To obtain basic information about haploid plants in Citrus, the morphological characteristics and reproductive potential of a haploid plant obtained from the ‘Banpeiyu’ pummelo [C. maxima (Burm.) Merr.] were examined. The leaves, flowers and fruits of the haploid were significantly smaller than those of the ‘Banpeiyu’ pummelo. Although the haploid showed remarkably reduced pollen fertility compared with the ‘Banpeiyu’ pummelo, it produced slightly fertile pollen grains. In crosses with diploid cultivars, when the haploid was the seed parent, there was no seed. But when diploid cultivars were pollinated with pollen of the haploid, diploid progenies were obtained. During female gamete formation, no embryo-sac mother cell was formed in the ovules, and consequently no normal embryo sac was observed at anthesis, owing to female sterility caused by the lack of embryo-sac mother cell (EMC) formation in the haploid. During male gamete formation, however, univalents were not distributed to opposite poles at anaphase I in some dividing cells; instead, they remained near the equatorial plate. The nine univalents then performed mitosis, and the univalents were equally distributed to opposite poles. And at the tetrad stage, dyads were also produced in the haploid at a ratio of 24.7%. These results suggest that fertile pollen grains in the haploid would be dyad derivation, produced by abnormalities in the first meiotic division such as first division restitution (FDR).

Mulberries (Morus spp.) include species that are generally diploid but may also occasionally exist in the triploid state (“diploid” species), and others that naturally have different levels of ploidy (“polyploid” species). In the present study, we measured the nuclear DNA amounts in 271 cultivars or strains of 15 mulberry species (nine diploid and six polyploid species) using flow cytometry. A wide range of interspecific 2C DNA values was observed, with the largest being 10.8 times higher than the smallest. Intraspecific differences in 1Cx values, a measure of the monoploid genome size, were within 11% for all species examined. Interspecific variation in 1Cx values was within 28% for all mulberry species in this study. The variation of 1Cx values in polyploid species was larger than that in diploid species. Among the diploid species, the 1Cx values of species native to the Japanese islands were higher than those that originated from East Asia on the Asian continent. The 2C values of other species of Moraceae and Cannabaceae were also estimated, and a wide variation was found.

Adaptability to a wide range of environmental factors is a key for achieving stable production in the slash-and-burn (S&B) agriculture of mountainous Laos, where soil varies widely in productivity. Adaptability assessment based on the genotype by environment (GxE) interaction of grain yields in this study entailed an investigation of the yield performance of maize, Job’s tears, and seven varieties of upland rice including improved variety B6144F-MR-6-0-0 (B6144), at eleven locations under rainfed upland conditions. Across the eleven locations, the mean yields of upland rice ranged widely from 56 to 583 g m^-2. While the GxE interaction was significant, one improved indica variety (B6144) produced high grain yields at all eleven locations. Under low-yielding conditions (56 to 205 g m^-2 of upland rice), four indica varieties consistently performed with more stable yield performance than three tropical japonica varieties, the poor adaptation of which was attributed to reduced grain number per panicle and the grain-filling ratio. Under moderate- and high-yielding conditions (284 to 583 g m^-2), two semi-dwarf varieties - Tampi (tropical japonica) and B6144 (indica) - exhibited the highest productivity due to a higher harvest index (0.40-0.41) compared with the others (0.28 - 0.34), but B6144 likely exhibited lodging signs under fertile soil conditions, where the mean yields were above 360 g m^-2. The GxE interaction effect was highly significant among the three upland crops; relative to upland rice, maize was particularly better adapted to moderate-and high-yielding conditions, whereas Job’s tears adapted better to low-yielding conditions. Job’s tears exhibited stable yield performance across all eleven locations. In contrast, maize had higher yield compared with all upland rice varieties under the adapted conditions, although the upland rice varieties had higher yields compared with maize under unadapted conditions. In conclusion, Job’s tears or indica varieties are recommended for growth under low-yielding conditions, and maize or semi-dwarf cultivars are recommended under high-yielding conditions. And with possibly more lodging resistance, the improved indica variety B6144 could be the ideal variety adaptable to a wide range of soil fertility.

Due to growing water demand in Egypt, the reuse of drainage water for irrigation purposes has become an important policy issue, while the pollution of drainage water interferes with such reuse. To prevent water pollution in rural areas, the processing of household garbage and domestic wastewater is important. However, rural areas are not considered under government policies. To preserve the quality of water in drainage canals, we initiated activities conducted by local residents to prevent the dumping of garbage and to construct wastewater treatment facilities. As a result of these activities, a garbage collection system and wastewater treatment facilities were developed under an operation and management system run by the residents. Thus, utilizing the power of community residents is one solution to water quality problems in rural areas.

Traditional Thai fermented rice noodles called Kanom-jeen are characterized by a unique flavor and pleasing texture, and widely consumed as a staple food in Thailand and throughout the Indochina region. This study aimed to determine the effect of the fermentation process on rice noodle protein content and composition, and the relationship to Kanom-jeen texture. The protein content of rice flour decreased during the fermentation process. SDS-PAGE showed that the protein bands at 20-33 kDa, representing protein body-II (PB-II) disappeared during rice fermentation, while the bands around 13 kDa representing protein body-I (PB-I) remained. Microstructural analysis of noodles demonstrated that unfermented Kanom-jeen was composed of cluster-like structures of PB-II proteins, while fermented Kanom-jeen contained only uniformly spherical protein bodies of PB-I in starch gel. Both results give the product a stronger texture. Therefore, the fermentation process is necessary during Kanom-jeen preparation to obtain the desired specific texture.

