News & Events

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.

Researchers from ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research have discovered that a specific gene in rice, called CKX2, acts like a "brake" on grain production by breaking down growth hormones. To help the popular Indian rice variety Samba Mahsuri produce more yield, researchers found a way to fine-tune the CKX2 gene. The results are published as a preprint in BioRxiv.

A high-level Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) mission to Haiti and the Dominican Republic this week underscored a central reality for the Caribbean: food security is a shared regional challenge, requiring both life-saving, emergency agricultural action to respond to acute needs as well as cutting-edge prevention and preparedness systems to protect food supply chains.

Sucrose transporters (SUTs) are crucial for plant growth, development, and stress responses. Despite sugarcane's importance as a sugar and biofuel crop, genomic data on its SUT genes under abiotic stress are limited. In this study, 37 ShSUT genes were identified through bioinformatic analysis. Phylogenetic classification grouped them into three major clades (I-III), with conserved motifs and gene structures supporting their evolutionary relationships. Promoter analysis revealed 15 key cis-elements related to hormone response, stress, development, and light regulation

Researchers at Japan's Kindai University have identified a single gene, Ey-1, that provides eggplants with natural resistance to begomoviruses, a group of destructive viruses transmitted by whiteflies. The study, published in Theoretical and Applied Genetics, marks the first time a begomovirus resistance gene has been successfully cloned in eggplants.

Throughout 2025, our e-newsletter, Biotech Updates, highlighted the most significant advancements and events in biotechnology. From swine fever-resistant pigs, disease-resistant cacao, to color-changing tomatoes, these stories sparked global interest! As we jump into another year of reporting, let us look back and see which biotech news received the highest engagement.

Capsule shattering in sesame is a major agronomic constraint that reduces yield stability and limits mechanized harvesting efficiency. To address this challenge, 200 genetically diverse sesame genotypes from Sudan were genotyped using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and evaluated for three consecutive seasons under field conditions for shattering type (ST), type of capsule beak (TCB), and bicarpellate capsule shape (BS).

The Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA GMO Panel) has released the results of the scientific risk assessment for the renewal application for the stearidonic acid-producing genetically modified (GM) soybean MON 87769. The application, submitted by Bayer CropScience, covers the continued authorization of soybean MON 87769 for food and feed uses within the European Union, excluding cultivation.

Agriculture ministers from more than 60 countries meeting at the 2026 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) agreed that addressing water scarcity and competing uses requires placing agriculture at the core of water policy and governance. In the final ministerial communiqué, adopted at the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference, ministers recognized the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for its leadership in supporting countries to translate global water and food security commitments into coordinated, on-the-ground action.

The transcription factor WRKYs enable plants to initiate defense responses against multiple adverse conditions by regulating the expression of downstream target genes. The salt-tolerant wild soybean (Glycine soja) represents an important genetic resource for the molecular breeding and genetic improvement of salt-tolerant cultivated soybean (G. max). In this study, we identified GsPER3, a downstream target gene of GsWRKY23, using transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), combined with promoter cis-acting element analysis and GUS staining.