Aspergillus oryzae is a filamentous fungus used as a starter microorganism in the process of manufacturing various kinds of traditional fermented food. It is also used as a producer of enzymes for both food processing and pharmaceuticals, such as proteases and taka-amylase. In order to clarify the function of this microorganism in fermentation industries and utilize the new function of A. oryzae, it was subject to genomic analysis. During the analysis, the telomere of A. oryzae exhibited a novel repeated sequence distinct from other fungi. Genomic analysis also revealed that the genome of A. oryzae consists of eight chromosomes containing 12,074 genes and is larger in size than Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. A. oryzae contains sequences specific for A. oryzae for genes involved in primary and secondary metabolism, when compared with A. nidulans and A. fumigatus. Among them, the function of one of the peptidase-like gene products was investigated with a post-genomic approach, and determined as an aminopeptidase specific for acidic amino acids (aspartate and glutamate) which was first identified in filamentous fungi. It also demonstrated that the addition of cobalt ion to the growth medium greatly improved the specific activity. Using the same approach, some of the novel aminopeptidases and carboxypeptidases of A. oryzae were identified and characterized.

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To determine the effects of recent warming trends on agricultural production in Japan, in 2003 and 2005, surveys of the public institutes of agricultural research in 47 prefectures were conducted. The results suggest that recent warming trends have already significantly affected nearly all types of crops and livestock in Japan. All 47 prefectures reported warming effects on fruit tree cultivation and over 70% of prefectures recognized the effects on rice, vegetable and flower cultivation. Horticultural crops and rice are likely to be more sensitive to global warming than other agricultural crops and livestock. Our survey elucidated many effects of recent warming, such as phenological changes in many crops, increases in fruit coloring disorders and incidences of chalky rice kernels, reductions in yields of wheat, barley, vegetables, flowers, milk and eggs, and alterations in the type of disease and pest.

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We report here on the development of a system for producing cruciferous vegetables without using chemical pesticides. This system enables small-scale farmers in hilly and mountainous areas in the western region of Japan to grow products of equivalent volume and quality to those produced by standard practices. The first steps in developing the system involved modifying and creating methods to protect cruciferous vegetables against insect pests. Crops were protected from flying pests, such as the white cabbage butterfly, cabbage armyworm, diamondback moth, cabbage sawfly, leafminer fly, cabbage bug, striped flea beetle, and brassica leaf beetle using a 0.6 mm mesh screen. Bacillus thuringiensis preparations, the use of which is permitted by Japanese Agricultural Standards for organic plants and organic processed foods of plant origin, were used to prevent damage caused by butterfly larvae, (white cabbage butterfly, cabbage armyworm, and diamondback moth) that hatch from eggs deposited on the outer surface of the screen through which they can invade. Invasion by crawling pests, such as the striped flea and brassica leaf beetles, was suppressed by covering the ground around the greenhouse with a mulching sheet to control weeds that form the habitat for these pests. Aphids passing through the 0.6 mm mesh screen were eliminated by a banker plant system employing the aphid parasite Diaeretiella rapae (McIntosh), a natural predator. Solarizing the soil before cultivation destroyed the pests' larvae, pupae, or eggs residing underground, such as those of the striped flea beetle and cutworm, while pest damage by vegetable weevils was prevented by inserting our newly invented traps just underground. The second step in developing the system involved dealing with higher greenhouse temperatures during summer that would result from the 0.6 mm mesh screen cover. To keep the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) around the worker within acceptable limits, a battery-powered ventilator consisting of a cart, fan, solar battery, and ordinary battery was used as well as installing simple roof windows, all of which effectively lowered the WBGTs. By combining these methods, we were able to demonstrate that the system was highly effective for producing quality cruciferous vegetables in greenhouses and in open fields.

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Useful and biologically meaningful determinants of stress of farm animals at the field level do not exist at present, though quantitative measurement of stress is essential for the farm animals' well-being. At laboratory level using rodents, physiological and behavioral changes induced by stressors and its regulation by the central nervous system have been elucidated in considerable detail. However, it remains unclear whether we could apply that knowledge to species other than rodents. Therefore, we studied several neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of stress response in cattle. Examination of the effects of intracerebroventricularly administered neurotransmitter candidates revealed which component of stress response was induced or reduced. Thus, we identified several stress-inducing neurotransmitters and one stress-reducing neurotransmitter in cattle, and suggested that the regulatory roles of the neurotransmitters on stress response differ from those of other species, as well exemplified by rodents. Furthermore, for the stress-reducing neurotransmitter, oxytocin, we showed for the first time the association between individual differences in behavioral and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity to acute stressors and basal levels of plasma oxytocin concentration and its reactivity to the stressors. This suggests that oxytocin may be a neurobiological candidate involved in individual differences for stress susceptibility in cattle. Currently, we are examining the association between polymorphism of oxytocin-related genes and individual differences in stress susceptibility. This knowledge will help improve animal welfare by allowing genetic selection for adaptability to the environment.

