Ken Naito　（Chief Researcher, Genetic Resources Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization）

Mechanisms of the extreme salt-tolerance of wild Vigna species

　On the earth, 800Mha of non-crop land is salt-affected. If we develop salt-tolerant crops which can grow on such vast sodic areas, we will easily be able to turn atmospheric CO2 into food or biomass. Wild Vigna species, which are close relatives of Azuki bean, are highly diverged and show extraordinary adaptability to severe conditions. Some of the wild species are highly salt-tolerant, and one can even grow in 2% salt water. Thus, we will elucidate how those wild species have acquired such extreme salt-tolerance and apply the mechanisms to establishing new super crops.

Publication

Sompong Chankaew, Takehisa Isemura, Ken Naito, Eri Ogiso-Tanaka, Norihiko Tomooka, Prakit Somta, Akito Kaga, Duncan A. Vaughan, Peerasak Srinives, QTL mapping for salt tolerance and domestication-related traits in Vigna marina subsp. oblonga, a halophytic species, Theor. Appl. Genet., published online December 27, 2013, doi: 10.1007/s00122-013-2251-1