News & Events

The European Commission has authorized the use of a genetically modified (GM) maize DP51291 for food and animal feed. The approval was issued on September 22, 2025, after the release of the scientific assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which confirmed that the GM maize DP51291 is as safe as its conventional counterpart. The application was submitted by Corteva Agriscience Belgium B.V. on January 27, 2023. According to the Commission, the GM maize underwent a comprehensive risk assessment to ensure a high level of protection for human and animal health and the environment. The authorization permits only the import and use of the GM maize in food and feed products, but not its cultivation within the European Union (EU).

Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to cope with drought stress. A resilient root system, coupled with appropriate levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is crucial for optimal growth and increased yield under drought stress. Accumulating studies have shown a strong link between root development, ROS, and drought tolerance. WOX11, as a master regulator of crown root (CR) development in rice, also governs root redox metabolism. However, it remains unknown whether WOX11 modulates ROS homeostasis in roots to facilitate adaptation to drought stress. In this study, we found that WOX11 directly binds to the promoter of the peroxidase gene OsPRX130, thereby enhancing drought tolerance by regulating CR growth.

Researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) reported in Molecular Plant the new molecule that they have developed to help plants better withstand drought. Known as inverted cyanobactin (iCB), the newly developed molecule copies the mechanism of abscisic acid (ABA), a natural plant hormone that regulates how plants respond to water stress. The iCB compound works by activating the plant's drought resistance mechanisms, specifically by helping them close the tiny pores on their leaves, called stomata, which significantly reduces water loss. This approach allows plants to survive severe drought while still being able to maintain productivity.

Climate change poses significant challenges to temperate rice production, particularly affecting grain quality and market acceptance. This review synthesizes current knowledge of climate-induced quality changes, with a focus on the Australian rice industry as a case study with comparisons to other temperate regions. Environmental stressors such as extreme temperatures, variable rainfall, elevated CO2, and salinity disrupt biochemical pathways during grain development, altering physicochemical, textural, and aromatic traits. Different rice classes exhibit distinct vulnerabilities: medium-grain japonica varieties show reduced amylose under heat stress, aromatic varieties experience disrupted aroma synthesis under drought, and long-grain types suffer kernel damage under combined stresses.

HarvestPlus recently hosted a learning event at Kamaget Secondary School in Bomet County, Kenya bringing together farmers, government officials, scientists, and development partners to celebrate the achievements of the Nutritious Home-Grown School Meals project in Kenya. H.E. Governor Prof. Hillary Barchok of Bomet County was the guest of honor, joined by HarvestPlus CEO Arun Baral. The event showcased how integrating biofortified crops into school meals strengthens the connection between nutrition, education, and agriculture for sustainable community development. Participants toured the school garden, where flourishing biofortified Nyota beans highlighted the project’s success working directly with schools.

Researchers led by Prof. ZHANG Jinsong from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have uncovered a brake gene for oil control in soybeans. Their study, published in Plant Biotechnology Journal, reveals a novel molecular network that regulates multi-dimensional regulation to explain natural variation in soybean oil content, and deepens the understanding of the connections among different oil regulators.

Crop yield is at increasing risk due to water scarcity and climate change. Agrochemicals can activate hormone receptors to regulate transpiration and modulate transcription and address water deficits. Structure-guided optimization of multiple abscisic acid (ABA) receptor–agonist interactions is necessary to activate the entire PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE 1 (PYR1)/PYR1-LIKE (PYL)/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS (RCAR) receptor family. The new agonist iCB, produced through scaffold-merging led by X-ray structure, activates subfamilies II and III at low-nM concentrations and subfamily I receptors at higher-nM concentrations

Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen that caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s is still a major threat to potato and tomato crops worldwide. This pathogen can devastate entire fields, posing a constant threat to global food security. In a new study, researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and Universidad de los Andes have discovered that P. infestans can develop a rapid, temporary resistance to the fungicide mefenoxam after a single, low-dose exposure.

ICRISAT’s Country Representative, Prof. Falalou Hamidou, met with His Excellency Mr Bakary Yaou Sangaré, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Nigeriens Abroad, to chart new actions for sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty. He underscored that ICRISAT’s work has never been more vital, with climate change exerting increasing pressure on the livelihoods of Nigeriens. From its Sadoré Research Station, ICRISAT has developed and delivered proven technologies in crop improvement, livestock integration, soil and water management, and landscape restoration.

Carbon fixation through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle accounts for the majority of carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake from the atmosphere. The CBB cycle generates C3 carbohydrates but is inefficient at producing acetyl–coenzyme A (CoA) (C2), which is the universal precursor for synthesizing lipids. In this work, we introduced in Arabidopsis thaliana a new-to-nature CO2 fixing cycle, malyl-CoA-glycerate (McG) cycle, which together with the CBB cycle forms a dual-cycle CO2 fixation system. This cycle can fix one additional carbon by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and convert the photorespiration product, glycolate, to acetyl-CoA. Plants with the McG cycle show enhanced protein abundance in their photosystems and enhanced photosystem II efficiency.

Purdue University experts successfully developed a portable, paper-based biosensor for identifying genetically modified (GM) corn and soybeans. Based on a technology called loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), the biosensor offers a rapid and cheap molecular tool for farmers. “Farmers can use it whenever they need it,” said Bilal Ahmed, a postdoctoral research associate at Purdue. Ahmed, Mohit Verma, and co-authors published the details of the new tool in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics. Aside from the GM crop biosensor, the research team has developed detection tools for avian influenza, fecal contamination on produce farms, bovine respiratory disease, and COVID-19.

in some places, the severity of food insecurity is overwhelming. An estimated 673 million people are living with hunger. Elsewhere, rising levels of obesity and widespread food waste point to a system out of balance—where abundance and absence coexist, often side by side. Agrifood systems are also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Yet they offer real potential to reduce those emissions through the way food is grown, harvested, and shared. Meeting the needs of a growing global population calls for teamwork—across borders, sectors, and generations.