The genomes of seven wild rice varieties have been completed, according to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Published in Nature Genetics, the study details the generation of seven wild and two cultivated genomes (IR8 and N22). IR8, more popularly known as "miracle rice," was developed by IRRI scientists and was one of the rice varieties that ushered in the Green Revolution in Asia during the 1960s and relieved worldwide famine.

Last January 25, 2018, Atty. Rowanie A. Nakan, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) lawyer and Partner, Cruz Marcelo and Tenefrancia, in the Philippines recently lectured on IPR and its applications to biotechnology at the Drilon Hall, SEARCA Headquarters. The guidelines in the examination of biotechnology and its application in the Philippine IP law have just recently been updated, expanding its coverage, which include biotechnological inventions, biological material, microorganisms, and microbiological processes.

A study conducted by scientists from Michigan State University has provided details on how a plant protein, called CAMTA, helps plants strengthen themselves as they anticipate long periods of cold, such as three to four months of winter in the American midwest or northern Europe.

A laboratory for testing food and genetically modified products was opened in Namibia for the first time. The laboratory, designed by the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology, was presented by higher education minister, Itah Kandjii-Murangi in Windhoek.

Seed potato farmers in Kenya’s potato growing regions are adopting a new technology with potential to boost quality seed availability. The farmers are using rooted apical cuttings as starter material for seed production as opposed to certified seed. The cuttings technology has been introduced by the International Potato Center (CIP) through Feed the Future, Kenya Accelerated Value Chain Development (AVCD) program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Smallholder farmers across the developing world are eager to seize the diverse advantages that improved water management practices can offer. Farm households that have access to irrigation generally fare better in terms of food security and dietary diversity than those that do not. Moreover, irrigation opens up new options for crop production during the long dry season in Africa and Asia, while also reducing damage caused by drought in the rainy season and providing water for multiple productive and domestic uses.

Cambodia – more than 160 delegates were invited to the 1st International Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invited collaborators from its funded projects in Asia and Africa to encourage stronger partnerships within the network and with other universities and international organizations.

IRRI provides technical guidance on improving rice production systems and management practices by promoting climate resilient technologies, encouraging their adoption on-field, and facilitating market linkages.
More than 500,000 farming households will directly benefit from the project, particularly youth and women-led enterprises, encouraging their participation in the decision-making process of farmer producer organizations.

When two maize inbred lines are crossed with each other the hybrid offspring have a significantly higher yield than either of the two parent plants. Plant breeders have long known the "heterosis effect," but what causes it is unclear. Scientists at the University of Bonn led by Prof. Dr. Frank Hochholdinger from the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES)

A research conducted at the Institute of Genetics and Development Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) led by Zhou Jianmin has discovered how plants use a sophisticated mechanism to accurately control immune responses. The research team previously found that a protein kinase called BIK1 is a central player that relays signals from multiple immune receptors to different cellular defenses.