Research
Research Core for Future Crops
The objectives of this core are to exploit new research topics that are expected to be important in the near future and to advance future-oriented studies in plant stress science.
Crop Design Research Team (2015 – current)
Our team was launched in November 2015 based on the agreement for cross-appointment between Okayama University and RIKEN Institute. Taking advantage of genetic resources in IPSR and integrating a broad range of data and knowledge related to the physiological responses of the plant, our group aims to accelerate discovery of genes that contribute to higher crop productivity. It is essential to understand interactions of genes and environmental changes in plants under field conditions. Our team has been promoting the research to elucidate physiological states transitions of crops throughout their life cycle in field conditions by integration of various comprehensive analytical techniques. We also have been promoting the development of analytical methodologies to computationally predict agronomic traits of crops by using field data.
Specially Appointed Associate Professor: Junesik Kim
Professor: Takashi Hirayama (team leader, serving concurrently)
Integrative Pan‑omics Analytics Team (2025-current)
This team is a newly established group launched in November 2025 as a part of Research Core for Future Crops. The Institute of Plant Science and Resources possesses three types of mass spectrometers, GC-MS, LCMS, and ICP-MS, which have been used for quantifying plant-derived volatile compounds, plant hormones, and minerals accumulated in plant tissues. To further maximize the use of these mass spectrometers, the team aims to develop a platform for systematic pan-omics analysis based on the data obtained from these instruments. Our primary goals are to establish standardized procedures for sample preparation and measurement, as well as to build the corresponding data analysis pipelines.
Associate Professor: Tomoyuki Furuta (team leader, serving concurrently)
Crop Functional Innovation Research Team (July 2017 – March 2024)
This research team was organized in July 2017 with the mission of “Upgrading barley genetic modification technology and related basic technologies” and “Organizing a joint research for crop innovation using barley“. We are consolidating a joint research system in various fields such as barley transformation technology, barley-microbe interaction, seed starch engineering, environmental stress science/resistant breeding, and contribute to the development of plant science and resources.
Professor: Hiroshi Hisano (team leader, serving concurrently)
