Clean-up technology for contaminated soil and water with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other pesticides is required. A new aerobic pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB)-degrading bacterium, Nocardioides sp. strain PD653, was isolated from an enrichment culture in an original soil-charcoal perfusion system. Strain PD653 also degraded hexachlorobenzene (HCB) with a liberation of chloride ions to CO₂ under aerobic conditions. It is the first aerobic bacteria capable of mineralizing HCB. Moreover, an aerobic dieldrin-degrading fungus, Mucor sp. strain DDF, was isolated from soil to which endosulfan had been applied annually for many years. Strain DDF degraded dieldrin to 1.01 μM from 14.3 μM during 10-day incubation at 25°C. On the other hand, the application technology remains inadequate for remediating contaminated sites. Therefore, we developed a method to introduce the degrading-bacterial consortium into contaminated soil using a special charcoal material that enriched the soil with a methylthio-s-triazine degrading bacterium and the chloro-s-triazine degrading bacterial consortium CD7. For in situ bioremediation study, the enriched charcoal with CD7 was used at a contaminated site with simazine. The material was effective for preventing penetration of simazine into subsoils and nearby aquatic environments for approximately two years.

View full abstract

We executed an action program to protect riverbanks from erosion for two years in a village in Bangladesh under the JSRDE (Joint Study on Rural Development Experiment) project funded by JICA. This paper describes the physical damage of riverbank erosion and its impact on the villagers, and discusses protection methods derived from existing local technology. We constructed palisades, in the river to protect the riverbank. On the advice of the villagers and other relevant individuals, the palisades were four-sided fences constructed out of bamboo tied vertically and horizontally in a checker pattern and iron boards made from stretched out oil drums. The program of using palisades for two years was successful because palisades were effective not only in protecting the riverbank from erosion but they also accelerated soil sedimentation along the riverside. Moreover, planting vegetation on the riverside to protect from erosion, which is a local technique, was also confirmed to be effective. We emphasize the importance of learning about and positively evaluating existing local technology for rural development programs in developing countries like Bangladesh.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to decrease the labor demands of vegetable harvesting by automatically controlling the vegetable carrier. We developed a prototype of a carrier that had a simple mechanism, but possessed enough functions to follow a vegetable harvester smoothly. The following system automatically controlled starting, acceleration, deceleration, and steering. It was able to follow a cabbage harvester up to a running speed of 0.4 m/s in a performance test on asphalt. It could follow a Welsh onion harvester at 0.02 to 0.04 m/s while providing an effective field capacity of 0.4 to 0.6 a/person·h. The effective field capacity was equal to that of conventional work, but with 20% fewer working hours (e.g., transferring and taking the harvest out). Additionally, the worker did not need to lift the harvest, and could transfer it by moving sidewise because this carrier was able to follow the Welsh onion harvester closely. Compared to a normal carrier without a following system, this carrier reduced the number of times and the distance the workers moved in the field.

View full abstract

The majority of seed sprout-related outbreaks has been associated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. Therefore, it is necessary to find an effective method to inactivate possible pathogenic bacterial populations on the seeds prior to sprouting. In general, sanitizing is more effective in reducing contamination on seeds than on sprouts. A successful seed decontamination treatment must inactivate microbial pathogens while preserving seed viability, germination, and vigor. Seeds vary in sensitivity to antimicrobial agents and other treatments, which determine how well they germinate and grow after treatment. In addition, a treatment that is effective for one type of seed may not be applicable to all types of seeds. Seeds vary in surface features, which may influence how well an antimicrobial agent can access and inactivate pathogens on or in the seed. The use of a number of physical, non-thermal processing technologies, alone or in combination with antimicrobial chemicals, could be useful for seed decontamination. Until now, hot water treatment at 85°C for 40 seconds followed by cooling in cold water for 30 sec and soaking in chlorine water was found effective in inactivating pathogens while preserving seed viability, germination, and vigor. Therefore, hot water treatment could be an effective seed decontamination method for mung bean seeds intended for sprout production.

View full abstract

Carotenoids are yellow, orange, and red pigments that are widely distributed in nature. In plants, carotenoids play important roles in photosynthesis and furnishing flowers and fruits with distinct colors. While most plant leaves show similar carotenoid profiles, containing carotenoids essential for photosynthesis, the carotenoid composition of flower petals varies from species to species. In this review, I present a list of carotenoid composition in the flower petals of various plants and discuss the possible causes of qualitative diversity.

