Application of ultra-weak photon emission measurements in agriculture.

Here we report our two applications of ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) measurements in agriculture. One is to find new types of agrochemicals that potentiate plants' defense, so-called "plant activator". We first analyzed the relation between plant defense and Elicitor-Responsive Photon Emission (ERPE) using a combination of rice cells and a chitin elicitor.

Ultraweak photon emission from herbivory-injured maize plants.

Following perception of herbivory or infection, plants exhibit a wide range of inducible responses. In this study, we found ultraweak photon emissions from maize leaves damaged by Helicoverpa armigera (Noctuidae). Interestingly, mechanically damaged maize leaves treated with caterpillar regurgitants emitted the same intensity and pattern of photon emissions as those from maize leaves damaged by caterpillars.

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon-induced degradation of trichloroethylene in Wautersia numadzuensis sp. nov.

Two strains of trichloroethylene (TCE)-degrading bacteria were isolated from soils at polluted and unpolluted sites. The isolates, strains TE26(T) and K6, showed co-substrate-independent TCE-degrading activity. TCE degradation was accelerated by preincubation with tetrachloroethylene, cis-dichloroethylene (DCE) and 1,1-DCE.