News & Events

Almost 88 percent of the world’s 1.2 billion youth live in developing countries. Globally, young people account for approximately 24 percent of the working poor and this dynamic is particularly pronounced in Africa, where over 70 percent of youth subsist on US$2 per day or less. Although the world’s youth population is expected to grow, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for young women and men remain limited – particularly for those living in economically stagnant rural areas of developing countries

Lectin receptor-like kinases (LecRLKs) are involved in responses to diverse environmental stresses and pathogenic microbes. A comprehensive acknowledgment of the family members in potato (Solanum tuberosum) genome is largely limited until now. In total, 113 potato LecRLKs (StLecRLKs) were first identified, including 85 G-type, 26 L-type and 2 C-type members. Based on phylogenetic analysis, StLecRLKs were sub-grouped into seven clades

The University of Saskatchewan announced that its team was able to decode the black mustard seed genome using a new technology called Nanopore, which they say can also work for any crop. Nanopore is a new genome sequencing technology that results in very long reads of DNA and RNA sequences. The technology provides a clearer, higher resolution view of the plant's genes and enables a more defined identification of which genes are responsible for specific traits.

Two-thirds or 66 percent of Americans say they are either "somewhat" or "extremely" likely to vaccinate themselves and their children against COVID-19 when such a vaccine becomes available. This is from the results of a recent survey conducted by researchers from four universities conducting, "The COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public's Policy Preferences Across States," which includes Northwestern, Harvard, Northeastern, and Rutgers.

Genome editing and cis-gene breeding have rapidly accelerated crop improvement efforts, but their impacts are limited by the number of species capable of being genetically transformed. Many dicot species, including some vital potato relatives being used to accelerate breeding and genetics efforts, remain recalcitrant to standard Agrobacterium tumefaciens-based transformation.

The North America genome editing market is expected to reach US$ 4,148.1 Mn in 2025 from US$ 1,234.5 Mn in 2017. The market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 17.2% from 2018-2025. This is according to the genome editing market report released by Cue Report. According to the report, the growth of the genome editing market is influenced by the continuous increase in the adoption of genetically modified crops,

A team of scientists from Washington State University (WSU) led by Kate Evans who leads WSU's pome fruit (apples and pears) breeding program, found that public plant breeding programs are seeing decreases in funding and personnel. The research team conducted a study of 278 plant breeding programs around the United States. These programs are federal programs, such as those run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or based at public research universities.

Genome assembly of polyploid plant genomes is a laborious task as they contain more than two copies of the genome, are often highly heterozygous with a high level of repetitive DNA. Next Generation genome sequencing data representing one Chilean and five Peruvian polyploid potato (Solanum spp.) landrace genomes was used to construct genome assemblies comprising five taxa

Scientists' inability to effectively engage with the public has partly contributed to public misunderstanding of gene technologies. This is according to Dr. Craig Cormick, a renowned science communication expert and author from Australia. This could be attributed to the fact that experts tend to believe that the general public wants to know as much about science as they do.

A research team from South Africa developed a serological assay using plant-derived recombinant viral proteins in order to measure seroprevalence and understand protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Results were favorable as antibody responses were recorded in COVID-19 patients.

Scaling current cereal production to a growing global population will be a challenge. Wheat supplies approximately one-fifth of the calories and protein for human diets. Vertical farming is a possible promising option for increasing future wheat production. Here we show that wheat grown on a single hectare of land in a 10-layer indoor vertical facility could produce from 700 ± 40 t/ha (measured) to a maximum of 1,940 ± 230 t/ha (estimated)

Kalahandi district in Odisha, India, has suffered from repeated droughts and famines for several decades, causing great hardships to the local farmers. A holistic intervention is helping 8,500 farmers in 10 villages boost farm yields by increasing water availability, enhancing soil fertility and providing improved crop varieties. A total of 32 farm ponds have alleviated water scarcity in the area. A yield increase of up to 50% was seen due to these collaborative efforts with the Power Grid Corporation Limited in this region.