Abstract

Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University was reorganized as center-of-excellence in the fields of Plant Genetic Resources and Plant Stress Science on 1st April, 2010. The history of our institute from private agricultural institute, named “Ohara Institute for Agricultural Research” founded by Ohara Magosaburo, entrepreneur in Kurashiki in 1914 is summarized and the outline for promotion of the international collaboration for utilizing the research results of the research institute globally is introduced. Particularly, “Establishment of crop stress science network for increase of food production in Eastern Africa” in “Asia Africa Science Platform Program” of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science was started since 2010 and the international exchange program between Okayama Universtity and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya has been conducted. The exchange program has been promoted for “Development and application of the next generation crops in the Eastern Africa” by using many useful genetic resources and crops, cultivation technology, and remarkable research activities for stress responses of crops which the Institute and Faculty of Agriculture, Okayama University has been achieved.