On Sept. 3rd, 2013, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, paid a visit to NARO.
Outline of the visit
Tsukuba Agriculture Research Hall
NARO president Takeshi Horie gave a general description of NARO. (From right to left) President Horie, Minister Hayashi, Director General Hirotsugu Amemiya of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council.
Minister Hayashi inspected the new cultivars and latest technologies developed by NARO. (Photo) Products made from the new barley cultivar "Buau Fiber," which contains β-glucan, whose physiological function reduces blood cholesterol concentrations, etc.
The Minister inspects the new "FOEAS" water control system, equipped with underdrains, for both irrigation and drainage. The system minimizes waterlogging and drought effects, and enables high yields of barley and soybean.
The Minister inspects a strawberry picking robot which uses a camera to analyze fruit color, and picks only ripe strawberries, without causing damage.?
List of other new cultivars and latest technologies which the Minister inspected:
Rice cultivars
- NIKOMARU: high yield rice with good eating quality even in warm climates
- AKIDAWARA: high yield rice with taste as good as KOSHIHIKARI (the most popular Japanese rice cultivar)
- TACHISUZUKA: forage rice which is easy to digest and highly nutritive
Barley cultivars
- YUMECHIKARA: wheat for growing in the Hokkaido region (northern Japan), which can be made into the highest quality bread
- YUMESHIHOH: wheat for growing in the temperate Kanto region (central Japan), for making bread
Other cultivars
- KINUSAYAKA: soybeans for making plain and mild soymilk and tofu
- KURODAMARU: large black soybeans, good for growing in the Kyushu region (southern Japan)
- KONAMIZUKI: epoch-making sweet potato for making starch
- Shohchu (a clear liquor) made from purple sweet potato
- SHINE MUSCAT: grape with large fruit and edible skin
- NATSUAKARI: strawberry which is good for eating raw even in summer and fall
- ANOMINORI: eggplant which does not need pollination or hormone treatment
- HARUMIDORI: green tea with a later picking season than conventional cultivars, enabling farmers to avoid concentration of harvest labor
New techniques, technologies and products
- Yogurt with lactic acid bacterium "H61", good for anti-aging
- Animal repelling technique ?which stands at the animal and farmer's eye level
- Postharvest technology for extending the vase life of cut flowers, enabling long-life warranty sales.
- Multifunctionality of agriculture and rural communities ?
NARO Agricultural Research Center(NARO/ARC)
An unmanned rice-planting robot, which can transplant and simultaneously apply fertilizer and herbicide.?
National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH)
Minister inspects research of animal influenza such as an eyedropper vaccine for chiken and was given overview of the research facility rated as the bio safety level 3(facility to highly contain virus )
National Institute of Food Research (NFRI)
The Minister inspects research of food functionality of green tea, purple sweet potato, citrus etc. Minister also tasted various products with food functionality.
