News & Events

Coffea, a plant species of significant agricultural value used in coffee production, is a key commodity that supports the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide. However, coffee cultivation faces substantial threats from various pathogens, including Pseudomonas coronafaciens pv. garcae (Pcg), the causative agent of bacterial blight. This pathogen compromises coffee plant health, leading to reduced yields and plant death and impacting farmers and large-scale producers.

A study suggests that a genetically modified (GM) fungus could be a safe and effective tool for controlling malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Researchers in Burkina Faso, Africa, assessed the potential risks associated with the environmental release of a modified Metarhizium pingshaense (Mp-Hybrid) strain for malaria vector control. The approach aims to address growing challenges, such as insecticide resistance and changing vector behavior.

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.

Parasitic plants have evolved independently at least a dozen times across angiosperms, yielding some of the most extreme examples of genomic reconfiguration in plants. Comparative analyses of plastid, mitochondrial, and nuclear genomes reveal striking convergence across lineages such as progressive plastid genome reduction with retention of a minimal core gene set, alongside lineage-specific divergences, including unusual mitochondrial genome architectures, rampant horizontal gene transfer

Researchers from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia, developed two transgenic lines of genetically modified (GM) poplar trees carrying dehydrin genes TaWCS120 and HvDHN5 to improve tolerance to high salinity. The findings of the study offer potential benefits for both the wood industry and agriculture.

In the pre-war Liberia era, coffee was a high economic crop, especially Liberica coffee, which is unique to the country. The coffee sector in Liberia produced 5 percent of the world’s coffee. However, the 14-year civil war destroyed coffee production systems. Post-war, Liberian farmers relied on informal seed distribution networks to keep their farms alive, facing a high risk of loss from climate adversities including pests and diseases affecting low-yielding varieties and non-availability of good quality planting materials.

In plants, the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco is hexadecameric, with each mature holoenzyme containing eight small subunits (SSus). Many plants express multiple SSus and vary their expression in response to environmental cues. Previous work indicates that this may allow fine-tuning of Rubisco’s performance in a variable environment (i.e., kinetic acclimation). Despite SSu pools being heterogeneous and dynamic, nearly no evidence exists for holoenzyme-level heterogeneity.

Gene-edited glowing plants were one of the highlights of the 2026 Garden Conference x Garden Collection Design Week held on April 17-19, 2026, at Suzhou International Expo Center in China. The glowing plants were showcased by Magicpen Bio, a China-based startup focused on research and development of gene-edited glowing plants.The glowing plants were developed by introducing firefly and glowing fungi genes into plant cells, allowing them to emit a soft glow. The researchers have modified more than 20 species to glow in the dark, including orchids, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums.

In a landmark achievement for African biotechnology, researchers from Stellenbosch University and the Agricultural Research Council have successfully produced the continent's first gene-edited grapevine. By using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to switch off a specific gene known as VvDMR6.1, the team has developed a woody crop variety with enhanced resistance to devastating diseases. This breakthrough, recently published in the journal Plant Stress, marks a significant milestone in using precision breeding to protect high-value horticultural crops in Africa.

Sugarcane, a leading source of sugar and bio-energy around the globe stands at the cross-road of genome complexity and agricultural innovation, offering the immense potential to fuel a sustainable future. Functional genomics with its precise identification and manipulation of genes could enable researchers unlock this potential and accelerate the breeding efforts. However, the polyploid genome of sugarcane with: high heterozygosity, high-repetitive DNA content, multiple copies of homo(eo)logous gene, epistatic interaction of alleles, etc.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released a scientific statement confirming that genetically modified (GM) oilseed rape MS11 is as safe for human and animal consumption as its conventional counterparts. Following a review of additional compositional data, the EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) concluded that the crop does not pose any nutritional concerns or environmental risks. This updated assessment clears the way for the variety to be used in the European market, noting that no post-market monitoring for food and feed safety is required.

Over three days in Nakuru, Nairobi, and Kiambu, partners and funders of the BRAINS project observed how research, markets, and finance are aligning to improve livelihoods, strengthen value chains, and build climate resilience for farmers and enterprises. Impact is often reported in numbers but sometimes it stands beside you, lifts the lid of a new water tank, and says quietly, “This is from beans.”