Abstract: An organic material production system includes: a pretreatment device (12) that pulverizes a biomass material (11); a hydrothermal decomposition apparatus (14) that hydrothermally decomposes a pulverized biomass (13) by causing it to countercurrently contact with hot compressed water (15), elutes lignin components and hemicellulose components into the hot compressed water (15), and separates the lignin components and the hemicellulose components from a biomass solid residue; a first enzymatic hydrolysis device (19-1) that treats cellulose in a biomass solid residue (17), discharged from the hydrothermal decomposition apparatus, with an enzyme (18) to enzymatically hydrolyze it to a sugar solution containing hexose; a fermenter (21) that produces ethanol by fermentation using a sugar solution (20) obtained by the first enzymatic hydrolysis device (19-1); and a refiner 25 that refines an alcohol fermentation liquid (22), so as to separate it into ethanol (23) and a residue (24).

Abstract: The present inventors found that the efficiency of introducing a protein into a plant dramatically increases as compared with conventional methods for cultivating a bacteria-infected plant as it is when the protein of interest is expressed with bacteria having the type III secretion system, the bacteria are brought into contact with the plant, and then the infected tissues are cultured under bacteriostatic conditions for a certain period of time.

Abstract: A thread collecting method for easily and simply collecting a bagworm-derived pure silk thread from a bagworm with a small number of processes and a thread collecting device for implementing the thread collecting method are developed and provided. A device that collects a silk thread from a bagworm is provided, the device including: a container that accommodates the bagworm; and an in-and-out hole through which the bagworm is put in and taken out of the container. A width of a maximum short axis cross section of an inner space of the container is in a range from 1.2 times or more to less than 3.1 times relative to a maximum body width of the bagworm being accommodated.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to develop a method of producing pure and long bagworm silk threads comprising no contaminants, such as pieces of leaves and twigs, and a device for implementing the production method. Provided is a method of producing a long bagworm silk thread, the method comprising a spinning process of making a bagworm having its nest hang its legs on a rail and continuously spin a silk thread along the rail, wherein the rail has a width smaller than the maximum width between the left and right legs when the bagworm used spreads out its legs and wherein the rail is such that the bagworm can hang its legs on the rail, and a collection process of collecting a long silk thread from the rail after the spinning process.

Abstract: The production of exudate containing sugar from a plant at a high concentration is provided. A nucleic acid encoding a transporter involved in sugar transportation having a certain consensus sequence derived from the amino acid sequences of the SWEET proteins classified in the clade III is introduced and/or expression of the protein is enhanced.

Abstract: In order to provide: a method for producing an HSL protein with increased catalytic activity to oxidize a 4-HPPD inhibitor in a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent manner; and a method for producing a plant with increased resistance to a 4-HPPD inhibitor using the method for producing the HSL protein, it has been revealed that, by mutating position 140 to a basic amino acid in an HSL protein, the catalytic activity of the protein to oxidize a 4-HPPD inhibitor in a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent manner can be increased, and an activity of the protein to decompose the inhibitor can be increased.

Abstract: A yeast extract is produced by preparing a suspension containing yeast, applying an electric field treatment to the suspension, and then autolyzing the suspension. In this electric field treatment, a voltage to be applied is less than 1000 V/mm, and a temperature of the suspension during an application period of the voltage is 64° C. or less. According to such a production process, a content of amino acids in the yeast extract can be improved. Among amino acids, branched chain amino acids or the like can be efficiently increased.

Abstract: A grafting method includes: making a cut surface of a scion and a cut surface of a rootstock contact with each other, and disposing sheet-like thermoplastic resin films facing each other across a contact part; and covering a periphery of the contact part with the thermoplastic resin films by ultrasonically welding the thermoplastic resin films.

Abstract: The production of exudate containing sugar from a plant at a high concentration is provided. A nucleic acid encoding a transporter involved in sugar transportation having a certain consensus sequence derived from the amino acid sequences of the SWEET proteins classified in the clade III is introduced and/or expression of the protein is enhanced.

Abstract: A combination of virus vectors for genome editing is formed by arranging a polynucleotide encoding a split genome editing enzyme in each of a Tobamovirus vector and a Potexvirus vector and arranging a polynucleotide encoding a guide RNA in one of the vectors. It is found that when these virus vectors are introduced into a plant cell, a complex of a functional Cas9 protein and the guide RNA is formed in the plant cell, and a genome is edited in a target site-specific manner.

