Newcastle disease (ND) is endemic in traditional poultry farming in Burkina Faso. Despite government's efforts, international organizations and farmer associations in supporting vaccination campaigns, the use of vaccines by farmers remains limited. A cross-sectional survey was carried out from August to September 2023 to understand the determinants of ND vaccination uptake in the commune of Boussouma (Kuilsé region of Burkina Faso). Structured interviews were conducted with 483 households keeping chickens from 23 villages. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were carried out to identify the factors that influence the uptake of ND vaccines by farmers

Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) is a severe disease caused by the combined infection of maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and a potyvirus, most often sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). This disease seriously threatens food security across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We investigated a major-effect quantitative trait locus for resistance on chromosome 6, named the maize lethal necrosis susceptibility locus 1 (qMLNS1), derived from the Thai line KS23-6. Fine mapping and CRISPR-Cas9 editing of the candidate genes within the narrowed 105 kb interval revealed a peroxisomal peptidase as the underlying cause of susceptibility

Pairwise, a global leader in precision breeding, has announced a major commercial licensing agreement with CSIRO, Australia's national science agency. This partnership grants CSIRO access to the Fulcrum® platform, a sophisticated suite of CRISPR-based gene editing tools, including the proprietary SHARC™ enzyme. The agreement marks one of the most comprehensive licenses issued by Pairwise to date, spanning applications across plants, livestock, aquaculture, and microbes.