Printing of this issue was financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Grant-in-Aid for Publication of Scientific Research Results), Japan.

Cover Picture. The retarded panicle,rp(t), was onginally detected as a spontaneous mutant of Nagayama 77402 at Kamikawa Agricultural Experiment Station, Hokkaido. rp(t) inhibits the normal development of panicle formation especially under low temperture conditions. Aida and Takamure report that the panicle formation is altered to the vegetative growth in the double mutant of rp(t) and nil (neckleaf). See Res. Note 10.

(Left to right) Wild type; rp(t) mutant; nil mutant; the double mutant.