Mechanism and dissemination of high quality vegetable cultivation technique using local wood biomass and filamentous fungi

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K06337
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 41050:Environmental agriculture-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: MIYAZAWA Kae 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 准教授 (40370613)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 木質バイオマス / 有機農業 / 葉菜類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We conducted field surveys, interviews with farmers, and field trials on the cultivation technique using a large amount of high-carbon materials such as wood chips. We found that the yield and quality of Komatsuna tended to be higher than those using livestock manure or fully matured compost, and that the inorganic nitrogen concentration in the soil and CO2 concentration had little effect on these factors. Interviews and field surveys with several farmers using these wood chips revealed that successful farmers had in common a visible increase in filamentous fungi in their fields, the absence of a soil hardpan layer, and relatively low inorganic nitrogen levels.

Free Research Field

環境保全型農業

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

農業生産における物質循環の促進や、土壌の改善そして炭素貯留に関する技術や知見は持続的な農業生産や地球環境の保全のために最も重要である。本研究で対象としている技術は地域の木質系バイオマスを有効利用し、土壌を改善して土壌中の炭素貯留を増加する可能性のある技術であり、普及の面からも生産性や品質も同時に向上する可能性を明らかにした意義は大きい。また、耕地における微生物相の変化を伴う可能性のある技術であることから、学術的にも大変興味深い現象を捉えた研究である。