News & Events

Calcium (Ca2+) signaling is integral to nearly all aspects of plant biology, including development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. It operates through two main layers: the generation of Ca2+ signals and their decoding by Ca2+-binding proteins, which act early in diverse signaling pathways. The system exhibits remarkable robustness and versatility, largely due to its network-like organization. While fundamental principles of Ca2+ signaling were initially established in noncrop model organisms

An international team of researchers, led by Murdoch University, has successfully sequenced the first complete, gap-free genomes of six peanut varieties, providing a definitive blueprint for agricultural improvement. Published in Nature Genetics, this telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assembly identifies two critical genes, AhWRI1, which can increase seed oil content from 48% to 54%, and AhGSA1, which is linked to a 70% increase in seed weight.

When plants face harsh conditions, such as extreme cold or high salt levels, they do not just stop growing by accident; their bodies actively manage the crisis at the microscopic level. Once the "stress" ends, plants try to bounce back and return to normal growth, but the specific biological switches that manage this recovery process have long been a mystery to scientists.

Heat stress during germination critically impairs maize seedling establishment and yield stability, yet its genetic basis remains poorly understood. Here, 21 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for heat tolerance were identified in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population under heat stress (39 °C vs. 28 °C), including a major hypocotyl diameter QTL (qHDT2-1, LOD = 23.68). Concurrently, genome-wide association study (GWAS) in an association panel detected 213 significant SNPs associated with heat tolerance. Population-stable SNPs, pleiotropic SNPs and high-impact QTLs were integrated to identify candidate genes.

The Government of Vietnam has amended its agricultural biotechnology regulations with the issuance of Decree 43/2026/ND-CP, a move aimed at modernizing the country's food and feed sectors. Effective in early 2026, the new framework significantly accelerates market access for genetically engineered (GE) products by slashing standard approval timelines for food and feed from 90 working days down to 45 for products already cleared in at least five OECD or G20 nations. This reform aligns with Vietnam's 2025 designation of biotechnology as a strategic pillar for agricultural growth and is expected to facilitate more efficient trade and domestic production.

Extreme heat events currently threaten the livelihoods and health of over a billion people, causing half a trillion work hours to be lost annually, with the prospect for damage to livestock herds and crop yields set to soar higher in the future. Agricultural workers and agrifood systems are on the frontlines, absorbing the greatest impacts from extreme heat.The frequency, intensity and duration of extreme heat events have risen sharply over the past half century, with worrying impacts on agrifood systems and landscapes, according to “Extreme heat and agriculture,” a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Direct-seeded rice is of great significance for ensuring food security. The hypoxic conditions under deep sowing impose significant abiotic stress to severely inhibit seed germination and seedling emergence in direct-seeded rice. Improvement of rice tolerance to deep-sowing germination stress is critical for promoting the seedling and grain yield of direct-seeded rice. In this study, we employed 276 rice germplasms to investigate the hypoxic germination (HG)-related traits through genome-wide association study (GWAS).

Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a new gene editing approach that could enable chickens to produce useful medical proteins in their eggs. The study addresses a long-standing challenge in avian genetics known as epigenetic silencing, where inserted genes gradually turn off over time. The research team aims to overcome this issue by creating stable lines of genetically engineered chickens for medical and agricultural use.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF today warned that a deepening hunger crisis in South Sudan is pushing 7.8 million people into high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between April and July 2026, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis. This represents 56 percent of the population - one of the highest levels of acute food insecurity in the world today.

As a staple food for half the world’s population, rice is an important dietary source of magnesium (Mg), an essential mineral for human health. Enhanced Mg accumulation in rice grains has also been linked to eating quality. However, the mechanisms underlying Mg transport to the grains remains poorly understood. Here, we report that OsMGR2, a member belonging to Magnesium Release (MGR) family, is required for Mg accumulation in rice grains. OsMGR2 encodes a plasma membrane-localized transporter that mediates Mg efflux.

A study published in the Asian Journal of Research in Biosciences highlights the potential of genetically modified (GM) crops to address hunger and malnutrition in India, while also identifying key barriers to public acceptance. The study examined how GM crops, such as Golden Rice and GM mustard, could improve food security by enhancing nutritional value and increasing yields amid climate challenges.

According to the latest United Nations (UN) report, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025), global hunger has declined slightly to approximately 673 million people, or 8.2% of the population, in 2024. This marks a decrease from 8.5% in 2023, yet progress remains uneven as hunger continues to surge across Africa and Western Asia due to conflict and high food inflation.