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.

The Long Viet MDF Wooden Technology JSC has been slow to improve its environmental protection practices even though the Dak Nong Province authorities have punished them several times. Dozens of households in Thuan Hanh Commune, Dak Song District reported that the company started its work in 2009, mostly producing wooden items.

Bringing together all actors in the chickpea value chain was a key focus for setting up a National Chickpea Innovation Platform. Other new initiatives include enhancing chickpea productivity and marketing based on the targets of the Ethiopian Growth and Transformation Plan 2 (GTP2) and enhancing household consumption for nutrition and food security– were discussed at a recent workshop in Ethiopia.

Ha Noi, Viet Nam - In light of the 10th year anniversary of the Department of Livestock Production within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (DLP-MARD), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Viet Nam received a certificate of merit from the Minister of MARD in recognition of significant contributions to improving Viet Nam’s livestock sector. In order to celebrate this occasion, an award ceremony was held at the Department of Livestock Production in Ha Noi, attended by the staff from FAO Viet Nam and DLP-MARD.