News & Events

The German Federal Ex Situ Genebank for Agricultural and Horticultural Crops (IPK) harbours over 3000 pea plant genetic resources (PGRs), backed up by corresponding information across 16 key agronomic and economical traits. The unbalanced structure and inconsistent format of this historical data has precluded effective leverage of genebank accessions, despite the opportunities contained in its genetic diversity. Therefore, a three-step statistical approach founded in linear mixed models was implemented to enable a rigorous and targeted data curation. Spring accessions revealed considerable breeding potential, with protein content exceeding market standards by almost one-fifth and with hundred grain weight that could match the upper limits reported for European elite varieties.

Scientists have designed a new cycle called malyl-CoA-glycerat (McG) to boost plant growth and carbon capture. The research team believes that this “C2-centric” approach could open opportunities to engineer crops with greater yields. The findings of the study are published in Science. The McG cycle was designed to overcome the loss of carbon dioxide during the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. The researchers used phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PPC) to address the loss of carbon dioxide. This method enabled plants to either fix an additional carbon atom from 3-phosphoglycerate or recycle glycolate without losing carbon.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Government of Sudan, has launched the 2025 national livestock vaccination campaign to safeguard livelihoods of over three million pastoralists and agro-pastoralists across the country gripped by a major food crisis. The initiative which will run from October 2025 through January 2026 aims to protect around 9.4 million animals from highly contagious and deadly transboundary and zoonotic animal diseases, with a particular focus on peste des petits ruminants (PPR), sheep and goat pox (SGP), contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia (CBPP), African horse sickness (AHS), as well as anthrax.

CRISPR/Cas9-generated gmbsk1 knockout mutants exhibited increased sensitivity to heat stress due to a reduction in their ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). The expression of GmBES1.5 was up-regulated in GmBSK1-OE plants under heat stress conditions, and it directly binds to the E-box motif present in the promoters of abiotic stress-related genes, thereby enhancing heat stress tolerance in soybean plants. Furthermore, we identified an interaction between GmGSK1 and GmBES1.5, while GmGSK1 inhibits the transcriptional activity of GmBES1.5. Interestingly, the interaction between GmBSK1 and GmGSK1 promotes the localization of GmGSK1 to the plasma membrane and releases the transcriptional activity of GmBES1.5.

Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has received license application DIR 218 from All Aussie Avocados Pty Ltd (trading as All Aussie Farmers) for the commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) tomatoes. The GM tomato has been genetically modified for purple fruit color. The GM Purple Tomato will be grown commercially in greenhouses in Australia, subject to restrictions in some Australian States and Territories for marketing or biosecurity reasons. The GM Purple Tomato and its products would enter general commerce, including use in food. This GM Purple Tomato would only become available in Australia if all regulatory requirements are met, including approvals from the Gene Technology Regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).

Dr. Essam Yassin Mohammed, has been named to the 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leaders list. Now in its second year, the list recognises leaders worldwide who are delivering innovative and scalable solutions to the climate crisis and shaping a more sustainable future. A major focus of Dr. Essam’s leadership has been bridging the vast gap in Africa’s aquatic food production compared to Asia. As a champion of South–South collaboration, he leads the cross-country adaptation of scalable innovations through the Asia–Africa BlueTech Superhighway, a seven-year project funded by the UK Government.

The dwarfing trait is of considerable agronomic importance, as it enables increased planting density and reduced management costs. In melon (Cucumis melo L.), a high-value cucurbit crop, semi-dwarf plant architecture is particularly beneficial for lowering labor requirements in greenhouse trellis cultivation. In this study, a stably inherited dwarf mutant was identified from an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-mutagenized population of thin-skinned inbred line ssp. agrestis ‘13C’. Using bulked segregant analysis sequencing in combination with MutMap and molecular marker validation, a key missense mutation in the CmTUB8 gene was identified, which completely co-segregates with the dwarf phenotype.

Biologists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified a plant protein that plays a crucial role in three key biological processes in poplar plants: iron deficiency responses, cell wall biosynthesis, and the creation of disease-fighting molecules. The research team published their study in The Plant Biotechnology Journal. The researchers found that the gene PtrbHLH011 regulates these processes in poplar plants. By "knocking out" this gene, they were able to engineer plants that grew taller, had increased iron content, and produced more energy, which in turn supported the synthesis of valuable bioproducts, such as lignin and flavonoids. The discovery holds significant promise for developing more resilient and productive bioenergy crops. The increased iron content in the engineered plants enhanced photosynthesis, enabling them to produce more energy to support growth.

Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) Director General Dr. Baboucarr Manneh met with Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, to explore strategic opportunities for strengthening Africa’s rice sector. The high-level audience focused on exploring collaborative opportunities and innovative approaches to accelerate rice sector development across the African continent. The discussions centered on leveraging public-private partnerships to strengthen the agricultural ecosystem through the scaling of proven technologies developed by AfricaRice and other CGIAR Centers. The visit followed the historic signing of a partnership agreement between AfricaRice and Niger State to provide technical support to produce 10 million tons of rice by 2030 and a landmark N1.8 trillion agreement between Dangote Rice Limited, a subsidiary of Dangote Industries with Niger Foods Security Systems and Logistics Company Limited, owned by the Niger State Government.

Pearl bodies are small, pearl-like structures found on the surfaces of many tropical and subtropical plant species, including Carica papaya L., that serve as a nutritious food source for arthropods, helping plants defend against herbivores. This study investigated the role of pearl bodies in viral accumulation and transmission, focusing on papaya plants infected with papaya leaf distortion mosaic virus (PLDMV), a destructive pathogen threatening papaya production. Viral analysis of pearl bodies from PLDMV-infected plants confirmed the presence of viral particles, genomic RNA, and coat protein, with quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR showing significant viral RNA accumulation. These findings suggest that pearl bodies act as reservoirs for PLDMV. Infectivity tests demonstrated that ruptured pearl bodies from infected plants effectively transmitted PLDMV to healthy plants via mechanical inoculation. The fragility of stalks and cell surfaces of pearl bodies facilitates their detachment or rupture during mechanical activities, potentially releasing virus-laden contents into the environment. This poses a significant risk of contamination for agricultural tools, equipment, and personnel, contributing to secondary transmission.

Experts from Macquarie University used CRISPR gene editing technology to uncover why albino animals are so rare in nature. The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, used gene-edited albino cane toads to test long-standing theories about the evolutionary challenges of albinism. The study found that albino toads struggled to compete even in controlled environments without predators. Albino tadpoles were less likely to survive and matured faster when living alongside pigmented siblings. As adults, they grew more slowly and had trouble catching prey. Further experiments showed that albino toads needed brighter light to hunt and frequently missed prey, making survival difficult in their natural nocturnal habitats.