Abstract: A grafting method includes: making a cut surface of a scion and a cut surface of a rootstock contact with each other, and disposing sheet-like thermoplastic resin films facing each other across a contact part; and covering a periphery of the contact part with the thermoplastic resin films by ultrasonically welding the thermoplastic resin films.

Abstract: A method of producing a transgenic silkworm that spins bagworm silks and producing a large quantity of bagworm silks by transgenic technology is developed and provided. A gene encoding a modified bagworm Fib H and a transgenic silkworm in which the gene is introduced, wherein the gene is obtained by cloning a gene fragment encoding a bagworm Fib H-like polypeptide comprising a partial amino acid sequence of bagworm Fib H, and fusing the gene fragment to a gene fragment encoding silkworm-derived Fib H, are provided.

Abstract: It was found that bringing a substance into contact with a plant cell after the plant cell is treated with plasma makes it possible to easily and highly efficiently introduce the substance into the cell without causing a damae regardless of the types of the plant and tissue from which the plant cell is derived.

Abstract: With the use of nucleotide sequence data concerning transcription products, transcriptome analysis is performed with higher precision. Concerning a plurality of data sets including the objective variable data and the gene expression level data, a plurality of subdata sets are generated by randomly deleting the gene expression level data, and the method of regularization is applied to the plurality of subdata sets to calculate relevant estimation formulae and then generate the lists of genes included in the estimation formula.

Abstract: A method for producing a plant cell comprising a mutation introduced in a target DNA comprises: a step of introducing into plant cells a DNA construct comprising a DNA homologous to a target DNA, wherein a desired mutation is introduced and a piggyBac transposon containing a marker gene is inserted in the homologous DNA; a step of selecting a plant cell, in which the mutation and the piggyBac transposon are introduced in the target DNA via homologous recombination, based on an expression of the marker gene; and a step of removing the piggyBac transposon from the target DNA by constitutively expressing a piggyBac transposase in the cell selected in the above step.

Abstract: It has been found that a marker gene, which is inserted in the genomic DNA via homologous recombination, and to both ends of which nuclease recognition sites are added, can be removed from a plant cell by using a corresponding nuclease, and further that the nuclease recognition sites can also be removed without leaving any trace by matching sequences of at least 30 nucleotides adjacent to the recognition sites. Moreover, in a method for introducing a mutation into a target DNA on the genome of a plant cell via homologous recombination, it is made possible to: stably select a plant cell, in which the mutation is introduced, based on an expression of a marker gene; further, to remove an unnecessary sequence such as the marker gene from the selected cell; and to introduce only a required mutation into the target DNA.

Abstract: A grafting device includes: a transfer unit configured to transfer, in a predetermined direction, a grafted seedling that is in a state where a cut surface of a graft and a cut surface of a rootstock are closely attached to each other; a tape supply unit configured to arrange a tape on a transfer path of the grafted seedling in such a manner that the tape is allowed to be pulled out; a pull-out member configured to transfer through the transfer path in advance of the grafted seedling to pull out the tape from the tape supply unit, and sandwich a closely attached part of the grafted seedling between a first part of the tape and a second part facing the first part; and a welding unit configured to cover a periphery of the closely attached part of the grafted seedling with the tape and weld the tape.

Abstract: A new and distinct variety of Zoysia matrella plant named ‘Fox’, characterized by having less ear emergence, dark green leaf color, thick stolon, high tolerance to tread pressure, better summer survival, late fall discoloration, and high disease resistance, as compared to other Zoysia grass varieties.

Abstract: A new and distinct variety of Zoysia matrella plant named ‘Fox’, characterized by having less ear emergence, dark green leaf color, thick stolon, high tolerance to tread pressure, better summer survival, late fall discoloration, and high disease resistance, as compared to other Zoysia grass varieties.

Abstract: A new and distinct variety of Citrus L. plant named ‘ASUKI’, characterized by being late-maturing, having high brix and excellent taste, being easy to eat because of its soft segment membrane, having no occurrence of fruit rind puffing, and having less dripping of fruit juice.