GM cotton decreased pesticide use by two-thirds, produced more yields than conventional cotton, and reduced labor input in Burkina Faso. This is the result of a study conducted by scientists from Oklahoma State University and L'Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso, covering six years of farm survey data.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have released the first public genome sequence of Coffea arabica, the species providing 70% of global coffee production. Arabica coffee is a hybrid cross derived from robusta coffee (C. canephora) and the closely related C. eugenioides. As a result, C. arabica's complex genome has four sets of chromosomes, while most plants (and also humans) have only two chromosome sets.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco have found a way to switch off the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system using newly identified anti-CRISPR proteins that are produced by bacterial viruses. The newly discovered anti-CRISPR proteins could enable more precise control in CRISPR applications, but also provide a fail-safe to quickly block any potentially harmful uses of the technology.

The Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE) moves toward a stronger alliance of scientists and researchers working on unfavorable rice farm environments. This was evident with the active involvement of climate change scientists and the initiatives lined-up to sustain activities around climate change research, capacity building, and resource sharing during the CURE Planning Workshop held on 10 January at the at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters.

IRRI, Thursday, January 19, 2017 . LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Thailand continues to explore ways of deepening its ongoing collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) through H.E. Mr. Thanatip Upatising, the Ambassador of Thailand to the Philippines.

FAO Director-General calls for better water management and improved access for small farmers. Growing water scarcity is now one of the leading challenges for sustainable development, and that challenge is poised to intensify as the world's population continues to swell and climate change intensifies, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva warned today.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) has published the Scientific Opinion on the data submitted for the renewal of authorization application of the insect resistant and herbicide tolerant genetically modified (GM) maize 1507.

Bangladesh is set to gain from its second biotech crop after Bt brinjal. Scientists from Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) developed a new variety of potato exhibiting resistance to late blight and they have applied for its commercial release.

The White House has released the 2017 Update to the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (2017 Update). The 2017 Update provides a comprehensive summary of the roles and responsibilities of the three principal regulatory agencies — Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA),

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have recently released the largest-ever single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset of genetic variations in poplar trees. It contains information useful to plant scientists, and researchers in the fields of biofuels, materials science, and secondary plant metabolism.