• NASUDA Shuhei
• YOSHIKAWA Takanori
• KAKUI Hiroyuki
• YAMAMORI Koichi
• MURATA Kazuki
• KOJIMA Haruki
• SENOO Kanata
• USUMOTO Sakura
• Shunsuke Yoshioka

• Reproductive Development
• Environmental Responses
• Genome Flexibility
• Reproductive Development
• Cell-to-cell Communications
• Genome Flexibility

• Imaging
• Genome editing
• Multi-omics
• Field science
• Field science
• Structural biology

Plant breeding is the planned genetic improvement of plants. In breeding, human beings have applied selective pressure to living organisms instead of nature. Selection pressure is on the phenotype of the organism. Phenotypic variation is generally understood by sum of variations given by genotype, environmental factors and their interactions. Plant breeding mainly manipulates genotypes of organisms to achieve the ideal phenotype as a crop.
We are tackling the following issues to improve the efficiency of breeding. (1) We are conducting research on the mechanism of recombination with the aim of artificially controlling the recombination frequency. (2) We are addressing molecular function of the　genes that causes a structural rearrangement of the chromosomes in wheat. (3) To evaluate the contribution of genotype to phenotype correctly, we are collaborating with other research groups to develop methodology to accurately describe the phenotype using modern technologies.

Genome sequence is the most important infrastructure for modern biological researches. We have laid the foundation for comparative genomic analyses in this crop through genomic sequencing of common wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars. We will be able to carry out various breeding and molecular biological researches on wheat, just like any other crops or model plants. Reflecting a 100-years history of modern wheat research, a pile of knowledge about interesting biological phenomena such as polyploid evolution and genome dynamics is accumulated in wheat. Why don’t you start wheat research now?
Prior to modern breeding, there were landraces cultivated in small region around the world. Wheat lines that have dispersed eastward from their origin are not extensively used for modern breeding. We wish to contribute to world wheat breeding through evaluation of the genetic diversity of the world's landraces, and generation of a set of experimental strains that enables genetic analysis of important agronomic traits of East Asian wheat.