Rice genotype differences in tolerance of zinc-deficient soils: evidence for the importance of root-induced changes in the rhizosphere

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2015.01160Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a major constraint to rice production and Zn is also often deficient in humans with rice-based diets. Efforts to breed more Zn-efficient rice are constrained by poor understanding of the mechanisms of tolerance to deficiency. Here we assess the contributions of root growth and root Zn uptake efficiency, and we seek to explain the results in terms of specific mechanisms. We made a field experiment in a highly Zn-deficient rice soil in the Philippines with deficiency-tolerant and -sensitive genotypes, and measured growth, Zn uptake and root development. We also measured the effect of planting density. Tolerant genotypes produced more crown roots per plant and had greater uptake rates per unit root surface area; the latter was at least as important as root number to overall tolerance. Tolerant and sensitive genotypes took up more Zn per plant at greater planting densities. The greater uptake per unit root surface area, and the planting density effect can only be explained by root-induced changes in the rhizosphere, either solubilizing Zn, or neutralizing a toxin that impedes Zn uptake (possibly HCO − 3 HCO3− or Fe2+), or both. Traits for these and crown root number are potential breeding targets.This research was funded by a grant from the UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, Grant Ref. BB/J011584/1) under the Sustainable Crop Production Research for International Development (SCPRID) programme, a joint multi-national initiative of BBSRC, the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID) and (through a grant awarded to BBSRC) the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Support to AKN in the form of a fellowship awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) is gratefully acknowledged

Multivariable power least squares method. Complementary tool for response surface methodology

In Response Surface Methodology (RSM), variables are correlated through polynomial functions based on Stone-Weierstrass theorem. However, such formulation inherits four weaknesses: possible misleading approximation, incapability to accurately determine the ranking of factors' dominance, failure to analyse factors in random value and proliferation of guess functions due to Pascal Triangle. Therefore, this article aims to develop an improvised method to rectify and complement the weaknesses of RSM. Multivariable Power Least Squares Method (MPLSM) has been developed to correlate various sets of independent variables with dependent variable in the form of power functions. MPLSM is built upon least squares method, and able to approximate the indices of the variables easily. Two variants of MPLSM are suggested to further ensure the numerical stability: the Normalised MPLSM and Iterative MPLSM. The proposed method is not only substantial in big data analysis and multivariable problems, but also providing an alternative approach in engineering optimisation

Tactile Estimation of Extrinsic Contact Patch for Stable Placement

Precise perception of contact interactions is essential for the fine-grained manipulation skills for robots. In this paper, we present the design of feedback skills for robots that must learn to stack complex-shaped objects on top of each other. To design such a system, a robot should be able to reason about the stability of placement from very gentle contact interactions. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to infer the stability of object placement based on tactile readings during contact formation between the object and its environment. In particular, we estimate the contact patch between a grasped object and its environment using force and tactile observations to estimate the stability of the object during a contact formation. The contact patch could be used to estimate the stability of the object upon the release of the grasp. The proposed method is demonstrated on various pairs of objects that are used in a very popular board game.Comment: Under submissio

Soil Carbon in Agroforestry Systems: An Unexplored Treasure?

Soil organic matter (SOM), which contains more reactive organic carbon (C) than any other single terrestrial pool, plays a major role in determining C storage in ecosystems and regulating atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2)^1^. Agroforestry, the practice of growing trees and crops in interacting combinations on the same unit of land^2^, primarily by resource-poor smallholder farmers in developing countries, is recognized as a strategy for soil carbon sequestration (SCS) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol^3^. The understanding about C storage and dynamics under agroforestry systems (AFS), however, is minimal. Our studies under various AFS in diverse ecological conditions in five countries showed that tree-based agricultural systems, compared to treeless systems, stored more C in deeper soil layers up to 1 m depth under comparable conditions. More C is stored in soil near the tree than away from the tree; higher SOC content is associated with higher species richness and tree density; and C3 plants (trees) contribute to more C in the silt- + clay-sized (<53 µm) fractions that constitute more stable C, than C4 plants, in deeper soil profiles4 - 8. These results provide clear indications of the possibilities for climate change mitigation through SCS in AFS, and opportunities for economic benefit - through carbon trading - to millions of smallholder farmers in developing countries

