News & Events

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.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences reported the successful development of a glyphosate-tolerant rice, BriA15-38. Their findings are published in GM Crops and Food. Glyphosate is a highly effective and popular herbicide among farmers because of its safety and effectiveness. However, when it is applied to rice fields, both the weeds and rice plants die. To address this concern, the researchers inserted a specific gene in rice (aroAA150) to confer resistance to glyphosate.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed the entry into force of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), and looks forward to contributing to its implementation.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a staple crop across the global south, yet modern varieties may have limited genetic diversity due to historical bottlenecks. We investigated the genomic diversity of over 1000 cassava genotypes, incorporating 387 newly sequenced Colombian landraces originating from diverse climates. We hypothesized that landraces retain untapped variation useful for breeding and adaptation. Whole-genome sequencing was used to characterize landraces and breeding lines.