We investigated the seedling emergence of rice seeds direct-sown in submerged soil. Germinated seeds with 0.4 to 1.4mm coleoptiles were placed at 1, 2, or 3 cm beneath the submerged soil surface in a growth chamber kept at 15 or 25°C. In the field, seeds held on seeder-tape were placed at 2 cm beneath the soil surface with a tape seeder. Cultivar Ta Hung Ku, from China, proved to be a new genetic resource, with the highest percentage of seedling emergence. We screened rice lines with a high seedling emergence rate by testing in the growth chamber and in the field. To breed a practical cultivar with good agronomic characters and a high seedling emergence rate, we crossed cv. Dontokoi with Ta Hung Ku. From the hybrid progeny, we selected the lines with a high seedling emergence rate by repeated backcross selection. However, these lines had inferior grain yield and quality, so further attempts at selecting lines with high yield and good grain appearance are necessary.

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This paper briefly introduces an integrated remote-sensing methodology based on MODIS time-series imagery for detecting spatiotemporal changes in Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) farming systems. The integrated methodology consists of six parts, and uses a wavelet-based filter to smooth MODIS-derived time-series indexes (EVI, LSWI, and DVEL) from 2000 to 2008. Through a proposed decision tree using the smoothed indexes, we classified several farming systems, viz., triple rice cropping, two types of double rice cropping, shrimp-rice farming (rotational cropping), and inland aquaculture (monoculture). The MODIS-derived estimate of the total rice-planted area, shrimp-rice farming area, and inland aquaculture area agreed well with statistical data at the province level (R² ≥ 0.96). However, in some provinces, the estimate has a large margin of error, probably because of the mixed-pixel effect due to the moderate spatial resolution of MODIS (250 m). According to the estimated spatial pattern of the farming systems in the whole VMD, inland aquaculture and shrimp-rice farming areas are distributed mostly in the coastal provinces. The areas of the farming systems steadily expanded until 2007, and double rice cropping systems in both upper and coastal regions were replaced by triple rice cropping because of infrastructure improvements. The proportion of the triple rice cropping area peaked in 2005 and then declined steadily over the next 2 years. We discuss the advantage of the proposed methodology for detecting the spatiotemporal changes of land use patterns, especially of farming systems in a regional area.

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We developed a navigation system for agricultural vehicles that displays optimum work paths and guides steering to support precision farming. It comprises navigation sensors, including a GPS receiver and an azimuth sensor, and a PC that processes the inputs and displays the information. It is operated via a game controller. The control software supports configuring functions, adjusting settings, displaying results, and recording and managing information. It has functions appropriate for Japanese agriculture, allowing ease of handling and working across multiple fields. To verify its utility, we simulated work using a tractor fitted with it. It improved both work accuracy and efficiency. We confirmed its utility and ease of handling in actual farming work. Trial sales of the navigation system were begun in 2007.

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To measure the freshness of rice quickly and conveniently, we used a fluorescence imaging method with UV-excitation. The system consists of two UV-A fluorescent lamps and a blue LED with a band-pass filter, a cooled CCD camera with an IR cutoff filter to capture the fluorescence image on a PC, and image processing software for measuring the fluorescence intensity of the image. In a darkened box, sample materials are placed on a stage painted with non-fluorescent, flat black paint to minimize background scattering. Testing stored samples of unhulled rice and brown rice, we found a high correlation between the fluorescence intensity and conventional indices such as free fat acidity and guaiacol reaction. The fluorescence intensity increased as the storage temperature rose or the storage period lengthened. Eating quality decreased significantly as the fluorescence intensity rose. These results show that this system can estimate the loss of eating quality that occurs during storage of rice. Thus, fluorescence intensity could provide an effective and convenient way to evaluate rice quality.

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Rice-Tartary buckwheat is a form of Tartary buckwheat grown and used in place of rice in limited areas of Nepal, Bhutan, and southern China. It has a non-adhering hull that splits longitudinally in three, unlike other Tartary buckwheats, which have an adhering hull that is hard to remove. Information on rice-Tartary buckwheat is limited, and its suitability for crossbreeding is unclear. We reciprocally crossed Tartary and rice-Tartary buckwheats, and backcrossed rice-Tartary-type progeny and Tartary buckwheat. Hybridization using hot-water emasculation was successful, and over half of the hand-pollinated flowers set mature seeds. Segregation analyses revealed that the non-adhering hull is controlled by a single recessive gene. F₂ segregates showed almost no relation between the non-adhering hull and earliness, suggesting that selection for early-maturing non-adhering-hulled plants is feasible. Progeny analysis of a cross between rice-Tartary-type plants and plants with a dark red cotyledon suggested no linkage between the two controlling loci. The rutin concentration in dehulled grain was stable after immersion in water, although that in flour rapidly decreased after the addition of water. Rice-Tartary buckwheat is suitable for crossbreeding with Tartary buckwheat, and the trait of non-adhering hull will allow the use of dehulled grain as a dietary source of rutin.

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To reduce the manufacturing cost of human lysozyme (HLY) and thus spread its use in medicine, we designed, synthesized, and expressed the HLY gene in silkworm larvae by using a baculovirus system. The production of HLY in silkworms was highly efficient. N-terminal sequencing and mass spectrometry showed that it was physicochemically identical to natural HLY. The lytic activity of recombinant HLY in the silkworm hemolymph was 115 and 154 times that in yeast and silkworm cell culture systems.