明治の西洋動物学の黎明―木下熊雄

The Meiji era (1868-1912)is the period of the dawn of zoology in Japan that laid the foundations for the current state of the science. The difference between Western Zoology and Asian natural history is ascribed to cultural differences in their purpose and perspectives. Western zoology aspires to an understanding of the “Systematics of Nature”. In contrast,Japanese,Chinese and Asian natural history have their roots deep in herbalism and aspire to understanding “Nature from a human perspective” (Isono 1999a).This manuscript focus on Dr. Kumao Kinoshita (1881-1947) who did research work on Cold-Water Octocoral(CWOC during the Meiji period and his name remains in honor because of his scientific achievement. His papers are still referred as the basic of the scientific literature in the CWOC field. He is one of those who lived through both the Asian natural history and the early Western-systematic zoology period in Japan. He studied octocoral (Coelenterete: Anthozoa: Octocorallia), which including CWOC, at the Zoological Laboratory of the Imperial Univeritiy of Tokyo (University of Tokyo)and disserted his Ph.D.Thesis in 1912. He also undertook very fruitful expeditions to the Uji Islands (1907, 1908) and the Koshikijima Islands (1910) of Kagoshima prefecture and the Kashiwajima Islands of Kochi prefecture (1909)(Matsumoto umpublishd data, Anonymous 1907, Kinoshita 1909b). His family was very famous as one of the great landed gentry of Higo- Kumamoto-han (Kumamoto prefecture)from the time of Daimyo “Kiyomasa Kato”,the military chieftain and feudal lord of Kumamoto castle (1588-1611) (Inudou 2000; Kinoshita 1983; Kinoshita 2009; Matsumoto 2003; “Kinoshita family and Tamana”). Kumao’s father, Sukeyuki Kinoshita, was also a leading figure of the landed gentry during the Yedo era. He become the president of the Kumamoto prefectural assembly and a member of the House of Representatives of the first Imperial Diet (Kinoshita 1983; Kinoshita 2009, “Kinoshita family and Tamana”). Kumao’s uncle was the famous Ison Kinoshita (1805-1867) who was a private teacher of a feudal lord and the heir apparent Higo-Kumamoto-han during the Yedo era. He was president of the official school of Kumamoto-han, the so called “Kinoshita school”where about 900students studied. One of his students, Kowashi Inouye (1843-1895), later held the portfolio of Education in the Meiji government and Torao Yoneda become the grand chamberlain of the Emperor Meiji (Inudou 2000). Kowashi Inouye married the daughter of Ison Kinoshita, who was a cousin of Kumao. The first president of the Imperial University of Kyoto, Hirotugu Kinoshita, was a cousin of Kumao and Hirotugu’s wife was Kumao’s sister. Their son, Michio Kinoshita, Kumao’s nephew, was vice-grand chamberlain of the Emperor Showa, Hirohito (Kinoshita 2009). Michio married Kumao’s other niece (Fuwa 2008). Ritsuko Harada (Kinoshita), lady-in-waiting of the Empress Showa, was Kumao’s distant relation (Kinoshita 2009). Kinoshita’s family was the foundation-stone of the state in the transitional period from the Yedo era to the Meiji era in every sort of area. They fulfilled the role of bridgebuilder between Western civilization and Yedo- Asian-culture, as with the joining of western zoology and Asian natural history which Dr.Kumao Kinoshita did. Unfortunately,most Japanese scientists have lost the philosophy of the Yedo Asian-culture in recent years. This manuscript concludes that the time has come for scientists to transvalue and learn about the Yedo-Asian natural history that aspired to understanding “Nature from a human perspective”

明治の西洋動物学の黎明 Ⅱ―木下熊雄とそのグローバル性の背景

Dr.Kumao Kinoshita was a researcher on Cold-Water Octocoral(CWOC) during the Meiji period (1868-1912). He studied octocoral (Coelenterate: Anthozoa:Octocorallia)at the Zoological Laboratory of the Imperial University of Tokyo (University of Tokyo). He wrote several English,German and Japanese scientific papers and reports but never had any foreign visit in his life. However, he always had the global view from inside of Japan. This manuscript focus on the background of the international and global of Dr. Kumao Kinoshita (1881-1947)from same marine biologist’s standpoint as Dr. Kinoshita, not from the bibliography writer’s or local history researcher’s standpoint. For the general information of Dr. Kinoshita’s life, please refer Matsumoto 2011. First, the global background of locality Ikura, Kumamoto prefecture where Dr.Kinoshita has born,spent and ended his life. Ikura was the international trade port over several centuries. The city has been international and the people from China and maybe from other foreign countries lived in this city. His families and his neighbor often used vessels and Japanese boats for transporting and traveling because the city was located in front of Ariake sea. Second, the period of the last days of the Shogunate (Bakumatsu)-Meiji require a preparation for the national defense from foreign countries. Because of the colonial policy on Asia by western countries, several foreign countries prowled around Japan those days. Family Kinoshita had a roots of sword maker for the federal load Kiyomasa Kato of Higo-Kumamoto han. And therefore they had a role to make firearm during the period for the defense purpose and carefully watch out the world trends with teaching coast guards of Higo-Kumamoto han. Third, important background of Dr. Kumao Kinoshita was the people of family and interfamilial relationship. His father Sukeyuki Kinoshita and his grandfather Hatsutaro Kinoshita were leading figure of the landed gentry of Tamana, Higo-Kumamoto han (Kumamoto prefecture). Family Kinoshita always had global view and perspectives for the current state and for the education as landed gentry. They have contributed to make school and system to teach the fundamental knowledge and view for the dynamic world. The Bakumatsu-Meiji was the period that Japanese learned the way of Western culture and science. Most of scientist blindly obey everything the western literature said. However Dr. Kinoshita alerted that not to obey barbarian’s word without thinking the meaning of data set by yourself for the science. These three background in this manuscript compose Dr. Kumao Kinoshita’s globalism and perspectively for the worlds