The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is an important pathogen of rice, such that it is the most significant threat to rice production, and manipulating it can be a relevant tool in managing the disease. Researcher Nicholas Talbot from The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich and colleagues used CRISPR-Cas9 system expression in complex with ribonucleoprotein to target M. oryzae.

Rice feeds more than three billion people globally, and thus, scientists have long been putting great efforts to improve this important crop. One of the advances in rice improvement is the usage of genome editing tools to target genes for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, nutrition quality improvement, and yield improvement. Researcher Kaijun Zao from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and colleagues present advances, challenges, and future implications of genome editing in rice in an article in Frontiers in Plant Science,

OpenMTA, a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) providing legal frameworks to research organizations in defining terms and conditions for sharing their materials has been made available through an international collaboration. The new easy to use tool is designed to support openness, sharing, and innovation in global biotechnology. The new easy to use tool is designed to support openness, sharing, and innovation in global biotechnology.

The inaugural harvest of the first gene-edited high-fiber wheat has been completed, as reported by its developer, Calyxt. The high-fiber wheat is the seventh Calyxt product that has been declared as non-regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), including powdery mildew-resistant wheat, high-oleic soybeans, high-oleic/low-linoleic soybeans, improved quality alfalfa, cold storable potatoes and reduced browning potatoes.

The progress of GM research is running smoothly in Cameroon, according to Dr. David Akuroh Mbah, Chief Research Officer at the Cameroon Academy of Sciences. Confined field trials of GM cotton were initiated by Sodecotton in Cameroon in 2012. In 2015, open field trials were conducted under the observation of the National Biosafety Committee and the Competent National Authority in the Ministry of Environment,

Speakers at the global World Food Day ceremony in Rome today called for stronger political will and more financial support to end hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, urging the international community to step up its efforts until everyone has enough and quality food. This year's theme - "Our actions are our future: a Zero Hunger world by 2030 is possible" - underscores the urgent need to step up collective efforts to reach the Zero Hunger goal. World Food Day is celebrated in over 150 countries around the world.

At the opening ceremonies of the world’s largest scientific conference on rice, three international institutions recognized the global significance of rice, a vehicle for economic prosperity, international development, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations

Vectors are widely used in various experiments, such as gene-editing, gene-overexpression, and protein-protein interaction whether to characterize genes or create novel traits in crops. The classic pCAMBIA vectors have been used by scientists for over 20 years. Other vectors such as TA and Gateway are also used by scientists in the lab, but these vectors have limitations, including difficulty in transferring DNA sequences between vectors.

Gene-edited crops are necessary if UK is serious about trying to decrease the use of chemical pesticides, according to Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) Minister, George Eustice. He said this statement in response to the letter addressed to him by a group of scientists and industry leaders, which demanded clarity on how the UK Government's 'Chequers' Brexit plan would affect gene editing research.

Scientists from the University of Melbourne showed how plant walls could be modified to change the way how biofuels, bioplastics, and other biomaterials are produced. Their study is published in Nature Plants.The researchers used master switches that can switch on primary wall production. It was found that the switches can make cell produce thick primary walls that can even be used to replace secondary walls.