Researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) have unraveled the onion genome, a breakthrough that will help speed up the development of new onion varieties that are resistant to various stresses such as drought and meet the world's growing demand for onions. Onion is one of the most widely grown vegetables in the world and an important part of people's diet and many countries' cuisines.

A study by a research group in Australia used recent advances in gene sequencing and mapping to develop new sorghum populations using crop wild relatives and local varieties collected from a range of environments across Africa. The different traits of these wild relatives offer potential adaptability to climate change. This new, expansive set of genes and traits from different environments will accelerate and improve the development of new, resilient sorghum varieties adapted to a range of localities and conditions.

A group of scientists from the United States and Sweden analyzed peer-reviewed journal articles about genetically modified (GM) crops to determine if they contain language bias affected by social and linguistic factors. Several interesting conclusions were derived, including articles discussing Bt genetic modification corresponded to a positive stance.

Scientists from China conducted a review on CRISPR technology and applications on oil crops to determine its prospects in the agricultural and food industry. They are optimistic that genome editing in oil crops would flourish in the near future. The review was conducted to provide references for the better use of CRISPR to modify oil crops for higher yield, citing both the potentials and challenges that the scientists identified.

Experts from the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) call for remodeling of the regulatory landscape to unleash enormous gains in productivity through gene editing in agricultural animals. They highlighted this call in the AAVMC/APLU Gene Editing in Agriculture Task Force Report.

The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) is soliciting comments on their proposal to exempt some gene modifications in plants from biotech regulations. According to USDA, the three modifications are similar and functionally equal to modifications that can be achieved through conventional breeding.

During his expeditions on the HMS Beagle from 1832 to 1836, the young Charles Darwin described specific rock formations off the coast of South America as “black glittering rock” that “glitters most brilliantly when turned before light” (1). The shiny rock is now commonly known as desert varnish or rock varnish and is found across the globe in arid climates, largely in desert landscapes.

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) QU Dongyu emphasized the role of young people as a key driver towards the transformation of agri-food systems and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as he spoke today at the Y20 Summit, the official G20 engagement group for youth.

A group of researchers led by Prof. Zhou Yongjin from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has created an efficient engineering platform in methylotrophic yeast (Pichia pastoris) to boost protein and chemical production for industrial enzymes and the biopharmaceutical industry.

The Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) has released a scientific opinion on the data submitted for the renewal of authorization application for herbicide tolerant genetically modified cotton GHB614 for food and feed uses. The scope of the renewal application EFSA–GMO–RX–018 is for the renewal of the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from cotton GHB614, excluding cultivation within the European Union (EU).