News & Events

Scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have published a new guideline on pioneer-positive deviance for the agricultural extension system in Ethiopia. The document provides guidance on how to use approaches that look for solutions on the ground, rather than imposing them, and work with farmers in building on those in a genuine co-design process with equal collaboration of all. This approach is based on positive deviance theory and identifies pioneer households for sustainable livestock solutions.

Synthetic auxin herbicides (SAHs) are widely employed in global agriculture owing to low toxicity and high efficiency in weed management. Mutations in OsAFB4, an AUXIN SIGNALING F-BOX gene, led to specific resistance to SAH picloram in rice. However, potential application of OsAFB4 modification for resistance to other SAHs and its effect on agronomic traits in rice remain uncharacterized. In this study, we employed CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to generate OsAFB4 mutations in the elite commercial rice cultivar Jiahe212 (JH212). Hydroponic-culture experiments showed that Osafb4 mutant lines exhibited significant resistance to both SAHs: picloram and dicamba.

A nationwide survey by Korean researchers has revealed that while most Koreans view genome editing as a promising agricultural technology, public confidence hinges on safety, transparency, and policy trust. The 2024 survey was conducted on 1,055 Koreans to assess their awareness, attitudes, acceptance, and information behavior towards genome editing. The study revealed that awareness of genome editing varied widely depending on the terminology used. While 64% of respondents recognized the term “gene scissors,” only 18% were familiar with “CRISPR-Cas9.”

Researchers across Mexico are calling on the government to establish clear, evidence-based regulations that distinguish modern gene editing technologies, such as CRISPR, from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A coalition of 28 scientists issued a public statement and petition, arguing that Mexico risks falling behind if it continues to lack a legal framework for these techniques, unlike most of its Latin American counterparts, including regulatory pioneers Argentina and Chile.

The intraspecies difference between P. flaviflorum and P. nigrum on gene body region led to coding variations on 5137 genes, including 359 gene with biotic stress responses and regulation. P. flaviflorum exhibited a more comprehensive resistance response to Phytophthora capsici in terms of transcriptome features. The pathogen responsive transcribing was significant associated with histone modification mark of H3K4me3 in black pepper

Scientists have identified a pair of resistance genes in wild emmer wheat that could help protect cultivated varieties from powdery mildew, a major fungal disease affecting global wheat yields. The study emphasized that two adjacent NLR proteins, PmWR183-NLR1 and PmWR183-NLR2, must work together to confer immunity. The team used advanced techniques, including map-based cloning, long-read genome sequencing, and CRISPR-Cas9, to uncover how PmWR183 functions. Unlike most known resistance genes, PmWR183 depends on the cooperation of two NLR proteins that physically interact to trigger the plant's immune response.

As the world’s biodiversity losses continue, the need for evidence-based action and cross-sector collaboration has never been more urgent. Biodiversity is fundamental to building climate-resilient, sustainable food, land, and water systems, and to maintain the ecological functions that sustain human well-being. This week, the 27th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-27) is taking place in Panama City, as one of the key preparatory milestones on the road to COP17. During the meeting, countries are taking stock of progress in implementing the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and identify pathways to accelerate action.

Wheat has evolved diverse resistance genes against powdery mildew, typically controlled by single-gene-encoded proteins. Here, we report the map-based cloning of PmWR183, a resistance locus encoding two adjacent NLR proteins (PmWR183-NLR1 and PmWR183-NLR2) from wild emmer wheat. Stable transformation and CRISPR/Cas9 knockout experiments demonstrate that the two NLRs function cooperatively: neither gene alone confers resistance, but their co-expression restores immunity, while disruption of either gene abolishes resistance.

A new, climate-resilient variety of alfalfa has been released in Kazakhstan, offering hope to farmers fighting severe drought and water scarcity. The variety, named Tozimdi (meaning "stable" or "sustainable" in Kazakh), was developed through an international collaboration between the Kazakhstan Scientific Research Institute for Agriculture and Plant Growing (KSRIAPG) and the Australian Pastures Genebank at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

From October 21–23, CGIAR will join global partners in Des Moines, Iowa for the 2025 Borlaug Dialogue, hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation. This year’s theme, “SOILutions for Security,” highlights soil as a living system that underpins food and nutrition security. It underscores the foundational role that healthy soil and agriculture play in sustaining global stability. The focus on soil is timely: more than 40% of the world’s cultivated land is degraded, affecting over 3 billion people, and 95% of our food depends directly on soils. Treating soil merely as dirt overlooks its rich biodiversity and pivotal importance.

Prime editing (PE) is a promising gene editing method that exploits a reverse transcriptase fused to a Cas9, whose single guide RNA (sgRNA) is extended with a reverse transcriptase template containing the desired DNA modifications. Its efficiency and specificity are inconsistent, requiring extensive optimization. To address this, we propose prime editing with prolonged editing window (proPE), which uses a second non-cleaving sgRNA to target the reverse transcriptase template near the edit site

Researchers at Heidelberg University's Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) have discovered a molecular mechanism that plants use to reduce water loss during extreme drought and intense sunlight significantly. The discovery centers on the cysteine synthase complex, a protein complex located in the plant's chloroplasts. This complex acts as a sophisticated internal sensor, receiving and forwarding stress signals that are critical for initiating the plant's defense response to dry conditions. This mechanism is crucial for sustaining the plant's life during periods of water scarcity.