Abstract: A granulating method is a method in which powder containing a water-soluble component is granulated. In the disclosed granulating method, a dispersion element, wherein fine water droplets are dispersed in superheated steam, is expelled from a nozzle, and thus the dispersion element and powder in a flowing state come into contact with one another. It is preferable that the mass ratio of superheated steam contained in the dispersion element, as a mass ratio found from the theoretical flow amount of superheated steam expelled from the nozzle, and the actual flow amount of water supplied to the nozzle, be set in a range of 20-70 mass %.

Abstract: The present invention relates to (i) a plant growth-improving agent containing a growth-improving component that increases a concentration of an oxoanion in an area around a plant, the oxoanion being heavier than a sulfate ion and containing four oxygen atoms, (ii) a seed to which such a plant growth-improving agent has been applied, and (iii) a plant growth-improving method including a cultivating step of growing a plant in the presence of such a growth-improving component.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a method of reducing the total amount of stored protein, to develop a technique required therefor, and to provide a plant and its seeds developed by the above method and a method of using such a plant and seeds. More specifically, a nucleic acid molecule containing a consecutive nucleic acid sequence of at least 15 in length which is complementary with a nucleic acid sequence encoding prolamine polypeptide or a nucleic acid sequence having a homology of at least about 70% to the complementary nucleic acid sequence having at least 15 nucleotide length. A method of reducing the expression dose of a protein in a seed of a plant which comprises: A) the step of providing the above-described nucleic acid molecule; B) the step of transferring the nucleic acid molecule into the cells of the plant; C) the step of re-differentiating the cells to construct a transgenic plant; and D) the step of obtaining seeds from the transgenic plant.