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Educational Course 1: Forest sciences

Field excursion in Asia Forest Workshop 2008 in Cambodia

This educational course of Forest Sciences aims to learn the knowledge and techniques to harmonize efficient utilization of forest resources and environmental conservation toward sustainable society. This course also encourages comprehensive and international intelligence through the basic and applied studies.

1.Plant Metabolic Physiology

Michito TSUYAMA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Regulation mechanism of photosynthesis
2) Photosynthetic acclimation to environmental factors
3) Generation of stress-tolerant plants

2.Silviculture

Susumu SHIRAISHI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Koichiro GYOKUSEN, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Kotaro SAKUTA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Genome analysis of forest tree species
2) Conservation of forest genetic resources and their utilization
3) Selection and breeding of stress tolerance trees
4) Carbon cycle in forest ecosystem
5) Molecular ecology of forests
6) Dynamics of forest community
7) Physiological mechanism of forest tree growth
8) DNA classification and phylogeny of forest tree species

3.Forest Production Control

Shoji OHGA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Shinya KOGA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Tsutomu ENOKI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Naoaki TASHIRO, M.Sc., Assistant Professor
Yasuhiro UTSUMI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor
Takuo HISHI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Management of forest dynamics
2) Forest production structure and environment
3) Conservation of vegetation structure
4) Properties of wood rotting fungi, mycorrhiza, slime mold
5) Properties of tree growth
6) Structure and function of tree
7) Development of nondestructive technique for evaluation of standing trees
8) Evaluation and control of wood quality
9) Production and utilization of edible and medicinal mushrooms

4.Forest Management

Shigejiro YOSHIDA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Nobuya　MIZOUE, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor

1) Forest management planning (Forest working system, Silvicultural system)
2) Forest measurement (Growth modelling, Remote sensing, GIS)
3) Forest monitoring and assessment (National forest inventory, Quality assurance)
4) Sustainable forest management in Southeast Asia

5.Forest Policy

Noriko SATO, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor

1) Policy issues on sustainable forest management
2) Distribution and trade systems of forest products
3) Development of mountainous areas and local peoples’ livelihood
4) Economic valuation of forest multiple functions

6.Erosion Control

Tetsuya KUBOTA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor

1) Slope stability analysis on forest slopes
2) Landslide hazard mappings
3) Erosion controls in channel and steep land
4) Sediment-related disaster prevention
5) Slope revegetations for erosion control
6) Meteorological conditions of landslide disaster
7) Forest road structures

7.Ecohydrology

Kyoichi OTSUKI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Takao SETSU, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Tomo’omi KUMAGAI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Atsushi KUME, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Masaaki CHIWA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor
Hikaru KOMATSU, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Water and material cycles and energy dynamics of forest
2) Rainfall-runoff process in the mountain streams
3) Function of forest to foster water resources
4) Forest ecosystem simulator based on SPAC
5) Interaction of organism and environment in the mountainstreams
6) Mathematical model of tree physiology
7) Induction, utilization and conservation of greens
8) Landscape management using greens
9) Planning and management of greens in cities and gardens
10) Conservation of Satoyama (traditional rural landscape) ecosystems
11) Systematic vegetation management

Educational Course 2: Bioproduction Environmental Sciences

Purposes of BIoproduction Environmental Sciences are to solve various problems on regional environment, mechanization, and agri-food chain.

For sustainable and profitable agriculture producing safe and high quality foods under the global and regional environmental issues, environmental sciences on the agro-ecosystem and rural amenities and sciences on bioproduction systems are expected to play a vital role. This educational course of Bioproduction Envi￢ronmental Sciences offers academic training of the engineering methodology related to soil-water management and irrigation systems, drainage and water environments, environmental soil engineering and geochemistry, applied meteorology, environmental information, farm machinery and postharvest technology.

