The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) today launched the US$102.50 million RECAF project to combat rising greenhouse gas emissions and protect vital forest ecosystems where rural people depend on coffee production for their livelihoods.

Drought stress, intensified by climate change, represents a major limiting factor to growth, reproductive development, and nut productivity of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.), especially in rainfed and marginal production systems. Identifying drought-tolerant cultivars and understanding their adaptive mechanisms are therefore critical for sustaining cashew productivity in water-limited environments.

Begomoviruses are some of the most damaging threats to tomato crops globally. To fight these viruses, scientists breed specific protective genes, known as Ty-genes, into tomato plants. However, relying on just one of these genes often is not enough to stop the most aggressive virus strains. This led Kindai University researchers to test several commercial tomatoes and special breeding lines from the World Vegetable Center against three different viruses of varying strengths to see which genetic combinations worked best.