Social Implementation of Clinical Plant Science for the Improvement of Agricultural Productivity and the Protection of Environment

Over one-third of the potential global food output, equivalent to food for 2.5 billion people, is lost due to plant diseases every year. Therefore, sustainable production of crops and protection of the healthy environment are urgent tasks around the world. Based on researches in the endowed chair for “Clinical Plant Science” spanning more than 11 years, we have published the textbook “Clinical Plant Science” and established the qualification system for plant doctors from officially qualified professionals. We have established the first plant clinic in Japan at the University of Tokyo, followed by the foundation of plant clinics around the country. We have also trained about 700 citizens including elderly people and certified them as “community plant doctors”, contributing to protection activities of a green environment in urban and rural areas. We have developed several clinical diagnostic techniques with world’s highest performance and commercialized them by collaborating with venture companies. Some of the products have been socially implemented as domestically and internationally certified kits to detect invading plant diseases in more than two million fruit trees. Furthermore, we have established the International Conference of Clinical Plant Science, leading the international development of Clinical Plant Science. As an example of international implementation of Clinical Plant Science, our clinical diagnostic techniques are employed and highly appreciated by the governments of Papua New Guinea and South East Asia countries.

- IKEDA SCIENTIFIC Co., Ltd.
- AEON Co., Ltd.
- AEON 1% Club Foundation
- NIPPON GENE Co., Ltd.
- vegetalia Inc.

- Okano Y., Senshu H., Hashimoto M., Neriya Y., Netsu O., Minato N., Yoshida T., Maejima K., Oshima K., Komatsu K., Yamaji Y., Namba S. In planta recognition of a double-stranded RNA synthesis protein complex by a potexviral RNA silencing suppressor. The Plant Cell 26: 2168-2183, 2014.
- Yamaji Y., Maejima K., Komatsu K., Shiraishi T., Okano Y., Himeno M., Sugawara K., Neriya Y., Minato N., Miura C., Hashimoto M., Namba S. Lectin-mediated resistance impairs plant virus infection at the cellular level. The Plant Cell 24: 778-793, 2012.
- Kawanishi T., Shiraishi T., Okano Y., Sugawara K., Hashimoto M., Maejima K., Komatsu K., Kakizawa S., Yamaji Y., Hamamoto H., Oshima K., Namba S. New detection systems of bacteria using highly selective media designed by SMART: Selective Medium-Design Algorithm Restricted by Two constraints. PLoS ONE 6: e16512, 2011.
- Maejima K., Himeno M., Komatsu K., Takinami Y., Hashimoto M., Takahashi S., Yamaji Y., Oshima K., Namba S. Molecular epidemiology of plum pox virus in Japan. Phytopathology 101: 567-574, 2011.
- Hoshi A., Oshima K., Kakizawa S., Ishii Y., Ozeki J., Hashimoto M., Komatsu K., Kagiwada S., Yamaji Y., Namba S. A unique virulence factor for proliferation and dwarfism in plants identified from a phytopathogenic bacterium. PNAS 106: 6416-6421, 2009.

- Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication number 2010-193775 (2010/9/9)