HOME - Plant Microbiology Laboratory (OKAZAKI Lab) - Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

Research interests

Plants are continually exposed to a variety of microbes. These microbes include potential pathogens that induce diseases on plants and symbionts that benefit plants. To achieve sustainable agriculture it is important to use the beneficial microbes instead of applying large amount of chemical fertilizers and agricultural chemicals. The work in our laboratory focuses on beneficial microbes such as rhizobium, AM fungi and endophytic bacteria.

Research content

Isolation and characterization of symbiotic microbes from various plants around the world

In order to survive in the harsh natural environment, plants coexist with various microorganisms. There are also microorganisms that supply nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and microorganisms that bring out disease resistance and drought tolerance in plants. We will travel to various environments around the world to discover a wide variety of useful microorganisms, evaluate their useful traits such as their ability to promote plant growth, and develop a foundation for their use as new microbial resources.

Molecular interactions between plant and symbiotic microbes

Symbiotic microbes, such as rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi, have unique strategies to establish symbiosis with plants. On the other hand, plants also have a set of genes that allow them to accept symbionts. We aim to understand the molecular mechanisms of plant-microbe symbiosis using molecular biology, omics analysis, and contribute to crop production by strengthening symbiotic relationships and creating new symbiotic systems.

Development of new technology using microbial functions

Crop production and environmental purification, including the development of biofertilizers that supply nutrients to crops, biostimulants that bring out disease resistance and drought tolerance, and microbial materials that reduce the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). We will develop technology that utilizes microbial functions.

We encourage your application to our Master or Ph.D. courses, or some fellowship positions for postdoc as follows;

For Graduate students

International Innovative Agricultural Science Course (IIAS)

Research interests

Research content

Isolation and characterization of symbiotic microbes from various plants around the world

Molecular interactions between plant and symbiotic microbes

Development of new technology using microbial functions

News&Topics

Our work has been published in Frontiers in Microbiology

Our work has been published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry.

Our work has been published in Frontiers in Microbiology.

We encourage your application to our Master or Ph.D. courses, or some fellowship positions for postdoc as follows;

For Graduate students

For non-Japanese scientists

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