesize a variety of chemicals to accumulate
in the bodies in their biogenic process, and it has been found that many
of these can be utilized as energy resources or industrial raw materials.
Our group has focused attention on these unused biological resources, and
worked on their utilization in two ways. One is the development of methods
for conversion of woody biomass to the energy resource like, such as ethanol,
by breaking down and digesting them through chemical and biological processes.
And the other is the creation of plants and microorganisms growing on eutrophied
lakes and ponds for remediating the eutrophic status and producing fuels
and industrial raw materials.
The color of medium is discolored red in the right Petri dish containing
a certain kind of fungus which breaks down cellulose. |
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Other research themes
- Elucidation of salt-tolerance mechanism of saltworts
- Evaluation of high-level gamma-irradiation by electron spin resonator (ESR)
- Elemental analysis by LA-ICP-MS
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