Staff

YAMADA, Toshihiko / 山田　敏彦

Theme C4 grass species of the genus Miscanthus native to Japan and capable of high and sustainable biomass productivity under relatively low temperatures, have received considerable attention as a potential feedstock crops in biorefineries for production of biofuels and bioplastics. My research is aimed at establishing efficient and low cost feedstock production using Miscanthus for biomass production in cool environments like those found in Hokkaido. Evaluation of genetically diverse Miscanthus accessions, with hybridization and selection, genetic analyses, and gene transformation protocols are being carried out to develop novel and improved Miscanthus cultivars. Research is also underway to develop an efficient feedstock production system using existing agricultural machinery. Programs involving forage crop breeding and invasive weed control for grasslands in Hokkaido are also active areas of research in my laboratory.
Contact Me yamada@fsc.hokudai.ac.jp
Message Miscanthus (called ‘Susuki’ in Japan) can been seen virtually anywhere one looks in Japan. Perhaps for this reason, the Japanese have not been aware of its worth. But Miscanthus has received considerable attention as a potential feedstock crop for biorefineries in USA and Europe. Japan and the world need sources of clean and safe energy that are renewable and can reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil. We are conducting studies on Miscanthus in collaboration with the University of Illinois- USA, Aarhus University-Denmark, Zhejiang University-China, and Kangwon National University-Korea in my laboratory. I welcome graduate students who want to conduct research that will make a difference to the world and its future.
References
  1. Clark LV, Stewart JR, Nishiwaki A, Toma Y, Kjeldsen JB, Jørgensen U, Zhao H, Peng J, Yoo JH, Heo K, Yu CY, Yamada T, Sacks EJ. Genetic structure of Miscanthus sinensis and M. sacchariflorus in Japan indicates a gradient of bidirectional but asymmetric introgression. Journal of Experimental Botany, in press
  2. Anzoua KG, Suzuki K, Fujita S, Toma Y, Yamada T, Evaluation of morphological traits, winter survival and biomass potential in wild Japanese Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. populations in northern Japan, Grassland Science, in press.
  3. Toma Y, John Clifton-Brown J, Sugiyama S, Nakaboh M, Hatano R, Fernández FG, Stewart JR, Nishiwaki A, Yamada T. Soil carbon stocks and carbon sequestration rates in semi-natural grassland in Aso region, Kumamoto, southern Japan. Global Change Biology, 19: 1676-1687 (2013)
  4. Wang X, Yamada T, Kong F-J, Abe Y, Hoshino Y, Sato H, Takamizo T, Kanazawa A, Yamada T, Establishment of an efficient in vitro culture and particle bombardment-mediated transformation systems in Miscanthus sinensis Anderss., a potential bioenergy crop. Global Change Biology Bioenergy 3: 322-332 (2011)
  5. Hisano H, Kanazawa A, Yoshida M, Humphreys M O, Iizuka M, Kitamura K, Yamada T, Coordinated expression of functionally diverse fructosyltransferase genes is associated with fructan accumulation in response to low temperature in perennial ryegrass. New Phytologist 178: 766-780 (2008)
  6. Tamura K, Yamada T, A perennial ryegrass CBF gene cluster is located in a region predicted by conserved synteny between Poaceae species. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 114: 273-283 (2007)
Projects

  1. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries funded research, Development of Low-cost and Stable Supply Technology for Bio-Ethanol Production Using Perennial Herbaceous Plants, 2012.4-2016.3

  2. US Department of Energy funded research, Quantifying Phenotypic and Genetic Diversity of Miscanthus sinensis as a Resource for Knowledge-Based Improvement of M. ×giganteus (M. sinensis × M. sacchariflorus),  2011.8-2014.8

  3. US Department of Energy (DOE) funded research, Quantifying Phenotypic and Genetic Diversity of Miscanthus sinensis as a Resource for Knowledge-Based Improvement of M. ×giganteus (M. sinensis × M. sacchariflorus), 2011.8-2015.8 http://genomicscience.energy.gov/research/DOEUSDA/abstracts/2011Sacks_abstract.shtml
Link

Google Scholar citations

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7845-6556

Graduate School of Global Food Resources
ReaD Link http://researchmap.jp/read0166201
YAMADA, Toshihiko