View full abstract

The outcrossing rate of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) between two cultivars was assessed in an experimental field. During flowering (from the end April to the end of May), the wind from the pollen donor (_??_) to the seed parent (_??_) prevailed. The crossing rate (%) of the seed parent decreased as the distance from the pollen donor parent increased; 4.1% at 0.25 m distance, 1.4% at 1 m, 0.4% at 5 m, 0.15% at 10 m, 0.09% at 30 m, and 0.01% at 60 m. In another experiment, the hybridization rate between 55 cultivars of B. rapa (_??_) and B. napus (_??_) cultivars was assessed by placing rapa-planted pots in a napus field. The rate of 55 rapa cultivars ranged from 2% to 50% in the field, which might show the rapa cultivar-differences of crossability between the two species.

View full abstract

Concern has been raised about the importation and transportation of GM B. napus, because feral herbicide-tolerant GM B. napus plants have been found growing around some major seaports in Japan. We should monitor the persistence of these feral B. napus populations including the herbicide-tolerant GM cultivars to prevent the negative impact of GM B. napus on native plant communities. In this study, we examined the plant numbers and the persistence of the B. napus at 19 sites around the Kashima seaport in Japan once a month from July 2004 to December 2005. In the results, the plant numbers ranged from 0 to 202 depending on the sites and/or the seasons. Out of 19 sites, we observed the seed dispersals of B. napus plants at only four sites. Of these four sites, we finally confirmed the self-sustainment of B. napus populations at two sites. Many plants growing at most of the sites disappeared before flower budding due to frequent human disturbances.

View full abstract

To clarify the effect of environmental factors on odonate assemblages in rural reservoir ponds, we surveyed the odonate adults (Zygoptera and Anisoptera) in 70 study ponds in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, during three sampling periods in 2005. Cluster analysis, indicator species analysis (INSPAN), and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) were used in combination to determine the relationship between odonate assemblages and environmental variables, i.e., biotic, physicochemical, and regional variables (the types of land use surrounding the ponds). A total of 41 odonate species were recorded in the study ponds, and 24 of them, excluding rare species, were used for each analysis. The study ponds were classified into six groups, and significant indicator species were selected from four of these groups. Examination of the correlation between each environmental variable and NMDS axes 1 and 2 revealed the profound effects of the presence of forest, paddy field, or open area around the ponds on the indicator species composition of each group. It was also revealed that the aquatic vegetation and forests around the ponds provide desirable conditions for the odonates and, in contrast, concrete revetment has a detrimental effect. These results suggest that the recent decrease of forests around ponds and the reconstruction with concrete revetment will have a negative effect on the odonate assemblages in ponds.

View full abstract

The rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, showed a circadian rhythm in its calling behavior at 25 ± 1 ^oC. Female moths showed calling behavior most frequently 5-7 h into the scotophase under LD 15:9. Female moths at age 4 (days), after entraining at LD 15:9, showed a free-running rhythm for at least two more cycles in continuous darkness. The rhythm was damped out in constant light. The temporal pattern in the calling behavior was affected by different LD cycles (LD 15:9, 12:12, and 9:15), indicating that the rhythm in calling behavior was entrained by the LD cycles. By changing one photoregime condition to another after calling had been initiated, it was shown that C. medinalis females use the light-off signal to phase-set the circadian rhythm of calling behavior. Our results suggest that the rhythm in calling behavior is a circadian rhythm entrained by LD cycles.

View full abstract

Thirty-nine herbarium specimens of Abutilon theophrasti collected between 1883 and 2000 were examined for chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) analysis in order to examine the invasion process by cpDNA haplotype B, which was mixed in imported grain and accidentally introduced into Japan. By using nested PCR, all of the 39 specimen materials prepared were determined to be either of two haplotypes (the total numbers of haplotype A and B were 21 and 18, respectively). The first specimen of haplotype A was the oldest of all the samples; it had been collected in Yamagata in 1883. The collection times of the haplotype A specimens ranged evenly over the surveyed period. The first specimen of haplotype B was also old; it had been collected in Tokyo in 1893. Compared to haplotype A, the collection times of haplotype B concentrated on the 1960s and 1970s. The frequency of haplotype B has significantly increased after 1946 (before 1945: 27.8%; after 1946: 61.9%). These results may suggest that the accidental introduction of haplotype B has been increasing after World War II, reflecting the increase in the amount of grain imports.