1.Irrigation and Water Management

Yoshiyuki SHINOGI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Tetsuro FUKUDA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Kozue YUGE, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Water management of paddy area (Irrigation system, Drainage system,
Water operation organization)
2) Irrigation system operation (Water saving, Water quality maintenance)
3) Irrigation scheduling (Farm pond, Irrigation method, Rotation block)
4) Unsaturated flow of water in soil (Moisture content, Soil moisture movement)
5) Transport of water in soil-plant system (Plant responses to soil moisture, Effective soil layer,
Available soil water)
6) Evapotranspiration in field (Crop water requirement, Potential evapotranspiration)

2.Water Environment Engineering

Kazuaki HIRAMATSU, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Masayoshi HARADA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor

1) Mathematical modeling for water flow and movement of environmental materials
in estuaries and closed water bodies (Hydraulic model, Ecosystem model,
Numerical simulation, DO, Nitrogen, Phosphorus)
2) Watershed management model for predicting occurrence, circulation and distribution of
water and environmental materials (Hydrological model, Numerical simulation, GIS,
Nitrogen, Phosphorus)
3) Pesticide dynamics model in paddy and upland fields and its scaling-up to watershed model
(First order kinetics, Numerical simulation, GIS, environmental risk assessment)
4) Quantification of flood mitigation function and prediction of flood runoff in flat low-lying
agricultural areas (Hydrological model, Numerical simulation, Drainage and inundation
analysis)
5) Eco-technology for biodiversity conservation in rural areas (Mathematical model,
Fish preference, Agricultural canal)
6) Development of technology for water quality improvement (Eutrophication, Aeration)

3.Environmental Soil Engineering

Masami OHTSUBO, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Takahiro HIGASHI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Motohei KANAYAMA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Physico-chemical and geotechnical properties of marine clays (Mineralogy, Chemistry,
Consolidation, Shear strength)
2) Prediction of the behavior and stability of earth structures (Earth pressure, Bearing capacity,
Slope stability, Deformation analysis)
3) Prevention of disaster in farmland and ground (Ground subsidence, Slope failure, Landslide,
Soil degradation)
4) Evaluation of microscopic behavior of clay soil under consolidation（Microstructure，
Pore size distribution，Creep behavior）
5) Performance of clay liner materials for containment of contaminants in landfill sites
(Bentonite, Permeability, Heavy metal, Sorption)
6) Evaluation of peat moss as the sorbent and biodegrading material of oil
(Oil spill, Soil contamination, Soil remediation)

4.Environmental geochemistry

Shin-Ichiro WADA , Ph. D, M. Sc., Professor
Yuki MORI, Ph. D, M. Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Remediation of contaminated soils and waters
2) Modeling of nutrients and pollutants dynamics in soils
3) Methods of soil testing
4) Safe stabilization methods for solid wastes
5) Industrial application of soil materials

5.Agricultural Meteorology

Masaharu KITANO, Ph.D., Professor
Kenji WAKIMIZU, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Local meteorology and micro-climate in farmlands and greenhouses (Plant environment,
Heat balance, Water balance, Fluxes, Environment control, Environmental stress)
2) Global environmental issues (Global warming, Desertification, Ozone hole)
3) Transport phenomena in plant-environment system
(Fluxes, Plant responses to the environment, Biophysics, Plant environmental physiology)
4) Hydro-meteorology (Radar meteorology, Rainfall, Artificial rainfall, Biohydrology,
Desert hydrology)
5) Meteorological resources (Thermal, Wind, Solar energies) and meteorological improvement
6) Meteorological disasters in agriculture

6.Bioproduction & Environmental Information Science

Yasumaru HIRAI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor

1) Farmer's decision support system for rice production (profit, energy consumption,
environmental impact, software development)
2) Analysis for an ideal growth phase of paddy rice (yield, protein content, leaf color,
the number of tillers)
3) Mathematical modeling for soil nitrogen mineralization (soil, nitrogen mineralization,
flooded condition, upland condition)
4) Utilization of biomass in the rice production system (liquid phase of digested organic waste,
rice straw, fertilization, soli fertility)
5) Development of information sensing technology used for farmer's decision support system
(air, water and soil temperatures, humidity, solar radiation, inorganic nitrogen
in irrigation water, water management)
6) Development of assessment model for environmental impacts by rice production
(water quality, greenhouse gas emissions)

