News & Events

Bacterial grain rot (BGR), caused by Burkholderia glumae, is a major disease that reduces the yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.), thereby threatening food security. Conventional phenotypic analysis methods face limitations in objectively evaluating disease resistance and understanding the genetic basis. In this study, we integrated image-based phenotypic analysis with QTL mapping to screen for QTLs and candidate genes associated with B. glumae resistance.

Scientists have used a CRISPR-dCas9-based transcriptional activation (CRISPRa) system to enhance the ability of tobacco plants to withstand osmotic stress. By increasing the activity of a plant hormone receptor called BRL3, the researchers were able to promote leaf and root growth while reducing cellular damage caused by stress. This study highlights a promising strategy for developing crops with improved tolerance to harsh environmental conditions.

Yunnan Academy of Agriculture Sciences and partners released a review article on rice breeding, highlighting the urgent need to use modern tools to combat the climate crisis. The article is published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. Their review is summarized in these key points: Extreme temperatures severely disrupt rice physiology, leading to reduced growth, lower yields, and poorer grain quality, which directly threatens global food security. The rice germplasm contains a wealth of valuable alleles that are essential for breeding temperature-resilient varieties.

Traditional sugarcane breeding, reliant on phenotypic selection, is being transformed by genomic tools. However, the crop's highly polyploid genome and significant genotype-by-environment interactions (G×E) pose challenges that conventional models cannot adequately address. While the Integrated Genomic-Environmic Prediction (iGEP) framework provides a viable path forward, its application to a complex clonal crop like sugarcane requires profound extension. This review provides the first comprehensive roadmap for implementing iGEP in sugarcane,

Scientists at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) have identified a key genetic regulator that controls tomato ripening. The study identifies a specific regulatory network that governs the transition of the fruit from the growing to the ripening stage. By focusing on the master switches within the plant's DNA, the team has mapped how different genes interact to control the timing and quality of the fruit's maturation process, offering a precise blueprint for future agricultural improvements.

AfricaRice embarked on a transformative leadership journey with the launch of a five-day Leadership & Culture Workshop, bringing together managers and leaders from across the center to strengthen leadership capacity, align strategic direction, revive the team spirit and enhance operational effectiveness.

Bananas (Musa spp.) are crucial for food security, but modern cultivars derived from few wild species and propagated vegetatively possess low genetic diversity, and weak disease resistance. Identifying new parental lines is therefore essential for banana breeding. Here we show that Musa cheesmanii exhibits high resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4.

Guangzhou University researchers in China and partners reported a robust multiplex CRISPR-Cas12i3-5M system for trait stacking in soybean. The findings are published in the Journal of Integrative Plant Biology.The researchers developed an optimized, high-efficiency multiplex gene-editing toolkit specifically for soybean, which uses a modified Cas12i3 variant (Cas12i3-5M) driven by a strong endogenous soybean promoter (GmM4pro) to overcome the typically low editing efficiency of Cas12i in dicot plants

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved a $50 million project, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to enhance the climate resilience of vulnerable smallholders in Jamaica. The project focuses on areas where climate risks and food security challenges are most severe due to an increased frequency of hurricanes, longer droughts and progressively erratic rainfall - hazards that are already lowering yields, increasing food loss, and threatening rural livelihoods nationwide.

The mechanisms underlying quality formation of forage-grain ratoon rice (FG-RR) were investigated using transcriptomics and metabolomics. Results revealed that mowing at milky-ripe stage (MS) significantly enhanced the percentages of brown rice, milled rice, and head rice compared to full-ripe stage (FRS), with increases of 2.37%, 2.40%, and 13.19%, respectively. Additionally, it had lower amylose and protein contents than FRS, decreasing by 8.09% and 26.28%.

The Peruvian Ministry of the Environment has officially approved a new regulatory framework to evaluate organisms developed through advanced biotechnological tools like CRISPR. Enacted via Ministerial Resolution No. D000068-2026-MINAM-DM, these guidelines establish technical criteria to determine if a gene-edited organism should be classified as a Modified Living Organism (MVO). This case-by-case scientific approach allows authorities to distinguish between traditional transgenics and precise genetic alterations that do not introduce foreign DNA, providing much-needed clarity within the country's existing biosafety laws.

In 2024, agricultural biotechnology continued to expand globally, with over 20 biotech/GM crops cultivated across 31 countries. The United States led the world by planting 79.9 million hectares of biotech/GM crops, followed by Brazil, Argentina, India, and Canada.The global agri-biotech landscape remained dominated by four primary biotech/GM crops: soybean, maize, cotton, and canola. Soybeans alone accounted for over 100 million hectares, followed by maize. However, biotech/GM cotton was the most widely planted with 19 countries adopting to date.