Annual Report 2010 (April 2009 – March 2010) National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences About the symbol..... The symbol’s colors represent the research domains of NIAES: the sky is light blue, clouds and water are white, biota are green, and soils are brown. Editorial Board Chairman: Yohei Sato President Vice Chairman: Kiyotaka Miyashita Vice President Editorial Committee: Akira Hasebe Principal Research Director Kazuyuki Yagi Principal Research Coordinator Toshihiro Kadosawa Head, Public Relations and Information Office Makoto Ide Head, Research Planning Office Kenji Miyamoto Head, Accounting Office Junko Shindo Director, Carbon and Nutrient Cycles Division Yasuhiro Yogo Director, Organochemicals Division Takeshi Fujii Director, Environmental Biofunction Division Contents Message from the President ………………………………………………………… 2 Basic Philosophy, Code of Conduct, and Environmental Charter …… 3 History of NIAES ………………………………………………………………………… 4 Highlights in 2009 ………………………………………………………………………… 5 Research Topics …………………………………………………………………………… 5 Major Symposia and Seminars……………………………………………………………… 21 Research Collaborations …………………………………………………………………… 25 Visitors ……………………………………………………………………………………… 26 Advisory Council 2009 …………………………………………………………………… 27 Academic Prizes and Awards ……………………………………………………………… 28 Research Overview in 2009 …………………………………………………………… 31 Research Organization ……………………………………………………………………… 33 Summary of NIAES Research Projects …………………………………………………… 34 Plans and Results of Research Projects with External Funding …………………………… 47 Invitations, Training and Information Events ………………………………… 51 Symposia and Workshops…………………………………………………………………… 51 Foreign Visitors……………………………………………………………………………… 53 Overseas Researches and Meetings ………………………………………………………… 57 Career Building Programs ………………………………………………………………… 60 Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………… 62 Publications ………………………………………………………………………………… 62 Advisory Council …………………………………………………………………………… 77 Budget, Staff Numbers and Library Holdings……………………………………………… 78 NIAES Campus Map (Site Layout and Main Research Equipment) …………………… 79 Internet Web Site of NIAES………………………………………………………………… 81 Meteorological Information ………………………………………………………………… 82 1 Message from the President This is just one example of our past research projects and persistent efforts expanding to the next Dr. Yohei SATO stage of development. Within Japan, such developments include techniques to control greenhouse gas emissions from farm soil, techniques to store carbon in farm soil, and a validation test for plant-based remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil (phytoremediation). This phytoremediation research — described in the article entitled “Development of a remediation technology for The COP15 Climate Summit was held in cadmium-contaminated soil using highly cadmium- Copenhagen in December 2009 to develop a post-Kyoto absorbent rice species (phytoremediation): A step framework to combat global warming. The media forward to a new, low-cost soil remediation technology” reported that heated discussions continued throughout — was selected as one of the ten most exciting topics the summit until closing; even the United States, which for 2009 in the field of agriculture, forestry, and fishery had withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol, took part. research. However, the conference ended without presenting any With numerous research institutions producing new framework. numerous results each year, we are proud of the fact Nevertheless, during the conference new activity that our research projects have been included among the regarding fighting greenhouse gases started in the ten most exciting topics selected every year since 2005. agricultural sector. The New Zealand Government We organized the information we had accumulated proposed the “Global Research Alliance (GRA) on on farm soil and radioactivity in the agricultural Agricultural Greenhouse Gases” an international environment into databases and published them. The research network, which was launched by a ministerial databases our institution has developed to date are declaration. Japan joined the new network as a founding available for use on the Internet. We recommend you member. The first meeting of high-level government visit our website at http://www.niaes.affrc.go.jp/. officials was held in New Zealand in April 2010. Three This annual report is a summary of our research research areas were proposed, and Japan became the activities and accomplishments during the fiscal year coordinating country for one of them: the rice paddy 2010. We hope that this annual report will provide farming investigations. Our institution was registered as readers with useful information, and we look forward to the coordinating institution for the research. As the receiving your candid comments and suggestions. readers of the past annual reports are already aware, our We are pursuing high-level research that aspires institution has accumulated excellent results from toward our basic philosophy of harmony and studies on controlling methane gas emissions from rice coexistence with nature, society, and people, and we are paddies, and we have maintained close relationships striving toward our institution’s goal of helping to with research institutions and researchers in the surmount the world’s food and environmental problems. monsoon region of Asia through the MARCO network to exchange research information. We understand that these past accomplishments led to our institution being Yohei Sato, Dr. Agr. awarded such an important role in the GRA. President 2 Basic Philosophy, Code of Conduct, and Environmental Charter The National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences and as a member of society undertakes its program (NIAES) has endeavored to solve a wide range of activities ethically and with sound judgment. In environmental problems affecting agriculture, such as particular, there must be no impropriety committed the contamination of agricultural crops by dioxins, through research activities. Furthermore, NIAES works radioactive substances, cadmium and other harmful to partner with society, assures transparency by chemical substances; the environmental impact of upholding openness, fairness, and neutrality, and so genetically modified food plants and exotic organisms; enhances its trustworthiness. and the relationship between global environmental • Technology Transfer change and agriculture. There is increasing concern To protect and apply the results originating from our about the risks to human health and the environment, research as intellectual property, NIAES creates the and researchers are being asked to offer solutions based conditions for providing patents and other information on scientific findings. and for domestic and foreign technology transfers. The period of NIAES’s phase II medium-term target, • Public Communications and Information Disclosure which started in April 2006, calls for emphasizing By publishing the results of studies and research and research on risks in the agricultural environment in by actively disseminating and communicating such results order to ensure the environmental safety that underpins through public lectures and other means, NIAES provides agricultural production. By means of exploratory and for the dissemination of research meant to assure the basic research on risk assessment and risk management, safety of food and the agricultural environment and also NIAES will develop risk mitigation technologies and works to release information on program activities. pass the benefits of research on to society at large, as • Cooperation, Partnership, and International Contributions well as contributing to the policy measures of By reinforcing partnerships and collaboration with administrative authorities and international agencies. industry, academia, and government, NIAES promotes NIAES has created the following Basic Philosophy, joint research and research cooperation, and extensively Code of Conduct, and Environmental Charter so that shares the research results with society. NIAES works to personnel will conduct themselves with a high sense of benefit the agro-environmental policies of administrative ethics and an awareness of their social responsibility, authorities and international agencies. and undertake to conserve and improve the environment as they proceed with research under the new medium- Environmental Charter term target and medium-term plan. Environmental Philosophy To vigorously carry out research activities on agro- Basic Philosophy environmental problems and take positive action to NIAES conducts high-level research aiming at the contribute to conserving and improving the environment harmony and coexistence of nature, society, and humans, and to building a sustainable recycling society. thereby helping to overcome food and environmental problems throughout the world. Environmental Action Guidelines • Raising Environmental Consciousness Code of Conduct To create organizations and institutions for Philosophy of Conduct environmental management and to work to raise To act with a strong sense of ethics and sound social environmental consciousness. judgment for the purposes of building a safe and worry- • Concern for the Environment free society and preserving an agricultural environment To reduce the burden on the environment by being to be passed on to the next generation. To pass the diligent in everyday activities such as energy benefits of NIAES activities on to society at large. conservation, reuse, recycling, and green procurement.