The gene involved in pre-harvest sprouting, a condition where germination of grains occurs in the spike before harvest, has been separately identified in wheat and barley. Moreover, it has been found to be same gene in in these two cereal crops. This discovery will contribute to the improvement of pre-harvest sprouting tolerance in both wheat and barley, that will be particularly useful in the breeding of tolerant cultivars.

　The gene that promotes the absorption of various nutrients from the hydroponic nutrient solution and subsequent accumulation in the plant has been successfully identified in rice. Overexpression of the gene (RDD1) in rice grown with low fertilizer input increased the yield by approximately 20%. The gene can be used in developing new cultivars as well as efficient cultivation techniques that will result in sustaining high yield even with lower input of fertilizers.

　The protein Diterpenoid Phytoalexin Factor (DPF), which specifically controls the synthesis of antimicrobial substances in plants and functions as a defense system against several pathogens has been discovered in rice. The characterization of this protein is expected to facilitate the production of phytoalexins even before the onset of biotic and abiotic stresses, and could lead to the development of rice cultivars with strong resistance to pathogens.

　Many useful variations in soybean have been generated using a highly efficient technology that involves induction of mutation combined with a cost-effective and high-throughput sequencing strategy to select the resulting variations in the genes. The mutant soybean population contains many genetic variations particularly in the genes associated with highly desirable agronomic traits such as early-maturing that could be used in breeding for new and improved soybean cultivars.

　The mechanism involved in the high amount of production of water-soluble sericin silk protein in a specific region of the silk gland of silkworm has been elucidated. Analysis of gene expression that regulates sericin production indicated the possibility that this system can also be functional in the posterior silk gland that primarily produces the water insoluble fibroin silk protein. This study may be useful in developing strategies to increase the production of useful proteins in silkworm.

　A new protein that appears to have an important role in controlling the expression of an enzyme gene 'spookier' in the biosynthesis of ecdysteroid or insect molting hormone, was found from a study using yellow fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. This is the first report describing a transcription factor that is specialized for the regulation of only one ecdysteroidogenic gene in invertebrates. It is highly anticipated that this study will provide novel insights into the regulatory mechanism of steroid hormone biosynthesis and its evolution in animals and that can be used in developing agricultural chemicals that target only insect pests.