Laboratory of

Crop Science

Understanding Nutrients and Water Acquisition in Crops

and Applying It to Sustainable Agriculture

NEWS: A paper demonstrating that sweet potato can utilize vermiculite as a potassium source has been accepted for publication. It will be available soon—stay tuned!　　　　　　　

NEWS: A new paper has been just published!

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New Publication

Elucidating Nutrient Acquisition Mechanisms in Crops Using Stable Isotopes

Understanding Nutrients and Water Acquisition by Crops Using Stable Isotopes

How do crops acquire nutrients and water?

Understanding this mechanism is key to sustainable agriculture.

We use stable isotopes to reveal how crops take up nutrients and water.

For example, sweet potatoes can utilize N₂ without forming nodules.

Our research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms behind such phenomena.

We are particularly interested in how crops acquire essential nutrients and water under resource-limited conditions.

Research Approaches

・Nutrients & water acquisition

・Stable isotope analysis

・Rhizosphere processes

　 and Think different & Stay foolish

Nitrogen fixation in sweet potato?

Can sweet potatoes fix atmospheric nitrogen without forming root nodules?
Surprisingly, they can.

Sweet potatoes exhibit biological nitrogen fixation despite lacking specialized symbiotic organs.

Using stable isotope tracing, we identify which microorganisms are truly responsible for this function in situ.

Balancing Crop Productivity and Sustainability—You Can’t Build a Structure with Blueprints Alone—

No matter how excellent the blueprint (genes) may be, organisms cannot survive without materials (elements). Even a single deficient element, as a limiting factor, can limit crop productivity (the law of the minimum). Fertilizers play the role of removing these limiting factors. Considering resource depletion and global instability, fertilizer self-sufficiency is directly linked to food security.

Current research topics

Nitrogen fixation without symbiotic organs
Utilization of insoluble potassium
Utilization of insoluble phosphorus

Our Approach to Scientific Research

Research is to produce new knowledge for today's society and then to share that knowledge with society.

Therefore, we first need to understand what is already known and what remains unknown for today's society — that is, not for the past society.

This requires intelligence. However, to acquire new knowledge, creativity is just as important as intelligence.

So how can we cultivate creativity?

Think different & Stay foolish！

Are you trapped by fixed ideas such as existing frameworks, common sense, or habitual ways of thinking?

Trial and error is essential for creativity; failure is only natural.

The true talent lies in the ability to stay curious, find joy in discovery, and sustain trial and error.

Just like athletes, small daily training — the steady accumulation of trial and error — is the shortest path to mastery.

Have the wisdom to accept failure with the mindset of "nothing to lose," while never repeating the same mistake. (No one bats 1.000 — a .300 hitter is already a powerful slugger.)