Overview of Resource Operations Focused on the Mutant Strains of Asagao

Introduction to Resource Center No. 7 The Japanese morning glory ( or ) or Asagao (hereafter referred to as asagao) is not indigenous to Japan. In fact, it is considered to have been introduced from China as a hypercathartic medical herb around the 8th century. Since then, it has been cultivated for its flowers and has evolved into different variations due to transposons, becoming a unique garden plant in Japan (Fig. 1). Since the rediscovery of Mendel’s law, asagao has been used as a research material in genetics and numerous hybridization experiments has been conducted until the start of war. The results were reported in more than 200 journal articles, and a linkage map consisting of 10 of 15 linkage groups was generated. Most of these researches were conducted by Japanese geneticists, and asagao is the second most thoroughly genetically analyzed plant after maize. In addition, asagao is a typical short-day plant, and due to its sensitivity to day length, it has also been used as a research material in studies in the field of plant physiology to determine the anthogenesis (flower formation) mechanism. 【1】 History and Overview of Resources and Operations