‘Pinot Noir’ is a famous cultivar of grape (Vitis vinifera L.) for vine production. Grape accumulates important secondary metabolites, such as anthocyanin, tannin and resveratrol, in berry skin. The turning point of ripening of grape berry is called “veraison.” After veraison, properties of berry, including sugar and acid contents, color and firmness, change dramatically. In this issue, Suzuki et al. report the comparison of metabolomes of berry skin of ‘Pinot Noir’ before and aer veraison (pp.267-272).

Photographed by Katsuhiro Shiratake, Mami Suzuki and Masaki Ochiai (Nagoya University) in Azumino, Nagano, Japan, 23 July and 16 September 2010 (Canon EOS Kiss Digital N, Tamron SP 17–50 mm F/2.8 Di II) and 4 Augusta 2011 (Olympus E-620, Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50 mm F2.0 Macro).

The structures of B-ring of anthocyanins are known to change flower color greatly. The effect of 3′- and 5′-methoxylation of anthocyanins in flower color was studied by expressing S-adenosylmethionine: anthocyanin 3′,5′-O-methyltranferase (A3’5’OMT) gene from torenia in plants (pp. 109–117). he transgenic Nierembergia petals produced 3′- and 5′-methoxylated anthocyanins based on petunidin and malvidin in petals (the upper picture, the host flower is shown at the top). The paler color of the transgenics were due to the decrease of anthocyanin amount. Expression of a flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase gene in a rose cultivar (the lower picture, left) resulted in delphinidin production and magenta color (center). Additional expression of the A3’5’OMT gene yielded more brilliant and attractive color (right) derived from malvidin accumulation than delphinidin alone. hese results indicate that the A3’5’OMT gene is a useful molecular tool to increase the varieties of flower color.

Nierembergia and roses were photographed by Noriko Nakamura (Suntory Global Innovation Center Ltd.) and Yukihisa Katsumoto (Suntory Global Innovation Center Ltd.), respectively, at Suntory Research Center (Osaka).

Carbon fixation in the leaves and translocation to the fruits are the most fundamental functions for fruit productivity. In this issue, Yamazaki et al. report immediate and different responses of carbon fixation and translocation to enriched external CO₂ concentrations in the same individuals of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. ‘Micro-Tom’), by visualizing the movement of pulse-fed 11CO₂ tracer in the test plants using a positron-emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS) (pp 31–37). Top: 400 ppm CO₂. Middle: 1,500 ppm CO₂. Bottom: 3,000 ppm CO₂.

Paulownia tomentosa (empress tree), or Kiri in Japanese, is a fast-growing tree native to China in the family Paulowniaceae, producing tubular light-purple flowers. In Japan, the plant is adapted as a floral motif for a traditional emblem Kiri mon, or Paulownia crest, of which use by a Sengoku-era warlord Hideyoshi Toyotomi and also today by government (cabinet office) of Japan is known well. Including P. tomentosa, a number of species in the genera Paulownia, Sesamum (Pedaliaceae), and Phryma (Phrymaceae), all belonging to the order Lamiales, are known to produce specialized lignans of furofran type with methylenedioxy bridge, represented by sesamin from sesame seeds. In this issue, Noguchi et al. report that the formation of the methylenedioxy bridge is catalyzed by a conserved cytochrome P450 enzyme in the lignan-producing species (pp 493–504).

Photographed by Eiichiro Ono (Suntory Global Innovation Center Ltd.) in Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan, in spring, 2014 (SONY RX-100).

In Japan, Christmas illumination is common during winter and a variety of natural and artificial plants are decorated with colorful lights. In this issue, Sasaki et al. in National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) Institute of Floricultural Science (NIFS) have reported a generation of fluorescent Torenia flowers by combination of the highperformance fluorescent protein and the latest protein expression technologies (pp. 309–318). Their work may lead to a use of the fluorescent plants for Christmas illumination in the near future.

Photographed by Tsuyoshi Mizoguchi (International Christian University, ICU) in ICU, Japan, 5 Dec, 2014 (Ricoh GXR, Leica Super Angulon f4/21 mm).

In Japan, fruits of Citrus unshiu usually grow larger during summer and the color turns from green to orange in late autumn. e fruits are rich with the yellow pigment, -cryptoxanthin. -cryptoxanthin is a xanthophyll and possesses pro-vitamin A activity for mammals. In plants, xanthophyll cycles play important roles in the protection of photosynthetic apparatus from light-induced oxidative damage. In this issue, Kawabata & Takeda from Osaka Prefecture University report the eect of intense light on the pool size of the xanthophyll cycle in Arabidopsis thaliana (pp. 229–240).

