News & Events

Scientists from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences and National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology have successfully used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to edit the Grain Size3 (GS3) gene in the japonica cultivar “Nipponbare.” The edited lines resulted in larger grains and improved heat tolerance. The findings offer new opportunities for breeding climate-resilient rice varieties with better grain quality and yield.

Genetic diversity is essential for plant breeding, enabling long-term gains and adaptation to climate change and new agronomical practices. Breeders can access diverse genetic resources to enhance elite germplasm and introduce new favorable variations. The limited performance of genetic resources may hamper their use. To overcome this, a bridging population can be implemented to evaluate and select progenies from crosses between diversity donors and elite lines before their introduction in breeding programs. The choice of such crosses can be dealt with the usefulness criterion (UC), which determines its ability to produce transgressive individuals. This paper investigates the use of genome-wide marker effects to predict (i) the performance of individuals derived from crosses between donors and elite lines and (ii) the UC of crosses not observed yet

Researchers at Aarhus University, in collaboration with Graff Breeding A/S, have developed a gene-edited poinsettia that branches naturally without the need for bacterial infection or manual pruning. Traditionally, the plant's bushy shape has been achieved using a specific bacterium, which creates challenges for growers and requires a lot of labor. In the project called StarQuality supported by Innovation Fund Denmark, the researchers identified and modified a single gene that controls branching. This breakthrough allows the poinsettias to grow bushy on their own. Using gene editing technology, they succeeded in developing plants where a single genetic modification allows the poinsettia to branch naturally.

A study published in Theoretical and Applied Genetics reported the vital role of soybean gene GmCDC7 in seed development. The findings from researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences provide new targets for enhancing the yield and quality of soybean and other crops. GmCDC7 is active in many plant tissues, but the expression peaks during early seed development. The expressed protein of the gene is present in the nucleus, where it impacts the cell behavior. The researchers employed the CRISPR gene editing tool to turn off the gene, which led to larger and heavier soybean seeds as the gene promotes cell expansion while limiting the formation of new cells.

To understand its potential in meeting the increasing market demand for high-quality and resistant coffee varieties., the study focused on evaluating a leaf color mutation in Coffea arabica L. (purple coffee) and comparing it with the control (Catimor). Analysis of antioxidant indices revealed that purple coffee exhibited significantly higher levels of TAC (total anthocyanin content), DPPH (2,2-dyphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), POD (peroxidase), and PPO (polyphenol oxidase) compared to Catimor, indicating stronger antioxidant activities. Multi-omics analysis was conducted to create metabolic profiles, genetic maps, and phyllosphere microbial communities of the two Coffea genotypes. The metabolome and transcriptome results showed higher levels of flavonoids and phenolic acids in purple coffee, along with different gene expression patterns.

In a new study, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory plant biologists have successfully mapped the genes that regulate plant stem cells in maize and the model plant Arabidopsis. This research, which also uncovered new regulators, could be foundational for breeding more productive and resilient crops in the future. Now, for the first time, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) plant biologists have mapped two known stem cell regulators across thousands of maize and Arabidopsis shoot cells. Their research also uncovered new stem cell regulators in both species and linked some to size variations in maize.

Researchers from the University of California (UC) San Diego and Yale University have developed a new gene editing approach that could be safer than the widely used CRISPR system. The method, explained in Nature Chemical Biology, uses human-based editing systems to make highly specific, temporary modifications. While CRISPR has transformed gene editing, it is also known to cause unintended consequences when used to edit human DNA. In search of safer alternatives, the team of Dr. Gene Yeo, corresponding author of the study and a professor at UC San Diego, tested two systems using small nuclear RNAs that corrected RNA “letters” (adenine, uracil, cytosine, and guanine) with greater precision and safety. As opposed to bacteria-based editing systems, “Human-based editing systems have less potential for issues,” said Dr. Yeo.

Crops genetically engineered to produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have revolutionized pest management, but their benefits have been reduced by evolution of practical resistance in at least 31 cases. To delay evolution of resistance, farmers have shifted from crops producing one Bt protein to crops called pyramids that produce two or more Bt proteins or other traits targeting each pest. Here, we focus on resistance to transgenic corn pyramids in the western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) and northern corn rootworm (Diabrotica barberi), which cost farmers in the United States $2 billion yearly in yield losses. We analyzed 998 relevant data values for 2005 to 2023 from 12 published field studies.

Bt brinjal is a GM eggplant introduced in 2014 to fight against eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB). In a survey among 308 Bangladeshi farmers, 64% expressed willingness to adopt Bt brinjal. However, only 43% actually adopted the GM crop, and 21% did not follow through. The study revealed that farm labor availability, cultivation experience, NGO membership, positive attitudes toward the crop, and perceived ease of use increased both willingness and adoption. According to the authors, the study is one of the first to analyze willingness, behavior, and their consistency in GM crop adoption. The authors conclude that understanding these dynamics can guide better policies to strengthen Bt brinjal adoption in Bangladesh and provide lessons for introducing other GM crops in similar agricultural settings.

A recent study by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB) and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) has found that extremely dwarf wheat, a variety developed during the Green Revolution to increase yields and prevent wind damage, has a less favorable gluten composition. As a result, it produces flour with poorer baking properties than semi-dwarf, dwarf, or tall wild-type wheat. The introduction of so-called dwarfing genes (Reduced height-Rht genes) during the "Green Revolution" in the 1960s is considered a milestone in agriculture. These genes ensure that wheat plants are shorter and therefore less susceptible to wind damage (lodging). They can also invest more energy in grain filling, which can significantly increase yields. Over 70% of all wheat grown globally today contains at least one of the dwarfing genes responsible for its short stature.

Using 82 different QTL mapping populations investigated in prior studies, we identified 99 high-confidence meta-QTL regions along with potential candidate genes associated with fruit quality traits in tomato. The genetic analysis of economically important quantitative traits is essential for the development of new cultivars that exhibit improved yield and quality, including disease resistance and enhanced flavor. Meta-QTL (MQTL) analyses allow for the integration of QTL data from multiple independent studies, revealing chromosomal regions consistently associated with traits of interest. In this study, we identified reliable and consistent QTLs for eight agronomically important fruit traits in the cultivated tomato through MQTL analysis of 1,438 QTLs reported in 82 independent mapping populations.

A research team at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) reported the successful development of disease-resistant cacao plants using gene editing. This breakthrough, published in Plant Biotechnology Journal, provides a solution to one of the biggest problems of the global chocolate industry—the black pod disease caused by a species of Phytophthora. Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, the researchers edited a gene called TcNPR3, which is involved in the plant's defense system in cacao plants. This resulted in 42% smaller disease lesions, compared with the non-edited cacao plants.