Rice was harvested to collect rice from the study sample.

On August 28/31 and September 8/14/23, 2020, the staff of this center cut rice at Tanbo (hereinafter referred to as "field") in Tsukuba City. This activity was part of a research on the evaluation of the effect of global warming on rice and adaptation measures conducted by the Toyota Research Center's chief researcher (this interview article on the content of the research), and the center's root, Oyama, Miyazuka (as well as a specialist in promoting climate change adaptation) was accompanied by the collection of rice as a research sample by collecting a water thermometer installed to monitor the temperature (ground temperature) in the soil and the depth (water level) of water used in each field.

Field in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, where rice was harvested (photographed at Miyatsuka, Our Center)

The first day of rice harvesting. On this day, the center's roots and Oyama, together with a professional cameraman, took pictures of the rice-harvesting activities to gather image material on A-PLAT website for adaptation efforts in various regions of Japan. In order to explain photographs that are as realistic as possible, local farmers, Chief Researcher Masutomi, and Ms. Kawamura, a master's student and master's student at Ibaraki University, responded to posing in various places in the hot weather. Thank you so much. As an aside, in the adjacent field, a large amount of rice was quickly harvested in combines, and I felt the tremendous power of civilization.

One scene of shooting (shooting: Photographer Fuji)

The second day of rice harvesting. On this hot day, we will carry out rice harvesting around nine farm sites by car. On this day, Dr. Masutomi, Dr. Kawata (commonly known as Kawatchi), and Ms. Miyazuka of the Center took on the challenge of harvesting rice for the first time.

Standby for work when you arrive at the marked field of the field... Ms. Kawata, who brought boots (rice paddies) for rice paddies, was very active because rice was falling down and the soil was muddy due to the wind and rain until the previous day. Nevertheless, it was more difficult than I had thought to walk to the vicinity of the center of the paddy field where the water level gauge was installed while raising the fallen rice while taking a foot in the muddy. I also knew that there was no shade of trees in the vicinity, and that repeated sweating and drinking of water under a strong sunshine required physical strength.

When the water level gauge is pulled out, eight rice stocks in the immediate vicinity are cut with a sickle. Rice harvested with a crisp sound is immediately put together in bunches and marked so as not to be confused with rice from other fields. Although this is a simple task, it was impressive that the chief investigator of wealth said that it is essential to manage the samples carefully in order to obtain the data used for the study. (photographed at Miyatsuka, Our Center)

Cut rice around the water thermometer.

The harvested rice is immediately bundled to distinguish it from other rice.

Dry for 3 days until threshing

Smile after work

The cropped rice had to be dried for three days until it was threshed. The work was carried out until I visited Tsukuba Regional Agricultural Improvement and Promotion Centre's Sample Drying Office and put the rice on a fence. At a later date, after the dried rice is threshed and riced, the rice is passed through a grain discriminator to inspect the quality of the rice on a field-by-field basis.

The impact of global warming has become realistic, as the quality of rice (paddy rice) has deteriorated due to high temperatures nationwide. It was a valuable experience to see this research, which looked at the cause and countermeasures at the field level, through rice harvesting. "Originally, we specialized in computer-based simulation research. We are still conducting this research, but at the same time, we feel that it is important to conduct field-level research on concrete measures to mitigate the impact. I would like to continue to enter the rice paddies while we can move."