The wheat genome is both colossal and complex, more than five times the size of the human genome, and has been an immense puzzle to scientists for decades. After 10 years of large scale, international research, a group of scientists has finally assembled the wheat genome to its most complete and contiguous state. Assembling the genome took a total computer processing time equivalent to 53.7 years across just over five months of elapsed time. Because of its hexaploid structure, the genome for common bread wheat, Triticum aestivum, has ‘one of the most complex genome sequences known to science', according to the paper, published on October 23, 2017.

Assembling the genome took a total computer processing time equivalent to 53.7 years across just over five months of elapsed time. Because of its hexaploid structure, the genome for common bread wheat, Triticum aestivum, has ‘one of the most complex genome sequences known to science', according to the paper, published on October 23, 2017.

Scientists from Ohio State University and Italian National Agency for New Technologies have developed a "golden" potato with improved levels of vitamins A and E. The result of their study is published in PLOS ONE journal.

A large, prospective cohort study conducted among agricultural workers, farmers and their families in Iowa and North Carolina in the United States reports that there are no associations between glyphosate use and overall cancer risk or with total lymphohematopoietic cancers, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Resilient Rice Field Laboratory at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) today. While in the Philippines for the ASEAN Summit meetings, Modi spent time at the International Rice Research Institute discussing agriculture innovations and research advances for the rice sector.

ISARC will serve as IRRI’s center for capacity building in agriculture, particularly on rice-based systems in the South Asian and African regions. A robust seed system is the backbone of agricultural developments and to start its operations, ISARC hosted its first international training on quality seed production. The training aimed to strengthen the agriculture and seed sector of the country. It also provided a hands-on training for technical knowledge on quality rice seed production, and addressed problems that farmers, researchers, and seed production agencies commonly encounter.

Scientists from Cornell University and colleagues from other institutions have identified genes that control Vitamin E content in the maize grain.

The researchers used different types of genetic association analyses to identify 14 genes across the maize genome involved in the synthesis of vitamin E.

Wild sorghum will soon provide a reservoir for resistance genes against Striga. A research team lead by Dr. Steven Runo of the Plant Transformation Laboratory (PTL) at Kenyatta University and Professor Michael Timko of University of Virginia has identified three wild sorghum accessions resistant to Striga hermonthica (witchweed), a parasitic plant devastating cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Some 36 biotech players from 15 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe gathered for a workshop on regulatory, scientific, and communication aspects of implementation of international agreements relevant to agri-biotechnology. The event was held on November 6-7, 2017 at Monash University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The participants include biotechnology scientists, science communicators, and representatives from public and private sectors.

Parthenocarpy in horticultural crop plants is an important trait with agricultural value for various industrial purposes as well as direct eating quality. The team of Risa Ueta from Tokushima University in Japan introduced a breeding strategy to generate parthenocarpic tomato plants using the CRISPR-Cas9 system.

An international research team led by the University of Adelaide has published the full genome of the water buffalo. The consortium of partners in Australia, Italy, China, Brazil, and the USA, with additional contributors from other countries, say they have now created the tools needed to apply modern molecular breeding systems to water buffalo.