• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.295-303
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• 2019

This study investigated the effects of various cultivation pots on Betula platyphylla var. japonica seedlings in order to select suitable pots for the production of healthy seedlings for the ecological revegetation. We used six types of the pots natural pot, natural pot with inside 5 mm width root turning bump, natural pot with inside 10 mm width root turning bump, negative-phototropism pot, negative-phototropism pot with inside 5 mm width root turning bump, and negative-phototropism pot with inside 10 mm width root turning bump. As greenhouse cultivation provided a high level of control of irrigation and temperature, the seedlings did not show any significant differences in plant height, number of branches, and diameter at root collar, but showed a significant difference in root growth among the different types of pots. The root growth was best in the negative-phototropism pot. In the negative-phototropism, the roots grew in a vertical shape, while they grew abnormally in a spiral shape in the natural pots. In outdoor cultivation, the growth of seedlings showed significant differences according to container types. The seedlings grown in specially manufactured negative-phototropism pots were most excellent in all of the height, number of branches, diameter at root collar and root growth. As for the seedlings grown in the negative-phototropism pots, their roots grew vertically and thus their rooting was well established after they were transplanted outdoor. A size of less than 5 mm ridge installed in the negative-phototropism was found to be appropriate for the seedling growth. These results showed that the negative-phototropism pot would be best suitable for the growth of Betula platyphylla var. japonica seedlings and for the production of seedling for ecological revegetation.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.69-73
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• 1994

Sporangiophores (spphs) of Phycomyces blakesleeanus are positively phototropic to unilateral visible (blue) light over a range of fluence rates 10$^{-9}$ to 1 W/m$^2$. The maximal bending angle is always 70-75$\circ$ from the vertical. Many mutants with abnormal phototropism have been isolated. Complementation tests revealed that the genetic grouping is completely consistent with the phenotypic classification scheme, based on sensory responses other than those to light. The spph of the piloboloid mutant, the growth zone of which gradually ceases elongation but expands spherically, and the $\beta$-carotene-overproducing mutant show negative phototropism, in contrast to the wild type spph. We hypothesized that the phototropic orientation of spph is determined by the ratio of the maximal light fluenee rate at the proximal side to that at the distal side of the spph. Based on this hypothesis, we found that the maximal bending angle was larger in thin spphs than in thick ones, and larger in spphs containing smaller amount of $\beta$-carotene than in carotene-rich spphs. In addition to our hypothesis, gravitropic experiments revealed that the maximal bending angle of the wild type spph results from a balance among positive phototropism, negative gravitropism, and the optical properties of the spph. For further advancement of this study, we developed a mutant with a high proportion of uninucleate spores, and designed an efficient microinjection method for obtaining transformants.