Director's Message

Much attention has been paid to the many functions of the fungus/mushroom group. As decomposes of plants and animal remains, they contribute to the balance of natural ecosystem. In addition, they promote the growth and stress tolerance of plants through their symbiotic relationship and the degradation of environmental pollutants. Furthermore, “mushrooms” are widely used as healthy diets due to their nutritional excellence, and people have shown great interest in their medical effects. As described above, the fungus/mushroom is a treasury of genetic resources having functions and constituents that are beneficial to humans. The “Fungus/Mushroom Resource and Research Center (FMRC)” in affiliation with the Faculty of Agriculture was established in 2005 in order to promote a high-level and unique systematic education and research related to fungus/mushroom resource science and to promote the development of human resources. In addition, this center aims to activate local industries and also to create new industries with the support of the Tottori Prefecture in cooperation with the Tottori Mycological Institute of the Japan Kinoko Research Center Foundation. In 2008, the educational research hub program “Advanced Utilization of Fungus/Mushroom Resources for Sustainable Society in Harmony with Nature”, which proposed by the Tottori University was adopted as a Global COE Program by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the center currently plays a main role in the promotion of the program. We are going to continue to make efforts in order to play a pioneering role as the one and only education and research center in Japan focusing on “Fungus/Mushroom Resource Science”