In vascular and nonvascular plants, PHOSPHATE1 (PHO1) homologs have vital functions in the harvesting and transferring of phosphate. In tomatoes, six genes (SlPHO1;1‐SlPHO1;6) are homologous to Arabidopsis' PHO1 (AtPHO1). Thus, scientists from Chinese Academy of Sciences used CRISPR-Cas9 to reveal the function of PHO1 in phosphate nutrition of tomatoes.

One of the devastating diseases that threaten the world's wheat production is yellow rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). Approximately 88 percent of wheat production is susceptible to yellow rust and estimates say that the disease ruins at least five million tons of the global annual wheat harvest.

Biotech cotton area in Pakistan reached an all-time high of 3 million hectares in 2017, which is equal to 96% of total cotton production in the country. This was highlighted by Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center Lahore Chapter during the launch ISAAA Brief 53: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2017. The report launch was held on November 27, 2018 at the two-day workshop on Plant Biotechnology for Food Security held at Forman Christian College, Lahore.

After a comment period of two years, the rule that requires companies to label genetically modified foods is being finalized. The White House Office of Management and Budget approved the Obama-era legislation industry site IEG Policy reports, marking its last step before publishing.According to the US Department of Agriculture, the new standard is expected to increase consumer confidence and understanding, but will not affect any advantages in human health or the environment.

A new report, Creating a Sustainable Food Future, published by the World Resources Institute (WRI) suggests ways of feeding the planet's almost 10 billion people by 2050 when food demand is set to rise by over 50%, and demand for animal-based food products (meat, dairy, and eggs) likely to grow by almost 70%.

More than 14 million adults, and some 4.7 million children in Europe and Central Asia suffer from severe food insecurity - as defined by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) - the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said in a report released today.  The Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition: Europe and Central Asia 2018 analyzes a wealth of country data on dietary energy supply, undernourishment and nutrition indicators, such as stunting and wasting, anaemia, overweight and obesity, and the effects of the shifts in people's diets.

Researchers from the Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD) and National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in France recently showed that inactivating a gene, RECQ4, leads to a three-fold increase in recombination in crops such as rice, pea, and tomato. The gene was found to inhibit the exchange of genetic material via recombination (crossover) during the sexual reproduction process in crops.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report on the status of agricultural biotechnology in Colombia has been released. According to the report, Colombia remains open to the adoption of products derived from biotechnology and other innovative technologies. The area planted to genetically engineered (GE) crops in Colombia has decreased due to overall decline in corn and cotton plantings.

Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis led by Richard Vierstra describe the effects of autophagy on the metabolism of maize plants using a uniquely comprehensive set of modern "-omics" technologies. Autophagy is a process that helps break down damaged or unwanted pieces of a cell so that the building blocks can be used again. In plants, autophagy is often associated with aging, or a response to nutrient starvation.

One hundred and ninety-six Governments have agreed to scale up investments for sustainable development and harmonious coexistence of all life on Earth by 2050. This was during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference held on November 17-29, 2018 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Addressing the convention, His Excellency, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt called for mainstreaming of biodiversity to all economic sectors in order to conserve natural resources for the coming generations.