As we begin a new year with the Journal of Plant Research

Abstract

The Journal of Plant Research (JPR) is one of the few journals that provide opportunities for publishing across the breadth of plant sciences (Nishida 2013a). The research areas range widely, i.e., from taxonomy, phylogenetics, and evolutionary biology to ecology and ecophysiological and environmental biology; morphology, anatomy, and structural biology; genetics and developmental biology; physiology, biochemistry, and molecular and cell biology; and other, related fields; thus, all authors are encouraged to prepare their manuscripts with consideration for understanding by a readership outside their research fields. The originality and quality of accepted articles are guaranteed by the Editors including Drs. Kouki Hikosaka, Masayoshi Kawaguchi, Akiko Soejima, Masaki Ito, Shuichi Sakaguchi, Toshihiro Yamada, Maki Katsuhara, Shinobu Satoh, and Hideo Yamasaki, whose decisions are supported by the critical but constructive comments of diverse Editorial Board members and a large number of reviewers. Graph presentation quality is improved by the artistic ability of Yuko Aoshima, who also dedicates herself to the efficient running of the Journal of Plant Research Editorial Office. The highly professional support by the Springer team, especially Francina Sebastian, Momoko Asawa, and Aiko Hiraguchi, is also to be acknowledged for improving the status of JPR in plant sciences. Since last year, the journal’s impact factor has recorded the best score yet, 2.059 (Nishida 2013b), and this encourages and convinces us to continue our editorial policy in 2014. As we begin a new year, I am very pleased to announce that this issue starts with a JPR symposium entitled ‘‘current status and future control of cesium contamination in plants and algae in Fukushima’’. As you know, the Fukushima accident has burdened our society with great concerns about decontamination of radiopolluted areas and the ‘‘control’’ of radiopolluted water from the ruined Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant. To overcome this tragedy and create a better future, our discussions and action plans must depend entirely on reliable scientific data, which, however, are difficult to gather under the adverse circumstances of the Fukushima area. Nevertheless, a group of volunteer Japanese scientists, led by Drs. Tetsuro Mimura (Kobe University), Toru Fujiwara (The University of Tokyo), and Hiroo Fukuda (The University of Tokyo), has conducted the most timely and valuable research, in order to understand and mitigate the potential adverse effects of radioactivity on nature and society. Although similar studies have been conducted after the nuclear bomb experiments and the Chernobyl accident in the past, the present studies provide unique data on the accumulation of radiocesium in plants and algae after the Fukushima accident, which are valuable and essential for easing the burden on the local population in the Fukushima area. I would like to express my greatest respect to all contributors to this symposium and hope their efforts are praised by many people in society, without any political bias. I would also like to acknowledge Prof. Kazuhiko Nishitani, who kindly took the role of guest editor in this symposium. Another JPR symposium entitled ‘‘Palaeobotany: old but new stories on plant diversity’’ is scheduled for a coming issue this year under the supervision of Toshihiro Yamada. Contributors are distinguished scientists who attended the joint meeting of the 13th International Palynological Congress and the 9th International Organization I. Nishida (&) Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-Ku, Saitama 338-8570, Japan e-mail: jpreic@gr.saitama-u.ac.jp