Sharp Decline in the Food Self-sufficiency Ratio in Japan and Its Future Prospects

Most Japanese are enjoying rich and convenient dietary habits nowadays. However, majorities of Japanese are feeling anxiety about the future food supply because Japan＇s food self-sufficiency ratio has fallen most rapidly in the last 45 years, and is lowest amongst countries with a population of more than 100 million. Major causes and mechanisms of the decline in the food self-sufficiency ratio over the last 45 years were analyzed. Drastic changes of dietary habits under rapid economic growth and sharp appreciation of the yen against the US dollar were found to be the major causes of the sharp decline of the food self-sufficiency ratio. Preliminary projections about the food self-sufficiency ratio in 2015 were carried out, and it was found that it will not be easy to achieve the policy goal of raising the food self-sufficiency ratio to 45% by 2015.     

Kazakhstani native cattle reveal highly divergent mtDNA from Bos taurus and Bos indicus lineages with an absence of Bos indicus Y chromosome

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country and contains two important propagation routes for livestock from the Fertile Crescent to Asia. Therefore, genetic information about Kazakhstani cattle can be important for understanding the propagation history and the genetic admixture in Central Asian cattle. In the present study, we analyzed the complete mtDNA D‐loop sequence and SRY gene polymorphism in 122 Kazakhstani native cattle. The D‐loop sequences revealed 79 mitochondrial haplotypes, with the major haplogroups T and I. The Bos taurus subhaplogroups consisted of T (3.3%), T1 (2.5%), T2 (2.5%), and T4 (0.8%) in addition to the predominant subhaplogroup T3 (86.9%), and the Bos indicus subhaplogroup of I1 (4.1%). Subsequently, we investigated the paternal lineages of Bos taurus and Bos indicus, however, all Kazakhstani cattle were shown to have Y chromosome of Bos taurus origin. While highly divergent mtDNA subhaplogroups in Kazakhstani cattle could be due to the geographical proximity of Kazakhstan with the domestication center of the Fertile Crescent, the absence of Bos indicus Y chromosomes could be explained by a decoupling of the introgression dynamics of maternal and paternal lineages. This genetic information would contribute to understanding the genetic diversity and propagation history of cattle in Central Asia.     

Early luteal development in Santa Inês ewes superovulated with reduced doses of porcine follicle‐stimulating hormone

The aim was to compare the early luteal development in ewes superovulated with different doses of pFSH. Twenty‐nine Santa Inês ewes received a progesterone device (CIDR®) for 8 days. Gonadotrophic treatment started on Day 6: G200 (control, n = 9, 200 mg); G133 (n = 10, 133 mg); and G100 (n = 10, 100 mg of pFSH). On Day 6, all females received eCG (300 IU). B‐mode and spectral Doppler ultrasonography were performed daily during the early luteal phase (Days 11–15) to monitor the development of corpora lutea (CLs; dimensions) and ovarian arteries indices. CLs were also classified as normal or prematurely regressed (PRCL) on Day 15 by videolaparoscopy. Ewes from G100 and G133 showed gradual increase in luteal diameter during the early luteal phase (p < 0.001), whereas G200 animals presented increase from Day 11 to Day 13, and then decrease on Days 14 and 15 (p < 0.001). The G200 females showed greater percentage of PRCL (45.20%) than those of the other groups (p < 0.001). The normal CLs number was greater in G100 than in G133 (p = 0.04), while the PRCL number was greater in G200 than in the other groups (p = 0.03). Resistive index (RI) was greater in G200 than in G100 (p = 0.02). RI was lower in Day 12 than Day 15 (p = 0.02). Pulsatility index (PI) was greater on Days 14 and 15 (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the lowest dose of pFSH (100 mg) can be considered sufficient for an efficient superovulatory response in sheep, producing better CLs development dynamic in early luteal phase and ovarian blood perfusion and smaller number of PRCL than the traditional (200 mg) pFSH dose.     

