Plant Science

Plant Breeding and Genetics

Introduction

Our goal is to genetically study the diverse characteristics of plants, elucidate their mechanisms and the functions of the genes involved, and apply this knowledge to the development of effective and beneficial technologies for plant breeding.

 

Breeding is the process of cultivating a variety of plants. Plant breeding is the process of cultivating and providing new varieties of crops that society needs. The goals of plant breeding are diverse, including improving characteristics for high yield and cultivation stability, as well as improving food taste, quality, and functionality. In breeding, genetic traits are improved, so knowledge of genetics is an important foundation for breeding.

In this laboratory, we are studying the molecular mechanisms of plant reproduction and analyzing the molecular genetic mechanisms of physiological and ecological characteristics, using rice and cruciferous plants such as Chinese cabbage, cabbage, and radish as our main materials. In addition, we are working on the development of techniques for analyzing DNA mutations in genes, with the aim of developing effective techniques for plant breeding.

Our main research topics are

1) genomics and breeding technology of Brassica crops

2) molecular genetic studies on plant reproductive mechanisms, and

3) genetic mechanisms of environmental stress tolerance.

We are also engaged in

4) conservation and distribution of genetic resources of Brassica related plants, which are rare and valuable in the world.

 

Keywords

Brassicaceae plants, Cruciferous plans, Rice, Plant Genome, Mutation, Variation, Self-incompatibility, Flowering, Environmental stress, Techniques for plant breeding, Brassica genetic resources

Staff