The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has pioneered the world's first speed breeding protocol for pigeonpea, promising to substantially cut the time required to develop new pigeonpea lines with desirable traits, and bring food to dryland communities faster. Pigeonpea, a staple in tropical and subtropical diets, is crucial for food security and soil health globally and is lauded for its nutritional value and versatility. Traditionally, pigeonpea breeding takes up to 13 years.

Rural women make up the majority of the world’s 600 million poor livestock keepers, and tend to do most of the day-to-day farm animal management, including the processing, marketing and selling of animal produce in some contexts. The meat, milk and eggs from their livestock are key sources of nutrition for their families, especially when they are pregnant and for their growing children.

Investing in gender equality and women’s empowerment is not only more urgent than ever but also an incredibly smart investment to generate economic growth, food security, income opportunities and better lives, particularly in rural areas where most of the world’s poorest live. That will be the message tomorrow on International Women’s Day from leaders at the Rome-based United Nations agriculture and food agencies event - Invest in Women: accelerate progress.

Researchers created a new algorithm that allows quick and realistic modeling of sugar chains that are located on the surface of proteins. This will help speed up the development of drugs and vaccines. More than 75% of proteins located at our cell's surface are covered by sugar chains known as glycans. Glycans are very mobile, which makes the structural elucidation of glycoproteins difficult. Hundreds of thousands of computing hours may be necessary to model glycosylated proteins.

Chinese researchers used RNA interference to control two insect pests of tobacco plants. Their study enhances the variety of transgenic RNAi techniques for crop protection.Pests and diseases decrease crop yield by about 20-40% around the world. Even though chemical pesticides help address this issue, their usage causes insects to develop resistance and negatively affects the environment.

The event is part of a series of seminars that aim to increase awareness and appreciation of Pinoy biotechnologies and products by the general public, especially in the Philippines. It provides science-based information to target stakeholders for acceptance and adoption of the Pinoy-developed biotechnologies that can contribute to the development of the country's food sector.

Scientists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg were able to develop a method that could find substances tailored specifically to a virus. Using this method, they were able to develop novel RNA or DNA-based substances that can protect plants against viruses. The findings of their study are published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Crop technologies developed in partnership with CGIAR centers have been adopted to 221 million hectares globally. The report, published in World Development, revisits the relevant contributions of CGIAR, a network of international agricultural research centers, in agricultural productivity, particularly in developing countries, from 1961 to 2020.

Scientists from China used gene editing on bread wheat to boost grain length and weight. They also identified the molecular mechanisms that affect grain development. Bread wheat is a staple food crop that is consumed by 40% of the global population. Since there is an increase in food demand and a decrease in farmlands, it is crucial to breed for higher wheat yield.

Researchers from the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Science reported improved chilling tolerance in rice by overexpression of the OsRBCS3 gene. Their findings are published in the Plant Signaling & Behavior journal. Chilling stress is an essential environmental factor impacting rice production. The booting stage is the most sensitive stage in rice growth to chilling stress.