California-based cultivated meat company Omeat has revealed an alternative to fetal bovine serum (FBS) made with the bovine plasma of healthy cows. FBS is an ethically controversial and expensive cell nutrient media used by multiple industries. Scientists at Omeats, including its founder Dr. Ali Khademhosseini, developed a method to source the regenerative factors needed for cell growth from the plasma of healthy cows.

An international research group from Japan, China, and the United Kingdom led by Kyoto University's Graduate School of Agriculture has released the high-precision chromosomal-level genome sequence of buckwheat. This is a critical step in unraveling the evolution and origins of the cultivated crop. By altering specific genes, the researchers successfully developed a self-fertile buckwheat variety and a new type of the crop with a sticky, mochi-like texture.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the British Embassy Mogadishu (BEM) have launched an Anticipatory Action and Preparedness programme in Somalia ahead of an expected El Niño event. El Niño is a climate pattern expected to bring about increased rainfall, with riverine areas of Somalia particularly at risk of severe flooding.

Dutch universities and plant breeding companies will work together in developing smart breeding methods for crop varieties that are more climate-proof and less dependent on chemical plant protection. They will also work together on research, data collection and sharing, training, and advancing the broad application of the results. Crops are faced with various challenges, such as pathogens, heat, drought, and flooding, which are partly due to climate change.

A study published in Transgenic Research reports a new method of devoping channel catfish with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acid and enhanced growth. Channel catfish are a popular fish in aquaculture, but they have limited ability to synthesize omega-3 fatty acids. This is a problem because omega-3 fatty acids are important for human health.

Researchers from the National Institute of Plant Genome Research in New Delhi, India, used the gene editing tool CRISPR to come up with mustard plants with low levels of glucosinolate in seeds, but high amounts in leaves. This breakthrough paves the way for production of palatable mustard oil. Glucosinolates are natural chemicals produced by plants as protection from pests and diseases. However, these chemicals are bitter-tasting, thus, making the mustard seeds unpalatable to animals. This characteristic has limited the use of mustard seeds for food and feed.

Researchers have developed a protocol for quick and efficient CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing of the rotifer Brachionus manjavacas. The results of the study will open new possibilities for rotifer research and biological discoveries. Rotifers have been used as a model system to study genome evolution, DNA repair, aging, and other aspects of biology. However, scientists have not been able to manipulate the genetics of rotifers for further studies.

An international research team led by the University of Maryland (UMD) scientists has sequenced the complete genome for einkorn wheat, the world's first domesticated crop. The team traced einkorn wheat's evolutionary history, a breakthrough that will help identify important genetic traits such as tolerance to diseases, drought, and heat, and reintroduce them to modern bread wheat. Einkorn has been planted as early as 12,000 years ago, but as agriculture spread around the world, people replaced it with bread wheat.

Researchers from the International Rice Research Institute and Oklahoma State University reported a gene (B5) that could provide cotton plants with broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial blight. Their findings are published in Phytopathology. Bacterial blight is a destructive disease that impacts cotton plants. A few effective ways to combat bacterial blight has been available, and most farmers rely on pesticides. This led the farmers to put a spotlight on B5 gene, which was first identified in the 1950s but since then received little attention.

A superior groundnut variety, developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), is now available in the country for cultivation for the upcoming post-rainy season, bolstering economic opportunities for farmers. This improved variety is more resistant to diseases and has been designed to meet the needs of food processing industries.