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Hoshino Lab
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A lab that searches for wild plants native to Hokkaido, such as haskap, and links them to the breeding of new cultivars.
AboutAbout the lab
Breeding new cultivars from Hokkaido's wild plants
The Hoshino Lab studies the exploration and evaluation of genetic resources of wild plants native to Hokkaido, and the breeding of new cultivars from them.
Targeting haskap, wild kiwifruit (hardy kiwi), Rubus species, raspberries, and apples, the lab carries out interspecific hybridization and polyploid breeding.
To solve problems related to plant reproduction and apply the results to breeding, the lab analyzes how pollen germinates and grows on an artificial culture medium.
Research themes and target plants are chosen through discussion, following each student's interests.
To join the lab, students must enter the Cropland Science Course of the Division of Biosphere Science, Graduate School of Environmental Science.
Key terms
- Genetic resources
- The diversity of genetic traits in plants that is useful for breeding, including wild plants
- Polyploid breeding
- A breeding method that creates plants with new traits by changing the number of chromosome sets (ploidy) in cells
- Interspecific hybridization
- Crossing different species to produce hybrids
NewsLab news
A paper on using AI to identify apple cultivars was published in The Horticulture Journal
A paper on estimating haskap fruit quality from images was published in Postharvest Biology and Technology
A paper on tracking grape berry growth with images was released early in The Horticulture Journal
A paper on the effects of temperature and ploidy on lily pollen was released early in The Horticulture Journal
A paper on ploidy and haskap fruit traits was published in Euphytica
ResearchResearch themes
Aiming to improve plant genetic resources suited to cultivation in Hokkaido, the lab works on polyploid breeding and interspecific hybrids. Through analysis of reproductive mechanisms, it also aims to develop breeding techniques, such as producing polyploids by endosperm culture and elucidating how pollen tubes grow.
*Illustrative imageHow pollen tubes grow
The lab developed an experimental system in which pollen tubes grow in liquid medium, making pollen tubes accessible for analysis at any time. By understanding what happens as pollen tubes grow, it seeks to expand the possibilities of breeding by crossing.
*Illustrative imageCreating interspecific hybrids
Interspecific hybrids are attractive because they can greatly change appearance and traits. In haskap, the lab raises hybrids with Lonicera ochotensis to broaden the range of traits, and analyzes fruit components in detail to understand the characteristics that appear in hybrid fruit.
*Illustrative imageProducing polyploids by endosperm culture
In endosperm culture, triploid plants are produced through tissue culture from the endosperm inside seeds, which normally does not develop into a plant. Combining this with colchicine treatment and crosses between polyploids, the lab produces various polyploids and tests whether they can be used for breeding.
*Illustrative imageWild genetic resources of Hokkaido
The lab believes that the fields and mountains of Hokkaido hold abundant plant genetic resources that will be cultivated and gain value in use in the future. It traces the origins of candidates such as haskap and hardy kiwi, analyzes their traits, and advances their use in breeding.
MembersFaculty
The Hoshino Lab's members are faculty, doctoral students, and master's students.As of 2026
- ProfessorYoichiro Hoshino
- Project Assistant ProfessorArisa Nakano
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “Lonicera kamtschatica” Doronenko 08:29, 9 April 2007 (UTC) / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- How pollen tubes grow: “Calcium in Pollen” G Lens Microscopist, Nicholas Majkut / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Creating interspecific hybrids: “Lonicera gracilipes 1” Qwert1234 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Producing polyploids by endosperm culture: “Culture in vitro” The original uploader was Seb951 at English Wikipedia. / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Wild genetic resources of Hokkaido: “Weiki02” Björn Appel / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Botanic Garden Lab (Azuma)): “Hylotelephium cauticolum1” KENPEI / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Genetic Resources Lab): “Soybeanvarieties” Scott Bauer / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Cell Engineering Lab): “Lilium lancifolium orange tepals with spots - Fukufukurou” Fukufukurou / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Pathology Lab): “Leaf mosaic, green islands and shoestrings- Symptoms of papaya ringspot disease” Plant pests and diseases / CC0 (cropped)
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