Photographed by Tsuyoshi Mizoguchi (International Christian University, ICU) in ICU, Japan, 5 Sep, 2014 (Ricoh GXR, Leica Summicron f2/35 mm).

Most parts of Japan experience a rainy season in early summer, usually from the beginning of June to mid July. Japanese hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) blooms in June and the ower is one of the symbols of the rainy season in Japan. There is a dramatic change in humidity, from wet to dry condition, between the rainy season and mid summer in Japan. Most plants have the ability to adapt to such changes. Molecular mechanisms underlying the tolerance to the dry condition after the rainy season have not been fully understood. In this issue, Watanabe et al. in Hiroshima University have reported roles of purine metabolites in drought stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana (pp. 173–178).

Photographed by Tsuyoshi Mizoguchi (International Christian University, ICU) in ICU, Japan, 30 May, 2014 (Ricoh GXR P10).

We had record snowfalls over the last two weekends. Heavy snow in Tokyo damaged small plants and big trees alike including cherry and plum trees in Mitaka. There is a famous proverb “The fools who cut cherry trees, the fools who don’t cut plum trees.” Some plants including cherry trees are badly damaged by cutting and wounding. By contrast, other fruit trees including plum often require trimming for better growth. Molecular mechanisms underlying the tissue reunion occurring after the cutting and wounding have not been elucidated.In this issue, Pitaksaringkarn et al. in University of Tsukuba have reported a pivotal role of ARF6 and ARF8 of Arabidopsis thaliana in the tissue reunion process (pp. 49–53).

Photographed by Tsuyoshi Mizoguchi (International Christian University, ICU) in ICU, Japan, 21 February, 2014 (Ricoh GXR P10).

Juniperus chinesis is a very tough conifer tree. This species is easy to grow, has dense branches and has been propagated for making live fences of gardens in Japan. But trees of this species sometimes show unexpected changes in shoot morphology after triming. As shown in the center of this photograph, some shoots show vigorous growth and make spiny leaves, while shoots of this species usually make slow-growing branches with small, round, and densely arranged scaly leaves. Due to their vigorous growth, once they appear, the spiny type of shoots are not easy to control, which makes it difficult to maintain the beauty of the whole tree shape. Skills of gardeners is judged based on whether they can control this or not. This phenomenon is also interesting from viewpoint of switching between two types of organogenesis in shoot.

Photographed by Hirokazu Tsukaya (Univ. Tokyo) in Kamakura, Japan, 27 September, 2012 (Pentax Optio W80).

“Sui-fuyo” or Drunken Fuyo Hybiscus (Confederate rose) is a mutant of Hibiscus mutabilis L. (“Fuyo” in Japanese) that originally occurs in China. It has been widely cultivated in gardens in Japan as an easy-growing bush tree bearing many pink flowers even under the harsh summer high temperatures. There are two types of “Sui-fuyo”: a basic type with five petals and a double-flowered type. Both are characterized with a late pigmentation: the flower color is white just after the anthesis in the morning, and is gradually turned into pink or red in the midday to the evening. While wild-type flowers complete the synthesis of pink pigments before anthesis, the Sui-fuyo cannot start making pigments before the anthesis. We liken this gradual change in the flower’s color to a blush of a young women’s face after drinking Sake.

Photographed by Hirokazu Tsukaya (Univ. Tokyo) in Kamakura, Japan, 26 September, 2012 (Pentax Optio W80).

Left: Commercial tomato fruits with high sugar content which is popular in Japanese tomato market, and called as fruit tomato due to its sweetness and excelent flavor. Right: Fruit of Earl’s Favourite-type melon, which is an unique melon genotype in Japan, and a breeding material for Japanese high quality melon cultivars.

Tomato and melon fruits were photographed by Kyoko Hiwasa-Tanase (University of Tsukuba) and Yoshiteru Sakata (National Agricultural and Food Research Organization), respectively.

There are many caves in lime stone areas in rain tropics of Southeastern Asia. Such places are affluent in water supply, that is sometimes too much for some plants. Alocasia revera N.E.Br., shown here, is not such a weak weeds. It grows often in the entrance of caves where it is exposed to high-calcium, and alkali water supplied from the caves. A. reversa also enjoys rich nitrogen and phosphate, in the form of guano: excrements of bats that live in the caves. A. reversa is characteristic with its delicately variegated leaves with unequal distribution of intercellular spaces in the palisade tissue, and its lovely white bract with a tinge of pale purple on the edge. It’s tough epidermis with thickened wax is evident in both organs, which enables this species to tolerate high humidity.

Photographed by Hirokazu Tsukaya (Univ. Tokyo) in 2 Sept, 2010 (Pentax Optio W80).