Mozambique has planted the first field trial of genetically modified (GM) maize in the Chokwe District of Gaza Province in the southern part of the country on February 18, 2017. The GM maize plants were planted in the Confined Field Trial (CFT) run by the Mozambican Agricultural Research Institute (Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique, IIAM) as part of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) program. The trial will test the tolerance of GM maize to drought and insect pests.

Nigeria's Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) conducted a one week training on GM seed detection for National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) staff. The training aimed to enhance the capacity of the NASC staff in differentiating GM seeds from non-GM seeds. According to NASC Deputy Director, Joseph Omole, farmers must have access to quality and certified seeds, irrespective of seed type, to achieve the government's target of advancing agriculture and increasing food supply.

On 18 February 2017, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China (NHFPC) reported to WHO the results of genetic sequencing on virus isolates from two previously reported cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus from Guangdong province. Changes at the cleavage site of the HA gene suggestive of being highly pathogenic to poultry was confirmed by the Chinese National Influenza Centre of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC).

Based on the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reporting criteria for avian influenza in commercial poultry, since 1997, the United States has experienced sporadic incidents of LPAI (H5 or H7). For more information about LPAI (H5 or H7) outbreaks that have been reported in North America (including the U.S.) and around the world since January 2005, visit the OIE’s World Animal Health Information Database (WAHID).

A research team from the Center for Genome Engineering, within the Institute for Basic Research (IBS) in South Korea has successfully edited two genes that contribute to the fat content of soybean oil using the new CRISPR-Cpf1 technology. This technology is an alternative to the more widely used gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9.

A science exchange program was held in February 2017 between Cairo University, Egypt and Helsinki University in Finland. Prof. Naglaa Abdallah of Cairo University and director of Egyptian Biotechnology Information Center (EBIC) participated in the event.

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) is an important oil crop and also a raw material for biofuel. Seed weight and seed size are the main contributors to its seed yield, which directly affect its oil yield. The gene DA1 is known to negatively regulate seed size and downregulation of the DA1 gene in Arabidopsis (AtDA1) leads to larger seeds and organs.

The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) in Australia has issued a license to the Queensland University of Technology, allowing the limited and controlled release (field trial) of potato genetically modified (GM) for disease resistance.

Mankind's future ability to feed itself is in jeopardy due to intensifying pressures on natural resources, mounting inequality, and the fallout from a changing climate, warns a new FAO report out today.
 

Australia's gene technology regulator approved the five-year test planting of biotech bananas in the Northern Territory. The research is being conducted by Prof. James Dale and other scientists from the Queensland University of Technology. The researchers will test 200 transgenic lines of Cavendish bananas on more than 6 hectares in the Litchfield region.