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Tropical Plant Pathology Lab
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The lab protects tropical agriculture and the global environment by harnessing the power of microorganisms invisible to the eye.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the role of microbes in protecting the global environment
The Tropical Plant Pathology Lab focuses on the invisible world of microorganisms on Earth and studies "the roles and applications of microbes in protecting the global environment."
Its work centers on finding and diagnosing soil pathogens in the environments where tropical crops are grown, developing diagnostic technologies, and analyzing the genetic diversity of soil microbes.
The lab also develops microbe-based biopesticides and technologies that turn waste materials such as discarded used paper into agricultural resources, and works on conserving the endangered plant Asparagus kiusianus (hamatamaboki).
Prof. Matsumoto's primary appointment is at the Center for Tropical Agriculture Research, and he supervises graduate students of the Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Global Society.
Key terms
- Soil-borne
- The property of a plant pathogen spreading to plants through the soil
- Biopesticide
- A material that uses the activity of living organisms such as microbes to suppress crop diseases and pests
- Mushroom substrate
- A growth medium for cultivating mushrooms, made from woody materials such as sawdust and nutrient sources such as wheat bran
ResearchResearch themes
The lab's research centers on technologies for detecting and diagnosing soil pathogens that infect tropical and subtropical crops and on the diversity of soil microbes, with the aim of using microbes for agriculture and the environment. The center's research introduction also describes the lab's work on turning waste into resources and conserving endangered plants.
Quickly detecting soil pathogens
The lab develops simple and rapid technologies for detecting soil-borne plant pathogens that infect rice and crops grown in paddy fields converted to upland use, as well as easy methods for monitoring microbial diversity and pathogens in soil.
Growing mushrooms on discarded used paper
Sawdust used in mushroom substrate is a concern because the forests that supply it are shrinking and shortages are feared. The lab is taking on the development of a new mushroom cultivation technique that uses shredded used paper in place of sawdust.
Conserving the endangered Asparagus kiusianus
This research studies how disease develops in Asparagus kiusianus (hamatamaboki), an endangered Asparagus species that grows wild only in Japan, and the genetic traits behind its disease resistance, in order to support conservation that takes the environment of its natural habitats into account.
Making agricultural materials from waste
The lab developed an agricultural material that combines water purification sludge and waste paper with beneficial microbes, and commercialized it jointly with a company in the prefecture. It is also researching new materials made from spent mushroom substrate and the microbes living in it.
MembersFaculty
- ProfessorMasaru Matsumoto
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