Winter wheat for bread cropping began in 2012 in the sand dunes of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Winter wheat for bread grown there requires frequent topdressing to compensate for the soil’s low fertilizer-holding capacity. We developed a cropping method that maintains yield and quality while reducing the number of fertilizer applications to save labor. We compared the growth of a new winter wheat for bread cultivar, ‘Natsukogane,’ with good bread-making quality, and a winter wheat for bread cultivar, ‘Yukichikara,’ under sand dune conditions. Ensuring the number of grains per ear promoted the yield stability of ‘Natsukogane.’ The grain ash content in farmers’ fields on sand dunes during four cropping seasons was greater in years when the soil water potential during the grain-filling period in May was low, and the 1,000-grain weight was low.

For tremendous labor saving of land-use type agriculture, development research on remote monitoring-type uncrewed autonomous traveling systems, which enable uncrewed work in multiple fields, including movement between them, was conducted. In this system, position estimation for inter-field movement, detection of obstacles around the vehicle, and detection and recognition technology of operable farm road areas were developed as robotic implementations. An application for condition monitoring and operation of multiple robots was designed through a mobile terminal. In addition, a farm in virtual space was constructed based on a drone’s survey data of the robot operation area, and a tool simulating robot movement was developed. This paper outlines the technology constituting the system and the technical problems to be solved, as well as the social issues for a practical operation of the system. In particular, given the characteristics of this system, in which an uncrewed robotic agricultural machinery autonomously travels on a road after finishing work in a field, comprehensive consultation, such as examination of the system design and social acceptability to enable the uncrewed operation, is required based on a system-operation situation under the current legal system.

Mammary epithelial cells (MECs) are the only cell types that produce milk components such as casein and milk fat. Synthesized milk components are secreted from the apical membranes of MECs; cell polarity is, thus, necessary for milk production in MECs. The enhanced milk production ability of MECs contributes to increased milk yield in lactating cows. MECs are confronted with mastitis-causing pathogens in mammary glands when cows afflicted with mastitis experience decreased milk production. Experiments have been conducted using lactating cows in vivo to explain the mechanisms of milk production and mastitis. However, considering costs, workers, and space constraints, setting a large sample size or treatment group for trials is difficult. In vitro culture models using bovine MECs (BMECs) have, therefore, been developed as an alternative. Previous culture models have been reported to produce several components of milk. However, limited information is available on culture models of BMECs with cell polarity. In contrast, our established culture model introduced in this study demonstrates cell polarity with milk component secretion and less-permeable tight junctions. This review introduces the establishment of a BMEC culture model and its application to investigate the mechanisms of milk production or mastitis, along with our research.

A multiplex one-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (multiplex RT-PCR) assay was developed to detect nine important viruses that infect cucumber in Japan: beet pseudoyellows virus (BPYV), cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), kyuri green mottle mosaic virus (KGMMV), melon yellow spot virus (MYSV), papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV), and zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV). We newly designed virus species-specific primer pairs for seven viruses and used previously reported primer pairs for two viruses. Specificity and sensitivity tests by simplex RT-PCR using the primer set showed that touch-down RT-PCR effectively reduced non-specific amplification and had high sensitivity (10 - 10⁵-fold dilution). For multiplex RT-PCR, the primer set was first divided into two sets: primer set I was for WMV, CCYV, KGMMV, BPYV, and WSMoV; primer set II was for PRSV, ZYMV, CMV, and MYSV. After optimizing the ratio of nine primer pairs and the number of cycles of the multiplex RT-PCR, all viruses could be detected by the same PCR condition. When the assays were applied to cucumber samples obtained from an open field and greenhouses, viral infections were clearly identified without non-specific amplification. Therefore, the multiplex RT-PCR assay can be used for the routine diagnosis of the nine viruses in field-growing samples.