Crossability of American tree peony ‘High Noon’ as seed parent with Japanese cultivars to breed superior cultivars

The tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.) is a valuable ornamental plant. American and French cultivars have desirable flower colors, while, Japanese cultivars have larger flowers with better presentation. We hybridized an American tree peony cultivar ‘High Noon (HN)’ (the seed parent) with 57 different Japanese cultivars (pollen parents) to investigate cross compatibility, with the ultimate goal of obtaining improved hybrids. Of the 1,927 crosses performed, 135 (38 cross combinations) yielded a total of 181 seeds (86 mature) and 22 seedlings. Five of the hybrids have already flowered and exhibited their parent character with large yellow flowers. To investigate the causes of cross incompatibility, we examined pollen tube growth in a cross between ‘HN’ and a Japanese cultivar. The result indicated that there are three most important causes of incompatibility, namely, abnormal pollen tube growth, the failure of fertilized ovules, and poor seed germination. Although cross compatibility in each combination was low, crosses between ‘HN’ and Japanese cultivars might be successful with the right paternal plants. In this study, 13 Japanese cultivars had higher cross compatibility with ‘HN’ than the others. Our results will enhance tree peony breeding and guide the selection of parents for hybridization.     

Genetic diversity of Curcuma alismatifolia Gagnep.(Zingiberaceae) in Thailand as revealed by allozymepolymorphism

Allozyme polymorphism at seven loci (TPI, G6PD-2,IDH-1, SKD-2, MDH-1, GOT-1, andGOT-2) was employed to detect the level of geneticdiversity in C.alismatifolia populations from both cultivatedand wild habitats in Thailand. High diversity was observed in allpopulations with relatively lower values in cultivated populations.Percentage of polymorphic loci (P)varied from 85.7–100% in cultivated populations comparedwith 100% in all natural populations. Allele number per locus(A _L) was 3.14 in cultivatedpopulations, and from 2.86–4 in natural populations. Allelenumber per polymorphic locus(A _P) of cultivated andnatural populations ranged from 3.14–3.5 and 2.86–4,respectively. Genetic diversity within populations(H _S) varied from0.586–0.611 in cultivated and from 0.621–0.653 in naturalpopulations. The genetic identity(I _SP) for the species was0.833. The cultivated populations yielded higher value of geneticidentity with highland populations(I _{C /H} =0.776) than with the lowland ones(I _{C /L} =0.754). The analysis of genetic similarities with theNeighbor-Joining algorithm results in the separation ofcultivated populations from all wild populations. One highlandpopulation from the tourist spot, H2, was placed in a separatecluster between the cultivated and other wild populations. It isconsidered as the possible origin of the cultivatedpopulations.     

Genetic diversity and identification of cymbidium cultivars as measured by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

DNA from thirty-six cymbidium cultivars was examined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the efficiency of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers in identifying cultivars and determining levels of genetic variability. A total of 132 RAPD markers, 78% of which were polymorphic, were produced from 15 10mer arbitrary primers. All the cultivars were distinguishable when a number of primers was considered. One cultivar, Blue Smoke ‘Green Meadow’ could be distinguished from all the rest based only on lack of the OPA5-370 fragment. Genetic distances among the cultivars were estimated based on the amount of band sharing and ranged from 0.08–0.50 with an average of 0.29. Cluster analysis of genetic distance estimates grouped siblings together with each other and parents with offsprings, thereby agreeing with known parentage information and corroborating isozyme data obtained from a separate study. The possible application of the observed polymorphism and variation to cymbidium breeding is discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Condensation of lignin during heating of wood

Summary The structural change of lignin during heating of wood was investigated quantitatively by a method combining nucleus exchange and nitrobenzene oxidation. Lignin modification during heating was mainly a diphenylmethane type condensation. About 40 and 75% of noncondensed units in protolignins were converted to diphenylmethane type units by heating of dry and wet wood meals up to 220 °C, respectively. On the other hand, during heating of modified lignin (dioxane lignin) various types of modifications in addition to diphenylmethane type condensation occurred. Lignin modification via the diphenylmethane type condensation was proposed as a new route for its utilization.