News & Events

This study applied CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to inactivate soybean agglutinin, a well-known antinutritional factor in legume seeds, aiming to improve grain digestibility for animal feed. The Le1 gene (Glyma.02G012600), which encodes the major lectin in soybean seeds, was specifically targeted in the soybean cultivar BRS 537. To achieve this, a binary vector delivered via Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation method was employed, carrying two gRNAs that generated 20 independent events and achieved an editing efficiency of 10%.

Researchers from Himachal Pradesh University, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, and ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research in India have successfully developed high-amylose potatoes using CRISPR-Cas9. The team targeted two starch-branching enzyme genes, SBE2.1 and SBE2.2, in the widely grown potato variety Kufri Chipsona-I to increase its resistant starch content.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, successfully developed wheat plants that can produce their own fertilizer. This breakthrough, reported in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, could help reduce air and water pollution and lower farming costs. The research team, led by Prof. Eduardo Blumwald from the Department of Plant Sciences, used the CRISPR gene editing tool to make a naturally occurring chemical. When the plant releases the excess chemical into the soil, it stimulates soil bacteria to undergo nitrogen fixation. Through this process, the nitrogen in the air is converted into a form that can be used by the plants to grow.

Multiplex genome editing of seven genes for the rapid improvement of target traits in wild rice Oryza rufipogon produced lines with enhanced agronomic traits, including erect plant architecture, shortened awns, yellowish hull color, reduced seed shattering, white-colored pericarps, and other improvements. Rice, a global staple food, is critical for food security. The cultivated Oryza sativa, domesticated from wild O. rufipogon, derives ~80% of its 993 identified domestication-related genes from O. rufipogon and 20% from South/Southeast Asian wild O. nivara (Jing et al., 2023).

Scientists from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University used CRISPR-Cas9 to investigate a vital gene in rice called OsNH2 and understand the plant's defense mechanism in fighting diseases. Their findings are available in BioRXiv. The study found that rice plants where the OsNH2 gene was essentially broken or removed became dramatically more vulnerable to two major threats: sheath blight (a fungal infection) and bacterial leaf blight (BLB). This discovery immediately established the OsNH2 as a vital gene in the plant's overall health and resistance.

World food commodity prices declined in November, led by lower international quotations for all major staple foods except cereals, according to the benchmark measure released Friday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 125.1 points in November, down 1.2 percent from its revised October level. The index has now declined for three consecutive months, standing 2.1 percent below its November 2024 level and 21.9 percent lower than its peak in March 2022.

Flowering time serves as a key agronomic trait that significantly impacts yield, quality, and environmental adaptation in cultivated peanuts (Arachis hypogaea). Here, the fine-mapping of the locus and an investigation of its causal gene are presented. In this study, the early-flowering genotype Jihua 23 and the late-flowering genotype SN012 were selected to construct a genetic population for mapping key genes controlling flowering time.

Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences used multiplex genome editing of seven genes to rapidly enhance wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) traits. The results are published in the Journal of Integrative Plant Biology. Genome editing tools, such as the CRISPR-Cas9, are accelerating the improvement of existing crops and the rapid domestication of wild plants, which is crucial for enhancing global food security and promoting sustainable, low-input agriculture.

FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu, met today with H.E. Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, President of Mongolia, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rome on the margins of the 179th Session of the FAO Council. H.E. Badamsuren Myagmarsuren, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia also attended the meeting.

Cashew is a key economic crop in coastal Kenya, yet its production faces significant challenges due to post-harvest fungal contamination, particularly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus aculeatus. These fungi are known producers of mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, potent carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds that pose serious food safety and public health risks. Despite growing concerns, the genomic architecture, metabolic potential, and ecological adaptations of these fungi in cashew-growing regions remain poorly understood.

A study from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences revealed how LcMYB306 helps control water loss and browning in the postharvest of lychee. The research, published in Horticulture Research, also demonstrates how LcMYB306 interacts with another important gene involved in water transport. The study found that LcPIP2;4 becomes less active as the fruit loses water and begins to brown. Experiments showed that inhibiting aquaporin activity delayed both water loss and browning.

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, on Friday urged Member Countries to reinforce global partnerships to prevent and control transboundary animal diseases (TADs), warning they are one of the most urgent threats to global food security and economic stability. Speaking at an Information Session on the new Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP-TAD) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Qu cautioned that recent funding cuts risk undermining decades of progress in managing and responding to these diseases when global risks are intensifying.