Masahiro Chiba

Number of Pollen Grains in Rice Cultivars with Different Cool-Weather Resistance at the Young Microspore Stage

Abstract The difference in the number of pollen grains may be the primary factor determining the resistance to cool weather at the young microspore stage in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars. To confirm this hypothesis, we compared the number of pollen grains among the cultivars or lines with various cool-weather resistance. The cultivars or lines used in the experiments were mainly released or grown in the Tohoku district (the northern part of the mainland of Japan). The number of pollen grains showed high correlation with the degree of cool-weather resistance, but considerably varied with the cultivar or line, even in the group having the same cool-weather resistance. Each group with different cool-weather resistance was divided into two subgroups, implying the existence of another genetic factor determining the resistance. The number of pollen grains in the plants cooled at the young microspore stage showed higher correlation with the degree of the cool-weather resistance than that in the control plants without exposure to low temperature. The correlation between the pollen number and spikelet sterility was also analyzed using the data of Satake and Shibata (1992, Jpn. J. Crop Sci. 61 :454–462), who primarily used the cultivars in Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan). The results were basically the same as those obtained in the present experiments. These results confirmed the hypothesis that the variation in the number of pollen grains is a primary factor of the resistance to cool weather at the booting stage in the cultivars in the northern part of Japan. The results also suggested the existence of another genetic factor determining the resistance.

Open-top chambers with solar-heated air introduction tunnels for the high-temperature treatment of paddy fields.

Abstract The quality of rice grain has been deteriorating as a result of the high temperature during the ripening stage caused by global warming. Easy and effective methods of high-temperature treatment are essential for the analysis of high-temperature tolerance and to screen for tolerant strains. We have improved the open-top chamber (OTC) by adding a solar-heated air introduction tunnel (SAT). The air is warmed by solar radiation as it passes through the tunnel and then flows into the OTC. The increase in temperature in the OTC-SAT was powered by solar radiation. Thereby, the temperature in OTC-SAT rose during the day according to the distance from the air intake (the nearer, the higher). A more uniform increase in temperature of approximately 1.2°C in the daytime was achieved by attaching a sloping wall and funnel-shaped air exhaust tunnel to the OTC-SAT to improve the air flow. The area of the high-temperature treatment was easily increased by increasing the width of the OTC-SAT; this finding might be useful for screening a large number of strains. The increase in the percentage of chalky grains by the use of OTC-SAT was similar to that obtained with the other treatment methods; the OTC-SAT will thus be useful for investigating high-temperature tolerance during the ripening stage, particularly in areas where the wind direction is stable. The use of an OTC with a funnel-shaped tunnel on both the air entrance and the air exit sides might be useful in areas where the wind direction is often reversed.

Improvement of High-Temperature Treatment Method using Solar Radiation under Unstable Wind Conditions

Abstract Open-top chambers (OTC) equipped with solar-heated double funnels (SDF) were tested for high-temperature treatments under unstable wind conditions. OTC-SDFs have two types of funnel-shaped tunnels attached on opposite ends; OTC-SDF-A had SDFs of the same width, and the OTC-SDF-B had SDFs that were twice the width of the open end. The temperature rise in these OTC-SDFs were compared with that in OTC with solar-heated air introduction tunnel (OTC-SAT). The temperature increase in the OTC-SAT during the daytime was small and not flat, whereas that in OTC-SDF-A was higher than in OTC-SAT and almost flat. The temperature rise was further enhanced in the OTC-SDF-B. An increase in air exchange ability at the intake may account for this enhancement. The drop in temperature at night observed in OTC-SAT was less prominent in OTC-SDFs. Based on these data, OTC-SDFs are considered useful in areas where the wind speed and direction are unstable.