Nairobi, Kenya - The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and CIMMYT, with funding support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, have launched a landmark research initiative to dramatically shorten the time required to develop climate-resilient and market-preferred crop varieties for farmers in the drylands of Eastern Africa and India.

Purple-fleshed sweet potato (PFSP) (Ipomoea batatas) is a rich source of anthocyanins, which serve as potent antioxidants and contribute to stress tolerance. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in PFSP under phosphorus stress remain poorly understood. In this study, integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were conducted using the sweet potato cultivar (Xuzishu No. 8) grown under three phosphorus treatments:

An international team of researchers led by Dr. Zhangjun Fei of the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) has developed a super-pangenome for watermelons. This comprehensive genetic map integrates 138 genomes from all seven extant species in the genus. This super-pangenome captures nearly one million structural variants across both cultivated varieties and their wild relatives. This massive dataset allows scientists to trace millions of years of evolution and identify high-value traits that were lost during centuries of domestic breeding.