HIRAI Yoshihiko (Agriculture)

Educational background

Ph.D. (Agriculture), Okayama University

Key words for education

Agriculture, Crop, Cultivation, Environment, Plant Physiology

Sample courses

Crop Science 1, 2

Features of my courses

Cultivation methods have been improved by farmers and researchers with many years of experience, wisdom, and ingenuity; they are continually improved by supplementing new knowledge and technologies. By teaching contemporary understandings of cultivation methods, these courses encourage students to have their own perspectives on the future of agriculture and food production.

Key words for research

Environmental stress and crop production, Genes and plant physiology related to salt tolerance

Key publications and conference presentations

  • Dao H.D. and Hirai Y.:Cl¯ more detrimental than Na+ in rice under long-term saline conditions. Journal of Agricultural Science 10(10), 66-75 (2018).
  • Thuy N.T.T., Tokuyasu M., Mai N.S. and Hirai Y.:Identification and characterization of chromosome regions associated with salinity tolerance in rice. Journal of Agricultural Science 10(11), 57-68 (2018).
  • Shavrukov Y. and Hirai Y. :Good and bad protons: genetic aspects of acidity stress responses in plants. Journal of Experimental Botany 67, 15-30 (2016).
  • Kakehashi T., Tsuda M. and Hirai Y. : The Effects of Irrigation Method and Seedling Age at Transplanting on the Growth and Yield of Rice Grown on Heterogeneous Saline Soils. Japanese journal of crop science 85, 115-121 (2016) (In Japanese).
  • Haburi, Tsuda M. and Hirai Y. : Water Use and Growth of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivated on Saline Soils with Various Amounts of Soil and Water. Japanese journal of crop science 83, 32-38 (2014) (In Japanese).

What I like about Discovery

By exchanging opinions with students with various interests, you can broaden your knowledge and perspective after entering this course. You can also gain a wide range of specialized knowledge because you can take lectures from multiple faculties depending on your interests. If you find a faculty that suits your interests outside of the Discovery Program, you can pursue your graduation thesis in that faculty. I think the program is very attractive to students eager to actively pursue their education.