[This is a cross-post--I originally posted this to the ivu-sci email list. The term "here" below refers to ivu-sci; however the request for comments by those who can read the paper in its original Japanese, applies to this list as well.] Those of you familiar with the papers by Mozafar on the uptake of vitamin B12 from soil by plants, may find the abstract below of interest. A few comments to introduce the paper: 1. The abstract is from the BIOSIS database. 2. Other than manual reformatting (to correct line length), the abstract is in "as-listed" form, complete with many spelling and grammer errors. 3. The B12 assay used was Lactobacillus - the least sensitive test, a test that is really a corrinoid test rather than a B12-specific test. 4. The research below predated Mozafar by approximately 10 years. 5. If any reader here has access to the journal and can read Japanese, they are invited to review the paper and comment on it here if they feel so inclined. :-) 6. Those unfamiliar with the research of Mozafar re: vitamin B12 uptake from soil by plants, can find an in-depth review at: http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/comp-anat/comp-anat-7d.shtml#mozafar%20research [Note that the comments at the beginning of the above URL, re: Herbert [1988] paper, may need to be updated to reflect new information posted here in the recent past. However, that point does *not* impact the lengthy analysis/discussion of the Mozafar papers, in the above URL.] On to the paper of current interest: Citation: Shinohara, I; Kurose, S; Harada, I Relationships between cobalt and vitamin B12 in the soil and the forage crops. Journal of the College of Dairying (Ebetsu), v.11, n.1, 1985:235-242 Language: Japanese Abstract: The relationships between cobalt and vitamin B12 in four different soils of Hokkaido [Japan] and forage crops were investigated. The content of vitamin B12 were detemrined by bioassay with Lactobachillus Leichmannii ATCC 7830. The results of this investigation were as follows; (1) Vitamin B12 content in four differnt soils were from 1.7 to 9.0 ppb. The descending order of alfalfa soil, was Nopporo diluvial > Uenae pumice volcanic > Shinotsu alluvial = Bibai peat soil, and of orchardgrass soil, was Uenae pumice volvanic > Shinotsu alluvial > Bibai peat soil = Nopporo diluvial soil. (2) Vitamin B12 concentration of the forage cropsgrown in these four soils were from 32 to 90 ppb for alfalfa, and the descending order of the concentration of the plants was Nopporo diluvial > Shinotsu alluvial > Bibai peat > Uenae pumice volcanic soil; and it was from 32 to 78 ppb for orchardgrass; and the descending order of the plants was Shinotsu alluvial > Nopporo diluvial > Bibai peat > Uenae pumice volcanic soil. (3) There were no relationships between vitamin B12 concentration of the forage crops and vitamin B12 content of soil, but relationships existed between vitamin B12 concentration of the forage crops and content of cobalt extracted from the soil by 0.1 N hydrochloric acid. (4) The cobalt concentration of forage crops was much lower than the cobalt content of soils, but vitamin B12 concentration of the forage crops was higher than these of the soils. (5) The results of the experiment with cobalt and vitamin B12 supplied from hydroculture solution to the cut slips of alfalfa plant increased the cobalt concentration in the plants and was unchanged as for as the vitamin B12 uptak of the same alfalfa plant. The vitamin B12 of alfalfa plant increased by only when the vitamin B12 was added to the culture solution. Therefore, it was summarized that available cobalt content in the soil influenced on the cobalt and vitamin B12 of the forage crops, and suggested that the origion of vitamin B12 of forage crops was supplied from soil rather than from the synthesis of plants. PS the authors have a related paper on the cobalt content of soil and uptake by forage crops: Shinohara, I; Nakagawa, K; Harada, I. Properties of cobalt supply from soils and of cobalt uptake by forage crops. Journal of the College of Dairying (Ebetsu), v.11, n.1, 1985:225-234 Language: Japanese (Abstract available on BIOSIS.) Tom Billings