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This self-review summarizes the prevention of rat damage to wrapping film when whole-crop forage containing cereals is preserved as round-baled silage (RBS). A trapping survey at the RBS stock yards showed that Large Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus), Japanese grass voles (Microtus montebelli), brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), and roof rats (Rattus rattus) were species with the potential to inflict damage. The features of the damage differed for each rat species. In particular, it was observed that brown rats and roof rats tended to cause extensive film-damage. RBSs are usually stacked in close proximity because they are produced in bulk. This usual storage layout was considered to provide rats with many narrow spaces between RBS, inaccessible to most of their predators, thereby exacerbating the rat damage to RBS. When modifying the storage layout to produce open spaces between RBS by separating them, the modified layout was effective in preventing damage caused by brown rats and roof rats because the predation hazard would be increased. However, the effect was lost when the spaces between RBS were covered with snow or when species such as Large Japanese field mice damaged RBS's bottom from underground burrows. It was suggested that these problems may be resolvable by providing sufficient open space between RBS and protecting the bottom with wire netting.

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Liquid biofuels are widely recognized alternatives to fossil fuel not only to combat the global warming potential, but also to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels to facilitate economic development. The production and use of lignocellulosic liquid biofuel have been emphasized because it is highly reproducible and does not compete with food. This study summarizes the LCA studies on lignocellulosic ethanol produced from various biomass resources focusing on energy balance, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and other impact categories, and the production cost to discuss their potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Numerous efforts have been made to evaluate the life cycle of lignocellulosic ethanol with LCA methodologies and deals with feedstock, energy paths, conversion technologies, allocation methods, utilization of by-products etc. to determine the environmental impacts as well as the production cost. The environmental benefits are reported in most of the studies except for few examples. A wide variation was observed in the reported production cost of ethanol, which is dependent on the feedstock, conversion technologies, allocation methods and plant sizes. Onsite enzymes production/purchase appeared to be the main hotspot, demands a vigorous study to improve their productivity and reduce costs. Another promising alternative for compensating production costs seem to be the generation of valuable coproducts and integration of ethanol production processes (ethanol and energy). Reviewed literature indicates that despite the environmental benefits of ethanol produced from lignocellulosic biomass, its economic viability remains doubtful at present, even if highly optimistic assumptions are made for the cost calculation, especially in the case of enzyme. Hence, the biotechnological revolution is must for the sustainability of bioethanol, especially in the field of enzymes and microorganisms. Moreover, the adaptation of innovative technologies and renewable energy policy may help limit costs, but careful consideration of land use changes and soil quality is required to avoid any loss of productivity.

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The occurrence of insect pests and natural enemies was surveyed in a tomato field subject to water-saving cultivation during the dry season in northeast Thailand. The water-saving cultivation plots were mulched with plastic film or rice straw and watered 5 times during the crop cycle, while the conventional plots were un-mulched and watered 3 times a week. A total of 5 g·m^-2 of 12-9-6 liquid fertilizer was applied to each plot. Pesticide was not applied to any of the plots. The tomato yields in the plots covered with plastic film or rice straw mulches were 1205 and 934 g·m^-2, respectively, and that of the conventional plot was 1123 g·m^-2. These values were almost similar to the local average yield of 1190 g·m^-2. The prevalence of various insect pests such as aphid, thrips, whitefly, leaf miner, insects belonging to the Coccidae and Miridae families, and cotton bollworm were observed. The water-saving cultivation had little influence on the occurrence of insect pests compared with conventional cultivation. Apart from some yield loss due to the cotton bollworm, the tomato yield remained nearly intact, and the crops sustained no serious damage.

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Antibodies (immunoglobulin G (IgGs)) from antisera raised against viral particles that had been dissociated by treatment with SDS and intact particles of Rice dwarf virus (RDV) were studied for their ability to prevent viral infection of vector cells in monolayers in vitro. Even though IgGs raised against dissociated virus had a higher titer than those raised against intact viruses in an analysis of viral proteins on Western blots, they did not neutralize RDV. Conversely, IgGs raised against intact RDV effectively neutralized viral infectivity. Electron microscopic observation of the aggregation of RDV particles after incubation with IgGs raised against intact RDV, but no aggregation of RDV particles after incubation with IgGs raised against dissociated RDV suggested that IgGs raised against intact viruses might prevent viral invasion by causing clumping of viruses, thereby reducing the number of infectious units. Our results reveal, for the first time, a possible mechanism for the neutralization, mediated by antibodies, of plant viruses that propagate in insect vector cells.