7.Bioproduction Engineering

Eiji INOUE, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Takashi OKAYASU, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Muneshi MITSUOKA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Design theories of agricultural machineries (Optimal design of tractors
and combine harvesters, Parameter identification, Optimization problem)
2) Dynamics of agricultural machineries (Modeling and nonlinear vibration analysis
of agricultural rubber crawler vehicles and half tracked tractors, time series analysis,
Fluid dynamic analysis of winnowing mechanism in the threshing unit
of a combine harvester, Finite volume method)
3) Mathematical modeling for soil and crop - machinery systems (Terramechanics,
Advanced design for agricultural machineries and equipments, Finite element method,
Discrete element method, Numerical simulation, Constitutive models of materials)
4) Improvement and optimization of agricultural production system (Precision agriculture,
Field monitoring system, Spectral imaging analysis, System engineering,
Information Technologies (IT), Agricultural decision support system, Biological models)

8.Postharvest Science

Toshitaka UCHINO, Ph.D., Professor
Fumihiko TANAKA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Daisuke HAMANAKA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Prediction of quality of fresh fruit and vegetables during distribution (Mathematical model,
Temperature fluctuation, Respiration rate, Sugar, Ascorbic acid)
2) Storage and rewetting of brown rice with low moisture content
(Brown rice, Low moisture content, Adsorption, Diffusion)
3) Mathematical modeling of food and agricultural processing operations
(Heat and mass transfer, Quality, CFD, Prediction, Optimization)
4) Prediction of microbial food safety and food quality (Predictive microbiology, Simulation,
Decision support system, Food chain, HACCP)
5) Decontamination of fresh fruit and vegetables by electromagnetic wave (Decontamination,
Disinfection, Microorganisms, Food safety)
6) Microbial adhesion on material surface under unsteady conditions
(Biofilm, Pathogenic bacteria, Microcolony)

Educational Course 3: Agronomy & Environmental Sciences

The aim of this course is to master the methodology and the ways of thinking for the studies on crop science, crop production and its environments not only by biological but also by chemical and physical methods.

1.Horticultural Science

Hiroshi OKUBO, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Akira WAKANA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Michikazu HIRAMATSU, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Physiology of horticultural plants (Growth and development, Dormancy, Gene expression,
Plant hormone, Temperature, Day length)
2) Plant pigments (Flavonoid, Anthocyanin, Flavonol)
3) Tissue culture (Embryo rescue, Propagation, Morphogenesis)
4) Diversity of horticultural plants (Ecology, Cultivar differentiation, Speciation, Conservation)
5) Breeding of horticultural plants (Genetics, Molecular markers, Reproductive biology,
Ploidymanipulation)

2.Agricultural Ecology (University Farm)

Kei NAKAJI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Toshihiro MOCHIZUKI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Yukio OZAKI, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Kaori SAKAI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Development of an intelligent robot for an agricultural production ecosystem
2) Human interface for the agricultural machinery
3) Growth habit of field crops cultivated in a drained paddy field
4) Genotype x environment interaction for growth and yield in field crops
5) Genetics and breeding in horticultural crops
6) Phylogenic relationship in horticultural crops
7) Physiology in horticultural crops
8) Development of cultivating system in horticultural crops

3.Environmental Control for Biology (Biotron Institute)

Jiro CHIKUSHI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Kazutoshi SAEKI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Satoshi YOSHIDA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Toshihiko EGUCHI, Ph.D.,M.Sc., Assistant Professor
Eriko YASUNAGA, Ph. D., M. Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Environment control for biology (Phytotron, Growth chamber, Air and light conditions,
Soil physics)
2) Plant instrumentation (Plant growth, Plant image processing, Water uptake, Transpiration,
Plant water relations, Photosynthesis, Root respiration, Translocation)
3) Environmental conservation (Environmental contamination, Transport process of
contaminations, Phytoremediation)
4) Environmental botany (Environmental stress, Environmental effect on plants,
Plant water relations, Soil and plant respiration)

4.Tropical crops and Environment (Institute of tropical Agriculture)

Kazuo OGATA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Masaru MATSUMOTO, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Taxonomic and biological researches on social insects in the tropics
2) Taxonomic and biological researches on insect pests infesting tropical crops
3) Taxonomic and biological researches on phytopathogens in the tropics
4) Molecular biological researches on rapid detection of phytopathogens in the tropics

