News & Events

Low temperature is a major abiotic stress that constrains agricultural productivity by severely inhibiting crop growth and development, leading to substantial yield losses. As a chilling-sensitive crop, maize is particularly vulnerable to cold stress. Cold conditions induce excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species in plants, disrupting photosynthetic performance, compromising antioxidant defense systems, and disturbing cellular ion homeostasis.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered that altering the arrangement of genes, or “gene syntax,” could create circuits that synergize to maximize output. The study found that when a gene is activated, it changes the physical structure of nearby DNA, creating ripple effects that can either boost or suppress neighboring genes. The team found that DNA becomes looser upstream of an active gene and more tightly wound downstream, affecting how easily other genes can be accessed.

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, emphasized today that the global fertilizer scarcity caused by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to lower yields and tightening food supplies in the latter half of 2026 and into 2027. He spoke at the Ministerial Meeting of the MED9++ Countries on “Supporting Food Security and Access to Fertilizers” co-chaired by FAO, Italy and Croatia. Addressing ministers and senior representatives gathered in Rome, the Director-General stressed that the current crisis extends far beyond geopolitics, increasingly affecting food production, trade, agricultural inputs and access to food worldwide.

Bacterial leaf blight (BLB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is one of the most devastating diseases threatening global rice production. In recent decades, a range of disease resistance genes have been identified in rice. These genes are involved in complex molecular mechanisms, such as the activation of immune receptors and defense signaling pathways, which trigger the plant's immune response to combat pathogen invasion. Some of these genes have been successfully applied in molecular breeding to develop new disease-resistant varieties.

A research team led by Professor Sung-min Son of Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and the Gladstone Institutes, has developed a new CRISPR-based diagnostic tool that can detect and distinguish multiple viruses in a single test by analyzing how quickly gene editing proteins react. The study introduces a method that uses reaction speed as a unique signal to identify different viruses, including COVID-19 and influenza.

The ISAAA e-newsletter, Biotech Updates, is officially expanding its accessibility within Asia. The latest news and research highlights on agricultural biotechnology are now available in Korean, marking a significant step in its regional growth.To better serve a diverse audience and reach more readers in the region, Biotech Updates provides translations in several key languages:

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes bacterial leaf blight (BLB), a major rice disease causing up to 70% yield loss in Asia and West Africa. First described in Japan in 1884 and later reported in West Africa in the 1970s, BLB recently emerged in East Africa, with an epidemic reported in Tanzania in 2019. Remarkably, the disease was detected for the first time in Madagascar the same year, representing a serious threat to food security. To investigate the origin of BLB in Madagascar, we isolated 73 Xoo strains from symptomatic rice leaves collected between 2019 and 2023

A coalition of 31 European agri-food value chain organizations has issued a joint statement calling for the swift adoption of the New Genomic Techniques (NGT) regulation without further amendments. The group, representing plant breeders, farmers, food processors, and traders, emphasizes that a science-based and predictable regulatory framework is critical for the future of the European agri-food sector. They argue that NGTs are essential tools for developing crops that are more resilient to climate change, pests, and diseases, thereby ensuring long-term food security and sustainability across the continent.

Asia and Oceania continue to emerge as pivotal drivers in the global agricultural biotechnology sector, reaching a significant milestone of 20.81 million hectares of biotech crop area in 2024. These findings are detailed in the 2024 Biotech Facts and Trends: Asia & Oceania, a regional summary and analysis of biotech adoption, and supplementary to Brief 57: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2024.

Plants exhibit broad-spectrum and persistent resistance induced by non-host pathogens. Previous studies have found that syringolin A secreted by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae can activate the expression of defense-related gene Pir7b in non-host rice, but the underlying mechanism remains ambiguous. In this study, we found that OsNAC78, a transcription factor upstream of Pir7b, is possible to participate in the immune pathway.

Researchers from China Agricultural University and the Agricultural College of Yanbian University have developed and examined two recombinant turkey herpesvirus (rHVT) vaccine candidates designed to protect poultry against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and H9N2 avian influenza. The study explores a potential single-dose vaccine strategy that could simplify current poultry vaccination programs.

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered that when a certain parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, infects a human cell, it hijacks the cell's mitochondria, the structures usually known as the cell's powerhouses. Instead of just producing energy, these mitochondria react by shedding their outer layers to create entirely new compartments called structures positive for outer mitochondrial membrane (SPOTs). These new structures actually help the parasite grow. While it is not yet fully understood how, researchers believe the parasite might be "feeding" off the waste material that these new compartments digest, effectively turning the cell's own machinery against itself to fuel the infection.