Kangwon National University scientists tested the expression of cold-response gene in Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis) and its response to environmental stresses. The SAMS (S-adenosylmethionine synthetase) gene plays a vital role in the mechanism of cold resistance and overexpression of this gene has been found to cause physical changes in T1-generation transgenic plants. Thus, the researchers tested the resistance of transgenic plants expressing MsSAMS to different environmental conditions.

Plants cannot speak up to ask for water when they are thirsty. They only show signs of water loss when they are almost dried up. A study reported in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces presents a new wearable technology that can be used to detect water loss earlier before plants show signs of thirst. Plant-wearable technology could be used by farmers to monitor their plants' health, particularly the leaf water content, which is an indicator of metabolism and drought stress.

Oxitec has announced the approval from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), including reviews from seven state agencies to continue the pilot project for its safe Aedes aegypti just-add-water mosquito control technology in the Florida Keys. In March this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the continuation of the pilot project as an extension of the Experimental Use Permit (EUP) granted in 2020.

An international team including scientists from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has identified a stem rust resistance gene in a wild relative and transferred it to common wheat. The scientists found the gene in Aegilops sharonensis, a wild relative of wheat found in Israel and southern Lebanon. The new transgenic wheat lines show high levels of resistance to the stem rust pathogen.

The National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) welcomed the announcement that the UK Government will bring forward new primary legislation, The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill. This Bill will ease the application of particular precision breeding techniques that will not need to go through the restrictive rules for genetically modified crops since the resulting plants could have been a product of natural selection or conventional breeding.

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is currently getting ready for the deployment of Golden Rice to farmers by ramping up its seed production operations. Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar led the ceremonial handover of the Golden Rice seeds to seed growers and producers during his visit to PhilRice Central Experiment Station in the Science City of Muñoz in the province of Nueva Ecija on May 6, 2022.

Activist Cécile Ndjebet, of Cameroon, today won the 2022 Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to preserving forests and improving the lives of people who depend on them. Presented by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), which is chaired by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the award was conferred at a ceremony during the XV World Forestry Congress in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology, scientists at Rothamsted Research have found a way to switch on a dormant gene without inserting foreign DNA and creating a genetically modified organism (GMO). This is the first demonstration of gene editing ‘deletion' approach in any organism, with previous methods not managing this feat in such a precise and predictable way. Professor Peter Eastmond and colleagues used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing – which is usually used to switch genes off – to bring the gene in question under the control of an existing gene promoter,

The nature of social media and calls for transparency make consumer product demands more relevant as gene-edited foods become increasingly popular. However, the information available about the technology is limited and can sometimes be incorrect. Consumers must then have access to the right information to be well-educated about this new food technology to make sound decisions.

The SoyaGen Project aimed to develop genomics-derived solutions to real-world challenges faced by breeders. In its conclusion, the project team documented new tools and approaches that breeders can use to implement molecular, genomics-informed breeding strategies that are broadly applicable to global soybean breeding efforts.The project was a collaboration among Canadian soybean researchers and breeders from the academe, the private sector, and international partners