5.Bioresource and Management

Keiji TAKASU, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor

1) Behavior and ecology of parasitic wasps
2) Ecology of invasive pests
3) Application of parasitic wasps to biological control and chemical sensors

6.Sustainable Agricultural Production

Katsuki ADACHI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Visiting Professor
Hideaki IWAHORI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Visiting Associate Professor

1) Sustainable crop rotation systems by utilizing crop-microorganism interactions and regional bioresources
2) Utilization of the functions of endophytic diazotrophic bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi in sweetpotato or other upland crops
3) Development of the control methods against plant-parasitic nematodes without using nematicides
4) Identification, geographical distribution, pathogenicity and development of detection method of plant-parasitic nematodes with molecular biological approaches

Educational Course 4: Sustainable Bioresources Science

Forest-inspired Research Frontiers in Harmony with Nature.

Forest biomass has attracted much attention as renewable, strategic resources in sustainable society and industries. A new conception and approaches to boost science and technology for the sustainable utilization of forest bioresources in harmony with nature are required to establish the forthcoming eco-society. This educa-tional course provides funda-men-tal subjects and up-to-date professional training covering chemistry, biology and physics of non-food photosynthetic resources, and brings up researchers and engineers with advanced knowl-edge on Wood Science, Wood Material Technology, Forest Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bioresources Chemistry, and Systematic Forest and Forest Products Sciences.

1.Wood Science

Kazuyuki ODA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Junji MATSUMURA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Masumi HASEGAWA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Wood formation (Tree physiology, Wood anatomy, Tree growth)
2) Wood physics (Physical behavior, Permeability, Shrinkage, Microcrack)
3) Wood mechanics (Non destructive evaluation, Mechanical properties,
Growth ring structures)
4) Wood quality (Wood structure, Tree breeding, Physical properties, Mechanical properties,
Wood utilization)
5) Sustainable utilization of fast growing tree resources (Tree growth, Wood properties,
Tree breeding)

2.Wood Material Technology

Noboru FUJIMOTO, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor

1) Wood machining (CNC routing, Veneer peeling, Sanding, Tool wear, AE sensing & control)
2) Wood drying (Kiln drying, High temperature drying, Vacuum drying,
Construction timber drying)
3) Wood-based materials (Manufacturing mechanism, Eco-materials, Radio frequency heating)
4) Wood engineering (Corner jointing, Fatigue behavior, Non-destructive test)
5) Effective utilization of plantation wood (Sugi)
6) Development of technology for water quality improvement (Eutrophication, Aeration)

3.Forest Chemistry and Biochemistry

Toshihiro ONA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Koki FUJITA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Wood extractives (Phenolics, Terpenoid, Biosynthesis, Chemotaxonomy)
2) Tissue culture of woody plants (Cell culture, Growth, Secondary metabolite,
Lignin biosynthesis)
3) Raman spectroscopy including nano-materials
4) Pyrolysis including photo-degradation
5) Quality tree breeding
6) Paper recycling
7) Lignin Chemistry

4.Bioresources Chemistry

Takuya KITAOKA, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor

1) Carbohydrate chemistry (Enzymatic glyco-synthesis, Glyco-lipids, Glyco-conjugates)
2) Surface chemistry (Physicochemical control, Biofunctional interfaces, Nano-materials)
3) Composites (Biocatalysts, Metal catalysts, Nano-particles, Nano-fibers, Nano-architectonics)
4) Applications (Biomaterials, Biosensors, Cell engineering, Fuel cells, Material conversion)

5.Systematic Forest and Forest Products Sciences

Ryuichiro KONDO, Ph.D., M.Sc., Professor
Yuji TSUTSUMI, Ph.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor
Kuniyoshi SHIMIZU, Ph.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor

1) Extractives (Wood, Mushroom, Phenolics, Terpenoid, Bioactive components)
2) Lignin biochemistry and molecular biology (Biosynthesis, Biodegradation,
Genetic engineering)
3) Pulping chemistry (Delignification, Biopulping, Biobleaching)
4) Bioremediation (Dioxin, PCB, DDT, pesticides), Phytoremediation
5) Biomass (Bio-energy, Bio-ethanol)