Impact of farmland reclamation on soil distribution in Japan: the case of Andosols in Nagano Prefecture

Journal of Soils and Sediments - In modern times, farmlands in Japan have been reconstructed at a large-scale through the cutting and filling of soils. In principle, such reconstruction should be...     

Glutathione levels in phloem sap of rice plants under sulfur deficient conditions

Glutathione which is an abundant reduced sulfur compound in plants is considered to play important roles in the transmission of the sulfur nutrient status between organs within the plant body and in the long-distance transport of reduced sulfur. We determined the concentrations of glutathione, γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-EC), sulfate in the rice phloem sap collected by the insect laser technique. Phloem sap was collected from the plants cultured in sulfur-deficient and control solutions. The concentration of glutathione in the rice phloem sap was higher than that of sulfate in both control and sulfur-deficient plants. Under sulfur-deficient condition, the concentration of glutathione in the phloem sap did not decrease, whereas the sulfate concentration decreased significantly. The pattern of changes in γ-EC concentration was similar to that of glutathione. These data indicate the presence of mechanisms for the maintenance of a constant glutathione concentration in the phloem sap in rice plants under sulfur deficiency, whereas the sulfate concentration was found to be relatively unstable.     

Delineation of Japanese soil temperature regime map

The soil temperature regime map provides for utilitarian classification that can be superimposed on soil classification to permit more precise interpretations and assessments of land use. The objects of this study are (1) to clarify the relationship between soil temperature and meteo-geographical factors, and then (2) to delineate detailed soil temperature regime map (1?km grid) as Japanese land resources inventory. There was a parallel relationship between mean annual soil temperature (MAST) and mean annual air temperature (MAAT), but this relationship was affected to some extent by the mean annual wind speed and mean annual global irradiation in this study. Furthermore, the difference between MAST and MAAT [Diff(MAST–MAAT)] showed the highest correlation with elevation. The map of RK_Diff(MAST–MAAT) was computed using this meteo-geographical relationship with the regression-kriging approach, and then the map of MAST and the soil temperature regime map were delineated using the map of MAAT and the RK_Diff(MAST–MAAT). The root mean square error of this delineation procedure was 0.47°C. It was clear that the majority of the Japanese soils had “mesic” soil temperature regime, and Japanese agricultural land was mainly distributed at “mesic” area and followed by “thermic”, “frigid”, and “hyperthermic” area. For promoting this land resource inventory, the soil temperature regime map will be uploaded on “Soil Information Web Viewer (http://agrimesh.dc.affrc.go.jp/soil_db/)”, which is provided by the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences.     

Comparative studies of the changes in enzymatic activities in hardy and less hardy cultivars of winter wheat in late fall and in winter under snow

Abstract

The synthetic activity of protein and changes in the activity profiles of enzymes during cold acclimation were studied in leaves, stems, and crowns of a hardy winter wheat cultivar ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Horoshirikomugi) and a less hardy winter wheat cultivar (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Norin 61). The results showed that one of the genetic differences between the two cuitivars is found in the activities of protein synthesis under low temperatures. The profiles of the changes in enzymatic activities showed that the adjustment of enzymatic activities was a tissue-specific event to accommodate environmental changes. The synthesis of the enzymes involved in a peroxide scavenging system such as hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, dehydroascorbate reductase, ascorbate peroxidase, and so on started at the acclimation stage, while the phosphoglucose isomerase, which appears to be a maintenance-type enzyme in the wintering wheat, showed a small increase in the activity at later stages of acclimation period in their stems of both cuitivars. When the field was covered with snow, the catalase activity in the leaves started to decrease abruptly, while catalase activities in the stems and crowns did not exhibit appreciable changes during the life under snow. The life-cycle dependent changes in enzymatic activities appear to occur in late March or early April under snow.     

Comparison of acute inhalation toxicity of sulfuric acid by the inhalation and intratracheal instillation methods

Recently, intratracheal instillation has been focused on as a simple, low-cost alternative to the inhalation method. In this study, intratracheal instillation of sulfuric acid, a typical acidic compound, was performed to compare the acute toxicity of acidic compounds that could cause damage to the respiratory system between intratracheal instillation and inhalation. Sulfuric acid was administered to male rats at doses of 0.7, 2, 7, 20, and 60 mg/kg by dividing the total dose into four doses. General condition and body weight were examined up to 14 days after administration, and macropathological and histopathological examinations were performed. The half-lethal dose was then estimated. All animals administered 20 and 60 mg/kg sulfuric acid and one animal administered 2 mg/kg sulfuric acid died within 4 h after administration. No abnormalities were observed in other animals. At 20 and 60 mg/kg, multiple red foci or diffuse red areas were macroscopically observed in the lungs. In these lesions, histopathologically, clefts between the mucosal epithelium and basement membrane and necrosis of the alveolar epithelium were observed. Deaths in these groups may have resulted from lung injury. No notable changes were observed in other animals. Therefore, the half-lethal dose of sulfuric acid by intratracheal instillation was estimated as 7–20 mg/kg. The acute toxicity by intratracheal instillation was evaluated with two-fold sensitivity since the exposure at the half-lethal sulfuric acid concentration in inhalation studies was calculated as 43.2 mg/kg.     

