In The Netherlands, Wageningen University researchers introduce a new class of potato resistance to combat late blight caused by Phytophtora infestans, a major threat to commercial potato production worldwide. While genes for resistance to potato late blight have been identified and applied in potato breeding, the P. infestans population accumulates new strains that render these genes ineffective.

A new research led by Dr. Jose Gutierrez-Marcos of the University of Warwick has revealed that plants have evolved ways to remember previous exposures to stress, in this case high salinity conditions, which can help subsequent progenies withstand the same stress in the future.

CropLife Australia releases the report Adoption and Impact of Genetically Modified (GM) Crops in Australia: 20 Years' Experience written by Graham Brookes of PG Economics. The report provides insights into the reasons why many farmers in Australia have adopted crop biotechnology and continue to use it in their production systems since the technology first became commercially available.

Bacterial blight of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is considered the most important bacterial disease of rice due to its high epidemic potential, especially in extreme climate variation, and its destructiveness to high-yielding but susceptible cultivars.

FAO Viet Nam is taking a leading role in response to a Government call for help in dealing with the country’s most severe drought in more than 60 years. The 2015/16 El Niño weather phenomenon has left many parts of the country, especially the southern Mekong Delta, South Central and Central Highlands regions

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing an application from MosquitoMate to use the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis as a pesticide against the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). MosquitoMate plans to rear mosquitoes infected with a particular strain of Wolbachia and releasing the males into the environment.

A newly published study from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reports that while consumers are aware of genetically modified (GM) crops and food, their knowledge level is limited and often at odds with the facts. Brandon McFadden, assistant professor of food and resource economics at UF/IFAS, and Jayson Lusk, agricultural economics professor at Oklahoma State University conducted the survey to better understand what consumers know about biotechnology, breeding techniques, and label preferences for GM foods.

Crop biotechnology has consistently provided important economic and production gains, improves incomes and reduced risk," according to PG Economics report titled GM Crops: Global Socio-economic and Environmental Impacts 1996- 2014 authored by Graham Brookes and Peter Barfoot.

A small dam in M’bé near Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire represents the inspiring story of unsung heroes who helped more than 300 farming households survive a difficult time when they had little hope. “The M’bé dam was their only lifeline to survival during the decade-long Ivorian political crisis from 2002 to 2011,” said Alain N’Zoromi, operations supervisor at the main research station of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) in M’bé.

Global food commodity markets are on a stable path for the year ahead, with solid production prospects and abundant stocks pointing to a broadly stable outcome for prices and supplies, FAO said today. Lower food prices than last year means that the world's food import bill are on course to fall to $986 billion this year - below $1 trillion for the first time since 2009.