The objective of this study is to clarify the process by which dairy farming has developed in the Mộc Châu area of northern Vietnam and evaluated the current situation of dairy farmers. The author conducted six field surveys based on direct interviews from 2012 through 2015 to obtain information from 60 dairy farmers and about 20 personal interviews, covering the introduction of dairy farming in 1956 to its present expansion in Mộc Châu. Based on these interviews, the author identified three phases in the process of dairy farming development in Mộc Châu: the introduction period of dairy farming (1956-1985), the reform period of dairy farming (1986-2000), and the development period of dairy farming (2001-present). In addition, the survey showed that the development of fresh milk production in cooperation with the Dairy Farming Public Corporation established in 2005 led to an expanded scale of dairy farming, with voluntary bottom-up production at the farmhouse level, in response to top-down orders of the government.

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), an herbaceous perennial short-day plant, shows seasonality in its regulation of shoot extension growth and flowering capacity. To enhance our understanding of the physiological mechanisms of the seasonality in chrysanthemum, we investigated the changes in growth and flowering capacity, and the variation among cultivars. We also evaluated seasonal changes and the response to chilling in shoot extension and flowering capacity in chrysanthemum under controlled environmental conditions (20°C/15°C (light/dark) with a 12-h light period). Both shoot extension and flowering capacity under the subsequent growing conditions were regulated by the temperature of prior growing conditions. After the temperature increased over the summer, chrysanthemums showed a reduced ability for extension growth, and became more difficult to induce flowering. Chilling stimulated the extension growth of shoots when the meristems were entering a dormant state. Chilling had the opposite effect on two regulatory pathways involved in flowering capacity. A pathway related to the meristem dormant state was suppressed by exposure to chilling and induced flowering, and chilling activated an inhibitory regulator in parallel.

Eustoma grandiflorum is a popular ornamental flower worldwide. The production of transgenic Eustoma is expected to help in the study and modification of its traits, such as growth, flowering time, flower color, and flower shape. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of leaf disks is a frequently used method of plant transformation. To improve the transformation efficiency of Eustoma, I focused on two steps: the inoculation of Agrobacterium into the leaf disks, and subsequent co-cultivation. The effect of detergent in the inoculation buffer was tested. Given its marginal effect on the viability of the disks, Tween 20 was determined to be a better candidate for use in the buffer. Acetosyringone is known to improve transformation efficiency by up-regulating the virulence of Agrobacterium. In previous studies using Eustoma, the effect of this compound has only been tested during inoculation. However, I studied the effect of acetosyringone by adding it to the inoculation as well as the co-cultivation medium. When added to the co-cultivation medium, acetosyringone significantly increased the number of transformed calli harboring a marker transgene. More than 0.7 callus per leaf disk was obtained by adding acetosyringone, whereas less than 0.03 callus per disks were obtained in its absence. Thus, the mediated incorporation of a transgene into the Eustoma genome can be intensified by the addition of acetosyringone to the co-cultivation medium.

Delayed age at first calving (AFC) is known to decrease productivity in dairy cattle. In the present study, we investigated AFC in heifers kept by smallholder farmers in southern Malawi and the reproductive factors influencing it. Data were obtained for 1,620 heifers over a 13-year period from 1999 to 2012. The age at first service (AFS), first service to conception interval (FSCoI), number of services per conception (NSC), conception rate (CR) and service interval (SI) were investigated in relation to AFC. The median AFC was found to be 41 months. This is a relatively high value and shows no improvement from the values reported in the 1970s and 1980s. The median AFS was also high (23 months). Overall, the 1st service CR was 42%, and the median SI was 83 days. AFS appeared to be the most crucial factor that affected AFC. A lengthy SI in combination with a low CR was found to be the critical factor that delayed AFC in heifers that had failed to conceive on previous occasions. These results suggest that the appropriate reproductive management of heifers, particularly initiating the first service at the optimum time and shortening the SI, is necessary for improving dairy productivity.

We compared wood density (WD) and water content (WC) between a dry evergreen forest (DEF) and dry deciduous forest (DDF) in central Cambodia. Wood core samples of 53 species from DEF and 54 species from DDF were collected. Average WD and WC in all species were similar between DEF (0.64 g/cm³ of WD; 0.40 g/cm³ of WC) and DDF (0.64 g/cm³ of WD; 0.42 g/cm³ of WC), although the average WC of five tree species that appeared in both forest types was higher in DDF than that in DEF. Tree size effects on WD and WC were negligible in both DEF and DDF. Intraspecific differences of those effects on WD and WC were also not observed in major canopy species in DDF and DEF, except for WD of Shorea obtusa in DDF, whose value increased with increasing tree diameter. Tree life-forms such as canopy, subcanopy, and understory species did not affect WD and WC in both forest types, although canopy gap species in DEF showed the smallest WD among the life-forms. The relationships between WD and WC in DEF and DDF were negatively correlated, and both regression equations did not differ between forest types. Overall, there were little differences on average WD and WC between DEF and DDF trees, even though their species composition and tree ecological traits were significantly different between forest types in central Cambodia.