View full abstract

Ten different foods containing local Thai vegetables were selected to study their antioxidant and antimutagenic properties. The antioxidant capacity, antimutagenicity, and total phenolic content of methanol extracts obtained from cooked food samples exhibited a wide variation ranging from 24-140 mg vitamin C equivalent/100 g, 53-93% and 35-125 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g. The three foods highest in antioxidant capacity were Kaeng Hoi Bai Chaplu (wild betal curry), Phat Sator (stir-fried petai beans), and Kaeng Pa Gai (mixed vegetables curry). The foods that exhibited an antimutagenicity greater than 85% were Tomkathi Saibua (water lily stalk curry), Kaeng Pa Gai, Kaeng Taipla (southern curry), and Kaeng Lueang Khun (giant taro stem curry). Next, aiming to develop retort pouch food products, the effect of sterilization heat (121°C) on four selected foods was studied. Antioxidant capacity, antimutagenicity, and total phenolic content increased by 0-120%, 13-40%, and 6-54% after sterilization, respectively.

View full abstract

We investigated the combined effects of night-break treatment performed three times per week and subsequent exposure to cold air by opening the greenhouse windows on the growth and quality of December-sown spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). Plant height and fresh weight increased as a result of the night-break treatment, but plant elongation decreased because of the exposure to cold air. On comparing similar-sized harvests, the sugar concentration (Brix value) and L-ascorbic acid level were significantly higher but the nitrate (NO₃^-) level was lower in the combined treatment than in the control plants without the night break and exposure to cold air. These results suggest that the combined method of the night break and subsequent exposure to cold air would be effective to produce high-quality spinach without delaying the harvest.

View full abstract

Ten cases of bovine lymphohematopoietic neoplasms were investigated histologically, histochemically, and immunohistochemically, and were classified into eight histologic types on the basis of the origin and morphology of tumor cells. Case 1, a precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia, was positive for CD79a and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase. Case 2, a thymic B cell lymphoma, was also positive for these markers, but there were cytologic differences between the two cases. Cases 3-5 were diagnosed as pleomorphic B cell lymphomas, which were characterized by cytologic pleomorphism and expression of CD79a and CD5, and were etiologically associated with bovine leukosis virus (BLV). A case of diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the cerebrum (case 6) also showed a positive result for CD79a and CD5. However, the lymphoma was composed of a homogeneous population of large neoplastic cells, and was considered to be unrelated to BLV. The other B cell cases were categorized into immunoblastic (case 7) and lymphoplasmacytic (case 8) lymphomas, in which immunoglobulin-producing lymphoma cells were observed. In a cutaneous γδ T cell lymphoma (case 9), the neoplastic cells cytologically resembled those in case 6, but expressed CD3 and WC1. In case 10, an acute basophilic leukemia, some leukemia cells had intracytoplasmic granules that were metachromatic and tryptase positive but negative for naphthol AS-D chloroacetate esterase. Bovine lymphohematopoietic malignancies are classifiable into discrete histologic types according to immunophenotype. The classification is more scientific than the traditional one, the latter being based on the age of affected animals and/or the site of tumor formation.

View full abstract

We examined non-destructive methodologies for practicalities in monitoring anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from tropical dry-land forest under the influence of various forms of human intervention. Spaceborne SAR withstood comparison with Landsat ETM+ in land cover classification of degraded tropical forest. For measurement of carbon stock and GHG flux per unit land area, the gain-loss method requires both growth rate and removal rate of forest carbon stock. However, the latter has rarely been obtained in tropical forest. For the stock-difference method, permanent sampling plot data can be used to estimate mean carbon stock per unit land area of each forest type. For cyclic land use that includes a clear-cutting stage such as slash-and-burn agriculture, chronosequential changes in carbon stock can be predicted by determining the time and spatial-distribution of cleared land. Changes in forest biomass by logging, storm-damage, etc., may be identified by monitoring the presence and diameter of the crowns of overstory trees. We developed five equations containing the parameter for crown diameter for estimating tree biomass. Overstory height can be a parameter for estimating ecosystem carbon stock of various plant communities, and forest height can be measured by airborne and spaceborne sensors, etc. Generic equations containing the parameter for overstory height are available for estimating community biomass of tropical and subtropical forests. PALSAR has an advantage over other remote systems by enabling frequent sensing and semi-direct biomass estimation using backscattering coefficients. However, no reasonable remote sensing methods exist for monitoring the amount of carbon loss by forest conversion and logging in forests with high biomass. To compensate for the faults of the present PALSAR methodologies and to enable practical and frequent monitoring of all types of forests by humans, it is vital to devise a new methodology to detect changes in high-biomass forests.

View full abstract