Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

Lisianthus flowers have scent components that attract cats like silvervine: NARO’s research reveals

TOKYO, May 28 – Giving silver vines to cats? Yes, but lisianthus flowers can also make your cats happy. The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) has published that lisianthus flowers possess scent components like iridoids and actinidine, like silver vine, which attract cats. This is the first time these components have been found in the types of flowers sold as cut flowers. This property will likely become a new advantage of lisianthus, which is already famous for its wide variety of colors and shapes and good keeping quality. NARO analyzed 13 breeds, including New Lination White, with a weak, sweet scent. Then, 36 chemical compounds, including iridoids and … Continue reading

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National bullfighting summit held in Niigata to preserve the tradition

NIIGATA, May 27 — The 27th national bullfighting summit was held on May 26 in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, with 28 bulls clashing their horns at the Yamakoshi Bullfighting Arena before an audience of some 1,100 people. Nagaoka Mayor Tatsunobu Isoda, who heads the event’s organizing council, said, “It is 20 years since the entire population of the village of Yamakoshi was evacuated following the (2004) Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake. We want to show how the area has been restored by the passion of the local community and those who provided support so that we can offer strong hope to people in other disaster-hit areas.” The village of Yamakoshi became part of … Continue reading

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Enjoy night-time strawberry picking in greenhouse lit to break plants’ dormancy in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture

SHIMANE, May 23 – “Night Strawberry Picking” in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, is becoming a popular tourist attraction. The unique experience of picking strawberries in an illuminated greenhouse to break the plants’ dormancy is drawing in repeat visitors. The Omori Farm of Strawberries in Yasugi City began the night event in 2021 as a seasonal event in May every year. The farm is open to visitors five days a week (closed on Monday and Friday) at night from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The greenhouse is lit to break the dormancy of strawberry plants, creating a unique atmosphere for the attraction, and you get to enjoy picking two varieties, Kaorino … Continue reading

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Rice farming coexisting with oriental white storks

HYOGO, May 22 — Oriental white storks can be seen searching for food near farmers preparing rice paddies in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, a town aiming to coexist with the birds designated in Japan as a specially protected species. In the Tajima area, which includes Toyooka, farmers, local authorities and an agricultural cooperative work together to implement stork-friendly farming — growing rice with reduced use of pesticides and no use of chemical fertilizers. They also adopt other environment-friendly measures including winter flooding — keeping irrigation water in rice fields during winter to maintain biodiversity — and the use of organic fertilizers. Biotopes are developed using fallow fields to provide a habitat … Continue reading

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30-year-old seedling tray laying robot still in use in eastern Japan

TOCHIGI, May 19 — As Japan entered the rice planting season, an agricultural robot is busy laying trays containing rice seedlings in a greenhouse in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture. Agurobo, developed nearly 30 years ago as a cutting-edge robot, can carry a total of 20 seedling trays on its two arms and place them all at once. According to the robot’s manufacturer Suzutec, only two of such robots are still in operation within Japan. The robot has greatly supported the scale expansion of rice farming in the country by automating the labor-intensive work of placing seedling trays. Kanuma, an agricultural production corporation in the city of Kanuma, cultivates rice on a … Continue reading

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