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We examined 40 accessions of maize collected from Shikoku (36) and Kyushu (4) for 18 characteristics of growth, yield, and ear morphology. Nested ANOVA revealed significant variations among the accessions in most of the characteristics. Principal component analysis of 11 representative characteristics revealed that the first 4 principal components (Eigenvalues › 1) accounted for 75.2% of the total variation. These 4 components indicated earliness of growth, ear morphology, yield ability, and seed size in decreasing order of effects. Using cluster analysis based on the 4 components, we identified at least 8 cultivars, which we tentatively assigned to 5 cultivar groups defined in the 1960s. The accessions from Shikoku are rich in phenotypic variations and include landraces that have not been mentioned before.

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The bacterial blight (BB) resistance gene Xa11 confers resistance in rice to Japanese races IB, II, IIIA, and V of the BB pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Here, we report the mapping of Xa11 by using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS), and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. To detect DNA markers linked to Xa11, we used an Xa11 near-isogenic line, IR-BB11 (in genetic background of IR24), and the susceptible cultivar IR24. The RAPD fragment L19₁₂₀₀, putatively linked to Xa11, was identified. Cloning and sequencing of the L19₁₂₀₀ product indicated that it was held in the Rice Genome Program database as accession number AC097277, and that it occurs on chromosome 3. On the basis of the sequences of L19₁₂₀₀ and the flanking genomic region, we designed CAPS marker KUX11 and selected two SSR markers, RM347 and RM1350, for mapping Xa11. To confirm the putative linkage among Xa11 and the three markers, we conducted linkage analysis using the F₂ population of a cross between IR24 and IR-BB11. Each F₂ plant was inoculated with strain T7156 (race IB) and genotyped with KUX11, RM347, and RM1350. Segregation in the F₂ located Xa11 between the loci of RM347 (2.0 cM) and KUX11 (1.0 cM) on the long arm of chromosome 3. These results should be useful for the marker-assisted selection of Xa11 in breeding programs and for cloning Xa11 by map-based cloning.

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We used aerodynamic technology to develop a ventilation system for a prototype chick incubator. We used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze the internal airflow and distribution of air within the incubator. We used local mean age (LMA) and local mean residual time (LMR) theory to examine the accuracy of the CFD model and to quantify the ventilation efficiency. The largest CFD error was only -3.5%, proving the reliability of the model for studying the ventilation efficiency of the incubator. We also compared the total mass flow rates of the inlet and outlet slots and examined the mass balance of the CFD model. The comparison showed an error of -0.8% at a ventilation rate of 100% and -1.2% at 50%. The CFD results show that the ventilation system improved the ventilation efficiency of the chick incubator. The incoming fresh air was evenly supplied to all cages via a duct and a diffuser installed in the central passageway, and contaminated air was exhausted through the outlet system before being diffused to the cages. The sizes of the inlet and outlet slots were very important in improving the uniformity of ventilation. The angle of the diffuser installed in the ceiling inlet was also critically important in maintaining a uniform air pressure and airflow at the inlet slots.

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Five types of lymphoid neoplasms in calves are described. Four cases with clinicopathologic features of the “calf form of lymphoma” were diagnosed as precursor B or T lymphoblastic leukemia. These neoplasms were positive for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), a marker for immature lymphocytes. The fifth case (thymic B cell lymphoma) was also TdT positive, but was characterized by massive neoplastic involvement of the thymus. The sixth case involved bovine leukemia virus (BLV). As in the majority of previously reported BLV-associated cases, the neoplastic cells expressed CD5, and atypical giant cells were detected. Instead of enzootic bovine leukosis, in which at least two immunophenotypically distinct entities are included, a diagnosis of BLV-associated pleomorphic B-1 B cell lymphoma was made. The last case, involving an epitheliotropic γδ T cell lymphoma, was characterized by epitheliotropism in the gastrointestinal tract and WC1 expression. Since several histologic types of lymphoid neoplasm occur in calves, the term “calf form of lymphoma” should be abandoned for accurate diagnosis.

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We modified a wireless system to measure hippocampal neural activity in pigs, and tested a handmade microdrive for adjusting the tip of the electrode. Under general anesthesia with halothane inhalation we stereotaxically placed tungsten electrodes (5 MΩ) fitted with handmade microdrives in the temporal hippocampus of male Landrace piglets, and fixed a high-input-resistance transmitter (10 MΩ; 1000-fold amplification) to the skull. Oscillation and saturation were evident in the recording system for several days after surgery. When these phenomena ceased, we successfully recorded the hippocampal electrical activity in four of eight piglets. At 5 or 6 days following surgery, hippocampal electrical activity ‹0.15 mV in amplitude was observed in resting piglets during the daytime. In this recording, delta (1.0-3.9 Hz) and theta (4.0-7.9 Hz) waves with large amplitude were frequently predominant. However, these activities often alternated with high-frequency and low-amplitude activity, even while piglets were lying down. Manipulation of the microdrive enabled us to reposition the electrodes in the hippocampus 1 week after surgery. This technical development maintains the electrode within the hippocampus to enable neuronal activity with behavioral correlates to be determined in unrestrained piglets.

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