Genetic analysis of ion-beam induced extremely late heading mutants in rice

Two extremely late heading mutants were induced by ion beam irradiation in rice cultivar ‘Taichung 65’: KGM26 and KGM27. The F₂ populations from the cross between the two mutants and Taichung 65 showed clear 3 early: 1 late segregation, suggesting control of late heading by a recessive gene. The genes identified in KGM26 and KGM27 were respectively designated as FLT1 and FLT2. The two genes were mapped using the crosses between the two mutants and an Indica cultivar ‘Kasalath’. FLT1 was located on the distal end of the short arm of chromosome 8. FLT2 was located around the centromere of chromosome 9. FLT1 might share the same locus as EHD3 because their chromosomal location is overlapping. FLT2 is inferred to be a new gene because no gene with a comparable effect to that of this gene was mapped near the centromere of chromosome 9. In crosses with Kasalath, homozygotes of late heading mutant genes showed a large variation of days to heading, suggesting that other genes affected late heading mutant genes.     

Adventitious root formation of two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abies</Emphasis> species on log and soil in an old-growth subalpine forest in central Japan

We assessed stem burial and adventitious root formation of two late-successional species, Abies mariesii and A. veitchii, in central Japan. In a plot (5 × 5 m), all seedlings between 8 and 24 cm tall were excavated: six A. mariesii seedlings in soil, and six and four A. veitchii seedlings in soil and on logs, respectively. For each sampled seedling, the number of terminal bud scars (TBS) was counted on the aboveground and belowground stems. Stem length was measured, and divided into aboveground and belowground stems. Among the three groups (A. mariesii seedlings in soil and A. veitchii seedlings in soil or on logs), there was no significant difference in height or total root weight (sum of adventitious roots and primary roots), but diameter at ground level and number of TBS were significantly different. Counting TBS on the aboveground stem of seedlings in soil underestimated seedling age, whereas the estimate was much closer to the true age for seedlings on logs. Seedlings in soil formed more adventitious roots than seedlings on logs. A large proportion of the stem was buried in humus for seedlings in soil, while most of the stem was not buried in humus for seedlings on logs. These results suggest that substrate affects adventitious root formation, the formation of which is important to shade tolerance. Thus, our preliminary results suggest that consideration of adventitious root formation is necessary to understand seedling bank dynamics and estimate seedling ages of these Abies species in spatially heterogeneous old-growth subalpine forests.     

Frugivory of carnivores and seed dispersal of fleshy fruits in cool-temperate deciduous forests

Five members of the order Carnivora in the cool-temperate deciduous forests of Japan consume the fruits of trees, and they are potential dispersers of the seeds of fleshy-fruited plants. We studied the frugivory of the Asiatic black bear, Japanese marten, badger, red fox, and raccoon dog in cool-temperate deciduous forest of central Japan. From May 2003 to April 2005, a total of 377 fecal samples of the five carnivores (bears, 91; martens, 158; badgers, 45; foxes, 36; and raccoon dogs, 47) were sampled to determine the presence and frequency of occurrence of seeds. Seeds from 17 plant species, representing about 50% of the fleshy-fruited plants occurring in the study forest, were recovered from the carnivore fecal samples. Large numbers (9–10,256) of seeds were present in those feces. Almost all the seeds of fleshy fruits retrieved from the fecal samples were undamaged whereas no intact acorns or nuts were recovered. These findings suggest that all five carnivores can act as seed dispersers for some fleshy-fruited plants in cool-temperate deciduous forest. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Retort beef aroma that gives preferable properties to canned beef products and its aroma components

The objective of this study is to identify the properties and responsible compounds for the aromatic roast odor (retort beef aroma) that commonly occurs in canned beef products and could contribute to their palatability. The optimal temperature for generating retort beef aroma was 121°C. An untrained panel evaluated both uncured corned beef and canned yamato‐ni beef and found that they had an aroma that was significantly (P < 0.01) similar to the odor of 121°C‐heated beef than 100°C‐heated beef. The panel also noted that the aroma of 121°C‐heated beef tended to be (P < 0.1) preferable than that of 100°C‐heated beef. These results suggest that retort beef aroma is one constituent of palatability in canned beef. GC‐MS (gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry) analysis of the volatile fraction obtained from 100°C‐ and 121°C‐heated beef showed that the amounts of pyrazine, 2‐methylpyrazine and diacetyl were higher in the 121°C‐heated beef than in the 100°C‐heated beef. GC‐sniffing revealed that the odor quality of pyrazines was similar to that of retort beef aroma. Therefore, pyrazines were suggested to be a candidate responsible for the retort beef aroma. Analysis of commercial uncured corned beef and cured corned beef confirmed the presence of pyrazine, 2‐methylpyrazine and 2,6‐dimethylpyrazine.