This study presents significant insights into the impact of nitrogen and phosphorus inflow loadings from agricultural activities on phytoplankton proliferation in a hypertrophic reservoir. Over two years, the study meticulously examined seasonal variations in phytoplankton, the dominance of algae species, and nitrogen and phosphorus levels in a reservoir prone to cyanobacterial blooms. The findings revealed that the reservoir was hypertrophic under nitrogen limitation, with temporal nitrogen loadings being the primary cause of algal abnormalities. Cyanobacteria, particularly sensitive to temporary nitrate-nitrogen increases triggered by heavy rainfall, dominated during the study period. A robust ecosystem model, validated through observational data, showed good reproducibility of results. It successfully anticipated shifts in phytoplankton growth patterns, successfully replicating the abnormal proliferation of several algae species. By conducting different nutrient loading scenarios, the research highlighted the crucial role of nitrogen reduction in curbing phytoplankton growth, especially in nitrogen-limited reservoirs. In environments facing severe nitrogen limitation, a simplified ecosystem model proved valuable, aiding in predicting seasonal phytoplankton changes. This study underscores the necessity of accurately identifying limiting factors and implementing targeted strategies to effectively mitigate algal blooms in eutrophic water bodies.

Bovine milk is one of the leading causes of childhood food allergies. Alpha-S1-casein (aS1CN) is a significant allergen and the most abundant protein in bovine milk. In contrast, many Swedish Landrace goats have been reported to have a mutation that prevents the production of aS1CN in milk. In this study, quantitative analysis of bovine and caprine aS1CNs was performed using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), measuring a shared proteotypic peptide (YLGYLEQLLR) between these proteins. The concentration of caprine aS1CN in caprine milk was significantly (P < 0.01) lower than that of bovine aS1CN in bovine milk. Similarly, in comparison between bovine and caprine milk powders, caprine aS1CN showed a considerably lower content than bovine aS1CN. Although substantially lower than bovine aS1CN, caprine aS1CN was detected in all caprine milk and milk powders.

Food antigens ingested by the mother can sensitize the offspring via the mother, though how the child’s immune system responds to them is poorly understood. This is because mothers also can produce antibodies to ingested food antigens that can be transferred to the child, and it is difficult to distinguish between such maternal antibodies and antibodies produced by the child’s immune system in response to maternal antigens. In this study, we examined the effects of antigens ingested by pregnant and lactating mothers on the immune responses of their offspring using DO11.10, introducing a T cell receptor gene that recognizes the ovalbumin peptide. Since DO11.10, unlike wild-type mice, is strongly sensitized even by oral administration of ovalbumin alone, we have successfully induced allergic predisposition in DO11.10 by oral administration of ovalbumin in the past. Hence, we used the combination of a wild-type mother and DO11.10 heterozygous offspring to investigate the effects of mother-derived antigens on the offspring’s immune system while minimizing the mother’s immune response. We found that antigen-specific antibodies in the sera of offspring of mothers which ingested antigens during pregnancy and lactation and the class of antibodies in the offspring depended on the antigen ingestion by the mother. Furthermore, offspring from mothers which received continuous oral antigen ingestion during lactation had higher levels of serum antigen-specific IgE induced by sensitization after growth than those of mothers which did not ingest the antigen. In contrast, when the offspring of allergic DO11.10 mothers were given the same antigen orally after maturation, antibody titers did not differ significantly from those of offspring of non-allergic DO11.10 mothers. These results suggest that the antigen ingestion by the mother during pregnancy and lactation affects the immune response of their offspring.

In 2022, 30 countries had enacted export restriction measures in the agriculture and food sector. As a result, food prices in global markets have destabilized. Although some countries have implemented such restriction measures to ensure domestic food availability and stability, they had a negative impact on global food security. We argue that not all export restriction measures should be regulated. We propose that the international society identify countries that should be restricted or allowed to conduct these measures based on the prevalence of undernourishment (POU). Furthermore, we advocate that the impact of these measures on caloric intake should be considered risks of availability and stability, according to the new Food and Agriculture Organization Food Security Indicators, and should be assessed.

Feed design for dairy cattle involves searching for the cheapest possible combination of feeds while considering the sufficiency and balance of Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN), Crude Protein (CP), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), Ether Extract (EE), Dry Matter Intake (DMI), and fiber sufficiency and balance; however, this is not an easy task for those who are unfamiliar with mathematical programming and other numerical optimization methods. Commercial applications automate calculations but are not inexpensive. In addition, the amount of self-supplied feed was limited by the amount of cultivated land under management. Therefore, feed design, including contracts among dairy farmers, upland farmers, and self-supplied concentrate feed, is inseparable from planning self-supplied feed crops. The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) has released free feed design software; however, it does not consider a planting plan for self-supplied feed. Therefore, we developed a feed design support program for dairy cattle that calculates feed design and self-supplied feed planting plans by entering various prerequisites such as herd conditions and cultivated land area under management.