After three months of field trials which started in April 2016, Bt maize (MIR162) was harvested in Dak Lak and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provinces in Vietnam. After the harvest, the seeds were destructed following the regulations implemented by the government. Representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other local agencies ensured that all biosafety guidelines in planting and harvesting GM crops under testing were followed.

New analysis by WHO shows that negative or ageist attitudes towards older people are widespread. They also negatively affect older people’s physical and mental health. Fully 60% of respondents in the WHO "World Values Survey" reported that older people are not respected.

Scientists from the University of Adelaide discovered that a protein that regulates salt balance in animals works similarly with plants. Their findings which are published in the Plant Cell and Environment journal may help scientists modify plants to respond to high salt and low water conditions.

The Australian Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) invites comments from the public to assess license application DIR 150 from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to conduct a field trial of genetically modified (GM) potato with disease resistance.

Arctic Fuji apple with nonbrowing characteristic is now commercially approved in the U.S., according to Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc. (OSF). This new apple variety is just like other conventional Fuji apples sold in the market, but it resists browning when the flesh is cut and exposed to air. Thus, the new trait displaces the need for preservatives.

The agricultural sector must transform itself not only to achieve food and nutrition security for all, but also to help address global challenges such as climate change and antimicrobial resistance, FAO Director- General José Graziano da Silva said today.

Some NAC transcription factors play crucial roles in abiotic stress response. The team of Lei Huang from Zhejiang University in China recently characterized a rice stress-responsive NAC gene, ONAC095, and explored its role in drought and cold stress tolerance.

The European Commission on September 16, 2016, has authorized the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified (GM) maize Bt11 x MIR162 x MIR604 x GA21, four related GM maizes combining three different single GM events (Bt11 × MIR162 × MIR604, Bt11 × MIR162 × GA21, Bt11 × MIR604 × GA21, MIR162 × MIR604 × GA21)

The proceedings of the international symposium "The role of agricultural biotechnologies in sustainable food systems and nutrition" organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO) on February 15-17, 2016 are now available. The 284-page proceedings, edited by J. Ruane, J.D. Dargie and C.

A Vietnamese farmer is to receive an award next month from FAO Asia Pacific Region in recognition of her outstanding agricultural production achievements in the context of increasing climate change challenges. Pham Thi Huan, from Long An province, will receive a “Model Farmer” award along with others from Fiji, Mongolia, Pakistan and Thailand to mark FAO’s annual World Food Day (WFD) celebrations in the Asia-Pacific region.