Researchers from Kings Park, Western Australia discovered that aspirin's key ingredient, salicylic acid, plays an important role in plant transpiration during drought conditions. Salicylic acid has the ability to protect the photosynthesis system, allowing plant growth despite water deficit condition. This is possible due to salicylic acid's role in assisting stomatal openings regulation preventing too much water loss.

Uganda's State Minister for Industry and Technology has come out strongly to support the adoption of biotech crops in Uganda, noting that they have the potential "enhance productivity, address food security issues, increase production, and increase our export base". Hon. James Mutende made these remarks while launching the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2014 on April 7, 2015 at Hotel Africana in Kampala, Uganda.

Is there a place for biotechnology in the world? What is its impact? These are some of the questions answered by biotech experts, farmers, economists, and journalists in ISAAA's latest brief titled Voices and Views: Why Biotech? The Brief was launched during the International Conference on Agricultural Biotechnology and Biosafety Communications on April 13, 2015 at Safari Part Hotel, Nairobi,

This year’s Global Soils Week entitled ‘Soil. The Substance of Transformation’ will highlight the importance of land and soil to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in this, the UN designated International Year of Soils. It will take place from 19 to 23 April 2015 in Berlin, Germany.

FAO 13 April 2015, Rome - Norway and FAO have signed a NOK 35m (around $4.5m) partnership agreement to improve the capacity of developing countries to monitor and report on their forest resources and changes in forest area. The project will facilitate countries' access to earth observation data sources, including satellite imagery, and develop an easy-to-use platform for processing and interpreting this data.

Temple University researchers successfully deleted the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genes from human DNA for the first time. The researchers used a DNA-snipping enzyme called Cas9 to cut out the HIV-1 genes. After the deletion, the cell's gene repair mechanism takes place, repairing the loose ends of the genome back together, leading to a virus-free cell.

European researchers led by Frédérique Pelsy from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), France conducted a study to identify the cause of clonal polymorphism resulting to berry color variation in grapevine. Color variation in berries results in loss of anthocyanin, a red pigment found abundant in grapevine

Washington State University scientists have discovered the regions in the genetic code of prickly lettuce, which are linked to rubber production. Their findings could be used to develop improved varieties which can provide raw material for producing rubber. Prickly lettuce is a common weed and a wild relative and ancestor of cultivated lettuce.

The 2014 paddy season is virtually concluded. Although the dreaded effects of an El Niño weather event failed to materialize so far, the campaign was marred by various climatic setbacks, which were mostly behind an anticipated 0.5 percent contraction in 2014 world paddy production to 741.3 million tonnes (494.4 million tonnes, milled basis), 3.3 million tonnes less than anticipated last December.

Dekalb Vietnam has launched the first integrated knowledge transfer field in the southern province of Dong Nai to introduce genetically modified (GM) corn seeds to farmers. The project aims to give Vietnamese farmers a chance to grow corn using seeds with weed management and insect protection traits for the first time in their lives.