FAO 18 January 2016, Rome -  A new FAO book out today takes a close look at how the world's major cereals maize, rice and wheat - which together account for an estimated 42.5 percent of human calories and 37 percent of our protein - can be grown in ways that respect and even leverage natural ecosystems.

ISAAA releases a map infographic showing the countries that are planting and importing biotech crops. In the last 19 years, more than 60 developed and developing countries have either planted or imported biotech crops. Twenty-eight countries planted, and 39 more imported biotech crops in 2014.

According to a new study led by researchers from McGill University and the University of British Columbia in Canada, drought and extreme heat events slashed cereal harvests in recent decades by 9% to 10% on average in affected countries, where the impact was greatest in the developed nations of North America, Europe, and Australasia.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) released the petition submitted by The Scotts Company and Monsanto seeking deregulation of creeping bentgrass with improved resistance to herbicide glyphosate (ASR368). The petition will be available for public review from January 8 to March 6, 2016.

We recently deployed participatory GIS mapping in Vietnam, to monitor land use changes resulting from climate changes at plot level. Following a three-day intensive training course, six groups started conducting surveys in 100 selected households in the climate-smart village of Ma, in Vietnam’s Yen Bai province.

IFAD: Short-term, reactive solutions are not enough to help smallholder farmers cope with climate change, according to a new report by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).  “If we are going to sustainably improve the livelihoods of the developing world’s smallholder farmers in the context of a changing climate, we need to ensure that their priorities are understood and reflected in policies,” says IFAD’s Vice President Michel Mordasini.

New research conducted at the University of Warwick shows that plants can predict when infections are more likely to occur, and regulate their immune response accordingly. Previous research had shown that resistance against bacterial pathogens varied at different times of the day. The new research, however, has for the first time shown that the same is true for resistance against a fungal pathogen.

Anthocyanins are flavonoid-derived pigments with strong antioxidant activity which are beneficial to humans. The team of Sun-Hyung Lim from the National Academy of Agricultural Science of Rural Development Administration in South Korea isolated RsMYB1, an anthocyanin promoting transcription factor (TF) from red radish (Raphanus sativus L.).

Scientists from two seed companies are developing biotech sugar beet to better fight weeds. This new variety is tolerant to three different herbicides: glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba. This news was reported by Aaron Hummer, a researcher from Germany-based KWS Saat, during the Snake Rive Sugar Conference held last December.

The Kenya National Biosafety Authority is expected to release their decision on the application of the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and African Agricultural Technology Foundation to release biotech maize seeds. According to NBA chief executive Willy Tonui, the decision will be made this month about biotech maize, while the second ruling in February will touch on biotech cotton.