News & Events

With groundnut being central to food, nutrition and edible oil security, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has set a new benchmark in crop improvement by measuring Realized Genetic Gain (RGG) in its groundnut breeding program. A recently published ICRISAT study confirms steady yield improvements in groundnut breeding over time, while also identifying opportunities to refine breeding strategies for faster progress. The significant gains achieved in the past 2 decades demonstrate how genetic advancements are translating into higher on-farm yields, strengthening national and global food and nutrition security.

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins form chromatin modifying complexes that stably repress lineage- or context-specific genes in animals, plants, and some fungi. Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) catalyzes trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3) to assemble repressive chromatin. In the model fungus Neurospora crassa, H3K27me3 deposition is regulated by the H3K36 methyltransferase ASH1 and components of constitutive heterochromatin including the H3K9me3-binding protein HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (HP1). Hypoacetylated histones are a defining feature of both constitutive heterochromatin and PcG-repressed chromatin,

Transforming feed systems requires science-based, inclusive, and practical regulations, as well as collective action. This is according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Director-General QU Dongyu, who officially opened the 2025 Global Forum for Animal Feed and Feed Regulators held early this month in Rome. The forum gathered policymakers, scientists, producers, civil society, and private sector representatives to find ways to ensure animal feed's safety, nutrition, and sustainability.

In the male-dominated realm of agricultural machinery services, Sonia Jannat, a 28-year-old from Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, has inscribed her name as a successful Machinery Solution Provider (MSP). Her determination—and the transformative power of new technologies—has launched her on an extraordinary journey of empowerment and financial independence.

Soil salinity severely inhibits rice growth. While the SBP-box gene OsSPL10 is known to negatively regulate salt tolerance, its mechanism remains unclear. Since jasmonate (JA) mediates plant stress responses, we investigated the link between OsSPL10 and JA in rice salt tolerance. Disrupting OsSPL10 reduced the shoot Na+/K+ ratio under salt stress, likely explaining the enhanced tolerance in Osspl10 mutants. As leaves are highly sensitive to Na+ toxicity, maintaining a low Na+/K+ ratio is critical for survival. Notably, ten OsJAZ genes (JA repressors) were upregulated in Osspl10 mutants.

Researchers have successfully assembled a near-complete genome of northern wild rice (Zizania palustris), a resilient and nutritionally rich aquatic grass native to North America. This achievement, published in The Crop Journal, provides an unprecedented genetic blueprint that could accelerate breeding programs and enhance global food security. The fragmented nature of genomic data hindered earlier genetic research. Now, by leveraging state-of-the-art sequencing technologies, a research team has reconstructed a 1.41 gigabase (Gb) genome with approximately 97% completeness, finally unlocking the species' full genetic potential

When researchers from the gender team at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) met the team working on Maisha Makutano, an edutainment soap opera tackling challenging social themes from financial inclusion to reproductive health, there was plenty to talk about. As the production team was defining the social themes to highlight in the new series, ILRI researchers were trying to solve another problem: what kinds of interventions could help women agripreneurs succeed in their livestock businesses?

Sweetpotato displays diverse purple pigmentation due to anthocyanin accumulation. While current research on the underlying MYB activators has focused on IbMYB1 in purple-fleshed tubers, the color diversity suggests the involvement of other MYB activators. We previously identified IbMYB2 and IbMYB3 in leaf coloration. Here, we explored the chromosomal localization, phylogeny, and evolutionary scenario of IbMYB1/2/3 using four Ipomoea genomes. IbMYB1/2/3 are located adjacently as an anthocyanin MYB gene cluster, likely resulting from tandem duplications. All three IbMYBs induced anthocyanins in tobacco and activated the promoters of the key anthocyanin pathway genes IbCHS-D and IbDFR-B.

A study published in Plant Cell Reports found that the GmAP2 gene enhances soybean tolerance to aluminum toxicity and low-phosphorus stress, which are among the major challenges for crop productivity worldwide. By overexpressing this gene, the researchers observed an improvement in physiological indicators, such as fresh weight, root length, and number of lateral roots. GmAP2 is primarily expressed in roots, and its activity increases under acidic and low-phosphorus conditions. In this study, the researchers found that overexpression of GmAP2 in soybean root hairs led to significant increases in above-ground dry weight, phosphorus content, and total phosphorus concentration.

In a significant breakthrough for global food security, scientists at Rothamsted Research have identified a key family of genes in wheat that precisely controls both plant height and grain size. The findings provide plant breeders with a powerful new tool to develop higher-yielding crops, thereby helping to meet the rising global food demands. The study investigated genes that regulate the production of the plant hormone gibberellin, which are essential for plant growth and development. This work on the gibberellin pathway represents a crucial step toward developing wheat varieties that are optimized for both robust growth and maximum harvestable yield.

Ethylene response factors (ERFs) represent one of the largest transcription factor families in plants and are involved in regulating biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as growth and development in higher plants. In this study, the soybean GmAP2 gene, encoding the AP2/ERF transcription factor, is a downstream gene of GsMYB7, which enhances soybean tolerance to aluminum toxicity under acidic conditions, referred to as acid-aluminum stress. The expression pattern of GmAP2, which is constitutive and rich in roots, was upregulated under acid-aluminum and low-phosphorus stress.

A study conducted in China found that genetically modified (GM) labeling significantly influences consumer purchase intentions using data from 800 participants across two product contexts, edible soybean oil and non-edible cotton. The research investigated how consumers interpret GM and non-GM labels, revealing that self-assessed knowledge and perceived risk play a significant role in shaping their behavior.