News & Events

The world's most authoritative source on biotech crop adoption is evolving. With the 2024 Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops set for release this February, we are introducing enhanced Biotech Updates subscription plans to give you exclusive, deep-dive access to the latest data.

Rice grain protein content is crucial for its quality and nutritional value, but the mechanisms of nitrogen transport to the grain remain poorly understood. This study demonstrates that the amino acid transporter OsAAP4 regulates protein accumulation in rice grains. OsAAP4 is expressed during grain filling, increasing at the mid-filling stage. Analysis of aap4 mutants in Zhonghua11 and Nipponbare backgrounds revealed significantly reduced grain yield and polished rice protein content compared to wild-type.

Plants have natural survival mechanisms that sometimes work against them during extreme weather conditions. Within a plant's cells, there are membrane lipids that act as messengers. When a plant experiences stress such as drought, an enzyme called Phospholipase D (PLD) breaks the membrane lipids down to send signals. However, in rice plants, one specific version of this enzyme, known as OsPLDβ1, can actually make the plant more vulnerable to damage.

On the grounds of a primary school situated between the towns of Pwintbyu and Salin in Myanmar’s Magway Region, Maw Maw Hmwe runs a modest food stall where she sells her famous rice noodle salads. Each day, students and teachers stop by for a nourishing meal. This independent noodle shop is just one of the two businesses Maw Maw operates. “I never imagined I could run a business,” she said. “Now I feel confident and independent.”

Through the integration of GWAS and RNA-seq analysis, three candidate genes associated with unsaturated fatty acids were identified in soybean. Heterologous overexpression of these genes in Arabidopsis confirmed their functions in altering seed fatty acid profiles. As a major source of the world’s vegetable oil, the nutritional value and storage stability of soybean oil are largely determined by the relative contents of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs). However, the genetic regulations of UFAs in soybean remains incompletely understood. To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms governing UFAs in soybean seed,

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a breakthrough "high-speed scanner" designed to test thousands of plant gene switches simultaneously. This innovative platform, known as a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA), allows scientists to quickly identify the specific DNA sequences that control how and when genes are turned on or off, significantly accelerating our understanding of plant biology.

Agriculture today is increasingly about how food is processed, packaged, branded, and brought to market, not just about production.It is at the level of small-scale food processing that this shift becomes tangible, and where strategic investment can generate outsized returns.The scale of the opportunity is clear. In low-income regions, for example, a substantial share of food is lost between harvest and consumption, representing both a development failure and a missed economic opportunity.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) root system plays a critical role in water and nutrient uptake, influencing overall plant growth and crop yield. In this study, we characterized the Osdrp2b mutant, which exhibits a short-root phenotype and was identified through map-based cloning. The Osdrp2b mutation was traced to the gene encoding a dynamin-related protein, and the mutant displayed reduced cell elongation and impaired cell division in the root tip.

Researchers in Chile have successfully used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique to reduce enzymatic browning in potatoes, a common postharvest problem that diminishes quality, shelf life, and consumer appeal. The research team targeted the StPPO genes in elite tetraploid cultivar ‘Yagana-INIA' to improve the potato's appearance and marketability.

The CGIAR is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Namukolo Covic as Head of the CGIAR Liaison Office for Africa, effective 1 January 2026. In this strategic role, Dr Covic will support the CGIAR Continental Champion for Africa — a rotational role currently held by Dr Simeon Ehui, Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) — in advancing CGIAR’s mission to deliver science and innovation that transform food, land, and water systems across Africa.

Vietnam's GDP is projected to hit US$ 514 billion in 2025, while average per capita income is expected to exceed US$ 5,026 for the first time - a pivotal milestone in the country's transition to a high-middle-income economy. Despite global headwinds such as slow recovery, inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty, the government prioritized macroeconomic stability, inflation control, and key economic balances. The GDP growth in 2025 was estimated at 8.02 per cent. Despite achieving high growth, inflation (CPI) remained under control at the target level (below 4.5%), ensuring that people's lives were not eroded by rising prices.

Nitrate serves both as an essential nutrient and a key signaling molecule that shapes plant growth. In legumes, high nitrate concentrations suppress symbiotic nitrogen fixation, a process mediated by MtNLP1 (NIN-like protein1). Although nitrate minimally affects NLP transcript levels, it strongly controls their nuclear localization. How posttranslational modifications regulate MtNLP1 function, however, has remained unclear. Here, we show that nitrate induces SUMOylation of MtNLP1 at lysine 589 and 795 and that this modification is essential for its biological activity.