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When calibration tests of dielectric soil water sensors are conducted in a laboratory, it is of great importance to know the appropriate sample size for each sensor used. In the current study, appropriate sample sizes for different dielectric sensors of time domain reflectometry (TDR) systems (TDR100 with CS605 probe and TRIME-EZ), water content reflectometer (WCR) systems (CS615 and CS616), and an ECH2O (EC20) were examined experimentally using air-dried packed soil (Andosol) columns with diameters ranging from 70 to 150 mm; surrounded initially by air and then water. Although the output values of all dielectric sensors increased independently of the sample diameters when the samples were surrounded by water, the significances of these increases depended on the sample diameters. The result showed that a sample diameter adequate for the effective sensor sampling area of the TDR100 with the CS605 was ≥80 mm. Similarly, appropriate sample diameters were ≥150 mm for the TRIME-EZ, ≥100 mm for the CS615 and CS616, and ≥70 mm for the EC20, respectively. The differences in the appropriate sample diameters among sensors are due to the distribution of the electromagnetic energy of probes linked to their design. The results suggest that approximately 70% of the electromagnetic energy or more must be within the sample diameter if the effective sampling area of the probe is to be included within the sample.

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Tea is one of the most popular global beverages. It is widely consumed as a health promoting beverage and its health benefits are mainly due to the presence of polyphenols such as catechins, theaflavins and thearubigins. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the antioxidant potential of green tea (GT) and black tea (BT) extracts of eight different cultivars by radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA) and hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-ORAC). The extracts of teas were also analyzed for total polyphenol (TP) content and catechins. H-ORAC [(μmol Trolox equivalent (TE)/g)] values ranged from 2730-5031 (GT), 1429-2766 (BT) and DPPH-RSA (μmol TE/g) ranged from 1098-1376 and 508-798, respectively. Comparing the same cultivar, GT showed higher antioxidant activities (H-ORAC and DPPH-RSA) than those of BT which is partially attributable to the increased TP and concentration of catechins. Correlation coefficients between parameters of antioxidant activities were TP/H-ORAC (GT: 0.647, BT: 0.79), TP/DPPH -RSA (0.744, 0.976) and DPPH-RSA/H-ORAC (0.686, 0.811) while those of BT exceeded those of GT. Extracts from all the cultivars showed good antioxidant potential. Antioxidant activities were mainly derived from catechins in GT and theaflavins in the case of BT.

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Epitope peptides of wheat gliadins and glutenins for atopic dermatitis, PQQPF and QQQPP, were degraded by the microbial proteases of Streptomyces griseus and Aspergillus oryzae. The proteases of Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus amyloloiquefasiens degraded wheat gliadins and glutenins, but had little or no effect on the epitopes. A 16-mer peptide of CSQQQQPPFSQQQPPF, which incorporated this glutenin epitope twice, was also hydrolyzed by these proteases, and no peptide containing QQQPP was shown after the reaction with S. griseus protease. The proteases of S. griseus and A. oryzae also degraded epitope peptides of wheat gliadins and glutenins for exercise-induced anaphylaxis, QQIPQQQ, QQFPQQQ and QQPGQ.

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The effect of light quality on the extension growth of tulips was investigated for 4 tulip (Tulipa gesneriana) cultivars “Leen van der mark,” “Murasaki suisho,” “Come back,” and “Kikomachi.” The exposure of tulips to ultraviolet-A (UV-A), blue (B), red (R) or far-red (FR) fluorescent tubes throughout the entire night (a process called “night lighting”) was found to promote lengthening of the stem and first internode of plants grown under natural photoperiod conditions in a greenhouse. The effectiveness of FR night lighting was consistently observed across 4 cultivars, although the effectiveness of illumination within the UV-A, B and R wavelength ranges was found to vary with respect to stem length, the first internode and among different cultivars. Elevated photon flux densities of FR light were found to quantitatively increase the extension growth of “Leen van der mark,” but the effect of FR night lighting reached saturation point at 0.59 μmol m^-2 s^-1. A 4-h end-of-day lighting period and night-break FR lighting period were also found to promote extension growth, but these effects were less pronounced than that induced by FR night lighting. A 4-h end-of-night FR lighting period had no effect on extension growth. Apart from these findings, the effects of the light quality on extension growth are discussed.

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An androgenic gland hormone (AGH) is synthesized in the male-specific androgenic gland (AG) and is responsible for sex differentiation in crustaceans. To date, AGH cDNAs have been cloned from only three isopod species, but not decapod crustaceans. Recently, however, cDNAs encoding the AG specific polypeptide, which was designated as an insulin-like AG factor (IAG), have been cloned from two decapods, the red-claw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus and the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. These studies suggested that IAG may be involved in controlling sex differentiation in decapod crustaceans, but this point remains unclear. In order to accumulate knowledge on IAG, here we cloned IAG cDNAs from three palaemonid species (Crustacea, Decapoda), M. lar, Palaemon paucidens and P. pacificus. The three IAG precursors consisted of a signal peptide, a B chain, a C peptide and an A chain. This organization corresponds to that of the known isopod AGH and decapod IAG precursors. The three IAGs showed higher sequence identities to M. rosenbergii IAG (49∼72%) than to C. quadricarinatus IAG (29∼32%). These results are consistent with their phylogenetic relationship. In the analysis of the tissue-specific gene expression of the cloned three IAGs by RT-PCR, each IAG was detected only in the AG. Our data obtained in this study will facilitate further investigation of sex differentiation controlled by the AG in decapods.

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