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Soil Environmental Microbiology Lab
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A microbiology lab that investigates the microorganisms living in soil and the environment.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the ecology and functions of microorganisms in the environment.
The Soil Environmental Microbiology Lab conducts basic research on the ecology and functions of microorganisms in soil and the environment, and on their roles in element cycling.
The lab also carries out applied research for environmental conservation, resource utilization, and the development of sustainable production systems.
Traditional fermented foods, composting, and wastewater purification all proceed through the action of diverse mixed microbial communities, but many of the microorganisms involved are difficult to culture, and the actual state of these systems is still not understood.
The lab traces its origins to the First Chair of Agricultural Chemistry, established in 1922, and for about 100 years it has conducted research centered on soil microorganisms.
Key terms
- Mixed microbial system
- A system, such as traditional fermented foods or composting, in which a variety of microorganisms are involved without sterilization
- Meta-fermentation
- A method that turns unsterilized materials such as food waste into valuable products by controlling a mixed microbial system through adjustment of fermentation conditions
- Plant growth-promoting bacteria
- Bacteria that promote plant growth. Abbreviated as PGPB
ResearchResearch themes
Many soil environmental microorganisms and mixed microbial systems have not yet been isolated, and their ecology, properties, and functions are still unknown. The lab aims to assess and conserve the environment through analysis of microbial community structure, recycle resources by converting waste into valuable materials, conserve and activate soil through microbial agriculture, and isolate and characterize new hard-to-culture microorganisms.
*Illustrative imageMicrobial community analysis and environmental assessment
The lab tries to clarify the actual state of the mixed microbial communities involved in cultivated soil, fermented foods, and wastewater purification, using methods that examine genes and gene expression. By developing new observation methods and comprehensive methods for analyzing community structure, it aims to establish approaches to environmental assessment and conservation.
*Illustrative imageMeta-fermentation: producing valuable materials from food waste
The lab has developed a zero-emission process that produces more than 7 kg of poly-L-lactic acid, a bioplastic, from 20 kg of food waste. This method controls a mixed microbial system by adjusting fermentation conditions to obtain valuable materials such as L-lactic acid. The lab calls it "meta-fermentation" and aims to establish it as a systematic approach.
*Illustrative imagePlant growth-promoting bacteria and compost
The lab has isolated heat-tolerant, lactic acid-producing plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), and proposes a resource-recycling system in which lactic acid is produced from food waste and the fermentation residue is turned into compost. Compost containing PGPB has the function of promoting the growth of komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), and the lab aims to develop a new method of microbial agriculture.
*Illustrative imageNew methods for isolating useful microorganisms
The lab has so far succeeded in isolating new species of heat-tolerant bacteria and extreme thermophiles that grow even above 80°C. By establishing new isolation methods such as the feedback isolation method and the cell sorter method, it aims to isolate new useful microorganisms, clarify their physiology in culture, and put them to practical use.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Soil Environmental Microbiology Lab include faculty, technical specialists, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorYukihiro Tashiro
- Assistant ProfessorMugihito Oshiro
- Professor Emeritus and Specially Appointed ProfessorKenji Sakai
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Soil improvement - leaf cage, compost heap and wormery at Wisley” Rowan Adams / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Microbial community analysis and environmental assessment: “E coli at 10000x, original” Photo by Eric Erbe, digital colorization by Christopher Pooley, both of USDA, ARS, EMU. / Public domain (cropped)
- Meta-fermentation: producing valuable materials from food waste: “Biogas digester at Meru prison ( )” SuSanA Secretariat / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Plant growth-promoting bacteria and compost: “Compost Heap” Photograph © Andrew Dunn, http://www.andrewdunnphoto.com / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- New methods for isolating useful microorganisms: “MHA and MacConkey agar plates stacks” Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Agrochemical Chemistry Lab): “Schlenk flask 500mL” Ichwarsnur / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Forest Planning Lab): “Gunung Nuang summit forest canopy aerial view” Kay Du / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Microbial Technology Lab): “Joghurt” No machine-readable author provided. Rainer Zenz assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Forest Production Control Lab (University Forests)): “Spring forest Yyteri 3” kallerna / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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