From Oct 1st to 12th, 2017, Associate Professor Kenichi Matsushima of the Department of Forest Resource in Institute Mountain Science, and Kanami Hatakeyama (2nd year of Graduate School of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture, Bioresource Sciences) and Shohei Kurumada (1st year of the same) made an exploratory survey and collection of plant genetic resources in province of Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri and Stung Treng which are the mountainous region in eastern Cambodia (the highest altitude 867m in the places visited). This survey was conducted as a joint project with the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia.

Through this exploratory survey, 104 accessions of plant genetic resources, such as capsicum, eggplant, pumpkin and melon, were collected. Next fiscal year, these plant genetic resources are to be evaluated in cultivation test and multiplied by Faculty of Agriculture of Shinshu University and CARDI respectively, and the seeds are preserved in Genebank of Japan and Cambodia. These genetic resource seeds will be utilized in breed improvement and various research.

This exploratory survey is conducted under the Plant Genetic Resources Asia (PGRAsia) project commissioned by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.