News & Events

Sensing and responding to environmental water deficiency and osmotic stresses are essential for the growth, development, and survival of plants. Recently, an osmolality-sensing ion channel called OSCA1 was discovered that functions in sensing hyperosmolality in Arabidopsis. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure and function of an OSCA1 homolog from rice (Oryza sativa; OsOSCA1.2), leading to a model of how it could mediate hyperosmolality sensing and transport pathway gating.

Years of relentless efforts led by Uganda Biosciences Information Center (UBIC) to integrate modern biosciences into Uganda's middle/secondary schools' curriculum were finally rewarded. Uganda's Ministry of Education and Sports endorsed a new curriculum for agriculture course unit that requires students to be trained on modern biosciences including modern biotechnology applications.

In 2018, two Bt cotton varieties have been approved for commercialization by the Nigerian federal government. The GM cotton varieties, developed by Mahyco Nigeria Private Ltd. in collaboration with the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, were designed to address the major yield losses in cotton caused by the bollworm insect pest.

Increasing maize kernel starch content may not only lead to higher maize kernel yields and qualities, but also help meet industry demands. By using the intermated B73 × Mo17 population, QTLs were mapped for starch content in this study. A major QTL Qsta9.1 was detected in a 1.7 Mb interval on chromosome 9 and validated by allele frequency analysis in extreme tails of a newly constructed segregating population.

South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC) based in New Delhi, India, through the project Safeguarding Agriculture and Farmers against Fall Armyworm (SAFFAL), in collaboration with Taralabalu Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Davangere; Department of Agriculture, Karnataka; and University of Agriculture and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamoga met maize farmers, extension officials, retailers, and local media during a workshop on management of fall armyworm (FAW) at Taralabalu Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Davangere, Karnataka on June 29, 2019.

Thousands of genetically engineered salmon eggs hatched in New York, USA, which were shown to journalists who toured the AquaBounty Technologies facility just outside Albany. "We believe in transparency, because there is this concern with genetically modified. We want people to see that (our) fish look like fish and how we care for and raise those fish. So in a limited, controlled environment, we want to be able to show people what we do and how we raise the fish," said AquaBounty CEO, Sylvia Wulf.

Unraveling the genetic components involved in CLAVATA (CLV) signaling is crucial for modulating important shoot apical meristem (SAM) characteristics and ultimately regulating diverse SAM-regulated agromorphological traits in crop plants. A genome-wide scan identified 142 CLV1-, 28 CLV2- and 6 CLV3-like genes, and their comprehensive genomic constitution and phylogenetic relationships were deciphered in chickpea.

In a recent interview for IEG Policy's new special report titled Smart Solutions for Food and Farming: A Policy Perspective, EuropaBio's Secretary General, Joanna Dupont-Inglis talked about her organization's views on the European Union's policy on GM crops and genome editing. Dupont-Englis said she objects the European Court of Justice ruling in July 2018 because the ruling could cause European life science innovation to grind to a halt, citing that Europe's world-leading scientific community is also calling for change.

A study has unveiled the origins and adaptation of the modern European potato using plants that were collected 350 years ago, including those from by Charles Darwin's 1834 voyage on HMS Beagle. The new genetic analysis led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Germany settles the debate about the origins of the European potato.

Crop domestication from wild relatives to cultivated species has encompassed significant phenotypic changes. However, little is known about the genetic changes involved in domestication. Here, we surveyed the origin of the Pi-cd locus across Oryza species with AA genomes by comparison with the genome sequences of Hoshinoyume (HS), which does not carry the Pi-cd blast resistance gene, and Kitakurin (KK), which carries the Pi-cd blast resistance gene.

Around 50 participants from different partner agencies gathered for the two-day Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Partnerships for Biotechnology Advocacy in the Philippines held last June 26-27, 2019 in Los Baños, Laguna.Ms. Ann Lopez, Director-Coordinator of the Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO), spoke about the need for enhanced cooperation among the institutions. "The foundation of a national IEC program is a synergistic partnership

The United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Services (USDA FAS) released their Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report for Bolivia, highlighting the country's approval of two new genetically engineered events for soybean. Soybean is an important crop in Bolivia. According to the report, soybeans are Bolivia's largest agricultural export and it accounts for 45% of the total agricultural land production,