19 January 2015, Rome - Genetic resources have a critical role to play in feeding the world — especially as climate change advances faster than expected — and much more needs to be done to study, preserve and utilize the biological diversity that underpins world food production, according to a new book released by FAO today.

Professor Lord Krebs, Principal of Jesus College, told the Oxform Farming Conference that organic farming does not necessarily equate to environmentally friendly farming. He explained that organic farming is generally less productive per hectare meaning more land is needed to produce a certain amount of food.

A study by a group of researchers of National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology (NRCPB) and Institute of Biotechnology, ANGRAU, India reports that the transgenic herbicide tolerant rice could tolerate up to 1% of commercial Roundup, which is five times more than the usual dose used to kill weeds under field conditions.

Origin Agritech Limited announced that the Biosafety Certificate for its genetically modified phytase corn has been renewed by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. The Biosafety Certificate for GM phytase corn was originally received in 2009 which was valid for a period of 5 years. The Certificate expired in August 2014.

8 January 2015, Rome - FAO's monthly Food Price Index declined in December after three months of stability. Continued large supplies and record stocks combined with a stronger U.S. dollar and falling oil prices contributed to the decline.

Some 27 participants from national and local media, farmers and members of the Biosafety Commission participated in a three-day visit to corn and sugarcane research stations and farms. The event jointly organized by Indonesian Biotechnology Information Center (IndoBIC), NOFA, and CropLife Indonesia aimed to provide an overview of the corn and sugarcane seed industry in Indonesia.

China has officially approved the imports of genetically modified (GM) crops: a corn variety developed by Syngenta AG, a soybean developed by DuPont Pioneer, as well as a soybean variety from Bayer CropScience AG. The approval for Syngenta's Viptera corn covers corn grain and processing byproducts, such as dried distillers' grains, for human and animal consumption.

Researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and scientists from The American Chestnut Foundation have confirmed that the addition of a wheat gene increases the blight resistance of American chestnut trees.

A group of researchers from the United States has published the results of their research on the genetic basis of drought tolerant soybeans. Their study focused on three specific characteristics that could make crops more drought tolerant and result in yield increases

Graham Brookes of PG Economics documented and analyzed the trends of weed control changes and herbicide tolerant (HT) crops in the USA from 1996 to 2012. The findings are published in GM Crops and Food journal. According to the report, the use of HT technology resulted to net reduction in both the amount of herbicide used and associated environmental impact when compared to the use of conventional production methods.