ISAAA November 6, 2024

The Australian Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) invites comments from the public to assess an application from Grasslanz Technology Australia Pty. Limited to conduct a field trial of perennial ryegrass genetically modified for increased metabolizable energy content. The field trial is proposed to run from April 2023 to December 2028 at up to seven sites per year, with a maximum total area of 12.5 hectares over the 5-year period.

Teosinte high protein 9 (THP9) is a chromosome that encodes an enzyme vital to the nitrogen metabolism of teosinte, maize's ancestor. It is highly expressed by teosinte, but not by modern maize. Its recent discovery offers maize breeders better opportunities to develop new lines that can be grown under limited nitrogen conditions, while increasing the crop's seed protein content.

An Agrobacterium strain that cannot produce methionine is useful for switchgrass transformation, according to the University of Georgia and University of Colorado Boulder researchers. Their research paper is published in Transgenic Research. Agrobacterium tumefaciens has revolutionized plant science because it can transfer DNA into plant cells from a broad host range of species.

Researchers from Ottawa Research and Development Centre and partners investigated the role of the soybean 14-3-3 gene Glyma05g29080 on white mold resistance and nodulation using CRISPR-Cas9 editing and RNA silencing. Their findings are published in the journal Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. The 14-3-3 gene family plays a vital role in physiological processes, such as controlling metabolism, hormone signaling, cell division, and responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses.

Research conducted by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has determined that climate change is affecting current plant breeding objectives, efficiency, and genetic gains, causing limitations to the breeding approach of the next generation. The goals for breeding and developing new crops have been changed by the rising demands for climate-ready crops, originating from the urgent need to adapt to climate change

Researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and Cornell University have completed the first study that provides a comprehensive picture of changes in gene expression in response to water stress in tomatoes and identified genes that could help plant breeders develop fruit that can cope with drought conditions. Led by BTI Assistant Professor Carmen Catalá, who is also a research associate in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell and Philippe Nicolas

Kenya is experiencing a severe water shortage due to four failed rainy seasons and is in the middle of the worst droughts that happened in the East African region in four decades. These conditions lead to reduced crop production and indicate a possible famine. One of the solutions to such problems is the adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops resistant to drought and pest attacks. However, some farmers and campaign groups question their safety.

A study reports that the defense mechanisms plants use to recognize and respond to the caterpillar, a common plant pest, has arisen from a single gene that evolved over millions of years. The study also found that some plants, such as soybeans, have lost this protective gene over time and suggests that genetically engineering plants to reintroduce the gene could protect against crop failure.

Enzyme-mycotic seed depletion (EMSD) is a leading cause of loss in grain crops, destroying up to 60% of the crop. The development of EMSD is associated with adverse weather conditions when an increase in enzyme activity breaks down grain biopolymers into simple sugars and amino acids. Maintaining humidity helps plants deal with EMSD, but developing EMSD resistant crops is a more efficient way.

An international team of scientists were able to identify candidate genes for further genetic research on the improvement of root phenotypes to respond to drought stress by examining the phenotypic and genetic correlations among rice root anatomical, morphological, and agronomic phenotypes.The team used more than 200 rice accessions from Southeast Asia for their study to identify root morphological and anatomical phenotypes related to rice productivity under stress.

For the first time, scientists have used CRISPR gene editing technology to substitute a gene to treat patients with cancer. The new approach first identifies T cells that specifically recognize and kill an individual patient's tumor cells. T cells are a type of immune cell, and the cells in question kill tumor cells when they encounter specific genetic mutations from cancer.

Gene-edited agricultural products could have a significant market share of the Chinese seed market in the future, based on a survey conducted in 2019 among 111 Chinese seed companies. Seed companies play a role in the translation of technical advances into industrial advantages and in handing these benefits to the farmers. The study aimed to determine whether gene-edited crops will be available to farmers using the data from a survey conducted prior to the new policies that the Chinese government implemented in order to make it easier to industrialize gene-edited crops.

A study conducted at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reveals that CRISPR-Cas9, the widely used gene scissor, can modify the genetic content in cells to study the molecular roles of genes and has gained great clinical relevance in gene therapy to treat genetic diseases. The study found that the gene scissor leads to unexpected genomic changes. According to Claudia Kutter, principal researcher at the Department of Microbiology, Cell and Tumor Biology, at the Karolinska Institutet, they found that CRISPR-Cas9 can cause unpredictable on-target genomic effects that impact cancer cell growth.

Swiss scientists from the University of Zurich and Agroscope were able to identify genes that promote cooperation and higher yields of plant populations when monoculturally grown. The findings can help breeders develop plants with increased productivity using conventional breeding methods. They theorized that the most cooperative genotype will perform best with similarly cooperative neighbors yet will exhibit poor performance when with a highly competitive company.

Science and data play a crucial role in the work of the Codex Alimentarius standard setting body, QU Dongyu Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said as he opened the Commission’s 45^th annual session here today. The gathering is the first in-person meeting of the Commission, set up by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) for three years, with many delegates also participating virtually. Qu noted that technology has advanced rapidly in making such meetings possible in full transparency and making sure no one is left behind.

The World Food Programme, ICRISAT and partners have come together to support farming communities in Mali with improved dryland crop varieties and ‘Smart Food’ interventions. More than 300 farmers from two communes in Mali comprising of 162 women agri-food processors visited demonstration plots in their region growing high-yielding, climate-resilient, and biofortified varieties of sorghum, millet, groundnut and cowpea.

“From Farm to Table.” In recent years, different Latin American governments have used this and other similar slogans to promote the consumption of food produced by family farmers in their countries. Food from family farming has several advantages. It’s healthier and more nutritious  and benefits the economy of local family farmers, who are responsible for one-third of global food production.

A study from six chemists at the University of Chicago shows an innovative new system for artificial photosynthesis that is more productive than previous artificial systems by an order of magnitude. Above is an artistic illustration of the process illustrated by Peter Allen. A study conducted by six chemists at the University of Chicago shows an innovative new system for artificial photosynthesis that is more productive than previous artificial systems.

Digital Droplet PCR (ddPCR) is known as the third generation of quantitative PCR. It works by segmenting samples using water-in-oil emulsions to create droplets from which their genetic material can be identified and quantified.¹⁰⁵ Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) is a third generation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that enables the exact quantification of nucleic acid targets within a sample.

Scientists from six research institutions in Russia led by RUDN University have identified wheat genotypes resistant to the dangerous fungal pathogen Microdochium nivale that infects plants before the snow melts and reduces yields. M. nivale infects crops, causing snow mold. After the snow melts, a web-like mold of the fungus appears on the leaves of winter crops. The leaves die off, and if the lesion is too great, then the whole plant dies, along with the root. To prevent the death of crops and at the same time not use chemical treatments, varieties resistant to the fungus are needed.