Japanese government representatives from the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science Technology (JST) are meeting with Embrapa Soja, in Londrina, a unit of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation to discuss the details of a  project on the development of soybean cultivars tolerant to drought and high temperatures. The discussion on the five- year research project focuses on the responsibilities for each research activity, the plans on scientific exchange, and the memorandum of agreement to be signed by both parties. 

The support by the Japanese government will enable EMBRAPA to improve its laboratory. In addition, EMPRABA Soja researcher Alexandre Nepomuceno said that,  "With the resources available in this technical cooperation project, we can expand the conduct of field trials, further studies on biosecurity and also start testing new strategies in genetic engineering to develop commercial soybean cultivars tolerant to environmental stresses such as drought or heat."

See report in Portuguese at http://www.cnpso.embrapa.br/noticia/ver_noticia.php?cod_noticia=572.