The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Board of Trustees and CGIAR have appointed Professor Appolinaire Djikeng as Director General of ILRI and CGIAR Senior Director of Livestock-Based Systems. Prof. Djikeng is a globally-recognized expert in developing multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and global research and development programs focused on agricultural development, livestock development, and human health. Read the announcement here.

Rice is one of the major food cash crops in the Philippines, yet the cost of producing it in the country remains higher than the other top rice-producing countries in Southeast Asia. In 2013, rice farmers in the Philippines–as represented by Nueva Ecija–expended USD 0.22/KG to produce unmilled rice, whereas their Thai (in Suphanburi) and Vietnamese (in Can Tho) counterparts spent only USD 0.16/kg and USD  0.12/kg, respectively

“We clearly need to rethink how we use the water we have in a sustainable and equitable way – with innovations in agriculture being at the forefront”, the Director-General of the Food of Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, told African leaders and experts during the high-level opening of the first FAO regional workshop on National Water Roadmaps in Zimbabwe.

Pioneering research led by Rebecca Bart from Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and her collaborators at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Hawaii at Manoa shows that epigenome editing can reduce cassava bacterial blight (CBB) symptoms in cassava plants while maintaining normal growth and development.CBB is a devastating disease that causes crop losses worldwide. CBB is a devastating disease that causes crop losses worldwide.

A Singapore-based company recently launched the world's first climate-resilient strawberry. Their purpose is to make strawberries more affordable to consumers while reducing the environmental impact of their production.Genomics-based science is gaining popularity in the food industry, especially in developing nutrient-dense plant varieties resilient to drought and diseases. Advanced genomics is expected to aid strawberries' large-scale production in tropical countries by breaking seasonal and temperature barriers.

Australia's Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued license DIR 191 to International Flower Developments Pty. Ltd., authorizing the commercial import and distribution of chrysanthemums genetically modified (GM) for altered flower color. GM chrysanthemum cut flowers are authorized to be sold throughout Australia, but they will not be grown in the country or used in commercial human food and animal feed.

Gene drive technology is a genetic phenomenon occurring in nature and causing an identified trait to spread through a species through sexual reproduction over several generations, with an inheritance rate higher than the Mendelian rate of 50%. While gene drives have been used for public health and conservation, the approach could also be used in other species that reproduce sexually in short generation times, including agricultural pests.

Rothamsted Research reported the completion of the field trial of the United Kingdom's gene-edited wheat. Researchers are now a step closer to bringing the wheat variety with lower asparagine levels to farmers and consumers. The field trial exhibited that the gene-edited wheat's asparagine level was 50% lower than Cadenza, the variety used as control during the study. Asparagine in wheat grains are converted to acrylamide, a potential carcinogen that can cause cancer, when cooked.

One of the most essential characteristics considered in rice breeding is fragrance. A key fragrance compound known as 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) is just one of the over 200 substances present in fragrant rice. Other plants also contain such substances that provides fragrant aroma, and they exhibit low levels of BETAINE ALDEHYDE DEHYDROGENASE 2 (BADH2). Experts from South China Agricultural University and University of Western Ontario reviewed the recent research involving BADH2 engineering using CRISPR-Cas9.

Improving management practices in grasslands— large areas covered with grass, especially used for animal grazing— can boost the capacity of soils as carbon sinks, and help countries reach their climate goals, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). After oceans, soils are the second largest carbon pool on Earth and they play an important role in global climate change due to the large amount of carbon currently stored in soil organic matter.