The Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO(KARC/NARO) has developed a new sugarcane variety "Yaenoushie" for forage use derived from a native wild species (Saccharum spontaneum) in Japan. This new variety is characterized by its extremely strong resistance to smut disease. It also has a good resistance to lodging thereby it could facilitate shortening of time required for harvesting using combine harvester. This variety could also help in increasing the production and self-sufficiency of feeds for livestock farmers in the Nansei Islands where the land area is limited. Cultivation of the "Yaenoushie" sugarcane variety has already started in Nanjo City, Okinawa Prefecture.Read more

Introducing a gene that increases the number of grains of a high-yielding rice variety into the conventional variety Koshihikari by cross breeding resulted in a significant increase in yield under conditions of high CO2 concentration. This research may contribute to the development of high yielding varieties suitable for cultivation under increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations predicted in the near future.Read more

The Kazusa DNA Research Institute and Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China Agricultural University, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology, and Rural Development Administration of Korea established the first high-density genetic map of hexaploid sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) using SNP markers identified by double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing based on next-generation sequencing technology. The sequence reads were aligned onto the reference genome sequence of wild type Ipomoea trifida, a likely diploid ancestor of sweetpotato and were used to detect the difference in the sequence between the two genomes. The results will provide basic information for comprehensive analysis of the hexaploid sweet potato genome and for breeding of improved sweet potato cultivars. Read more.

The KARC has developed an innovative production system in greenhouse horticulture for achieving high year-round yield and low-cost production. The facilities for a closed type plant factory and semi-closed type plant factory were constructed at the Kurume campus of the KARC funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). Research for low-cost and/or high value-added production of strawberry, leaf lettuce and sprouts is conducted at these facilities. This high-yield and high-quality production system for greenhouse vegetables can achieve 50% labor saving and 30% yield growth as compared with the current cultivation practices in Japan. Read more (in Japanese only).