A research team led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and Washington State University (WSU) found that the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum fungus uses a protein to bypass the natural defenses of plants and cause extensive rot in hundreds of broad leaf plant varieties. According to Weidong Chen, corresponding author of the paper published in Nature Communications, Sclerotinia causes stem rot on more than 600 plant species, including peas, lentils, canola, potatoes, soybeans, and many other broad leaf crops

Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and Seoul National University researchers developed a gene editing tool than can precisely interchange adenine (A) with guanine (G) within the mitochondrial genome. This breakthrough, reported in the Cell journal, has the potential to expand the range of mitochondrial mutations that can help cure human genetic diseases.

Researchers from various fields of expertise at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working together to reduce agriculture-driven emissions, combat climate change, and produce healthier crops. This multidisciplinary project titled “Revolutionizing agriculture with low-emissions, resilient crops” is one of the five flagship winners in the Climate Grand Challenges competition, which aims to tackle complex climate challenges and deliver timely revolutionary solutions.

Groundnut Network Group – Asia is a platform of public and private sector partners along the groundnut value chain to engage in groundnut Product design, development, testing, and delivery. The GNG-A is also a platform for continued knowledge sharing on new tools and technologies that can be used in groundnut breeding and testing to enhance rate of genetic gains for key target traits, as well as share practices of selection by phenotyping and genotyping for the key traits

Researchers were able to identify a protein that regulates a quantitative trait locus that has the potential to increase kernel row number in maize ears and grain number per rice plant. They did this by comparing a specific genetic region in each plant and the results could provide opportunities for developing improved crops with enhanced production.

A study initiated by the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) found that using feeds free from genetically modified (GM) ingredients may cost more for players in the livestock and poultry industries. The act can also lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions and decreased chances of preserving biodiversity habitats.

GM male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carry a gene that is lethal to female offspring. As these engineered males mate with the wild females, the female offspring will expire before they can reproduce. The lethal gene is carried by the male offspring and passed on to half of their progeny. Eventually, the population of A. aegypti mosquitoes is expected to reduce significantly, preventing the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, and Yellow Fever.

Researchers at the University for Development Studies conducted a survey to investigate the farmer perceptions and acceptance of GM technology in Ghana. The results, published in the African Journal of Agricultural Research, show that farmers have high hopes for the upcoming release of GM crops in the country. A total of 360 smallholder farmers from 10 districts in northern Ghana were interviewed and involved in focus group discussions.

Experts from China and Germany published a review about the impact of novel plant breeding techniques on boosting cereal crops' production. The open-access article is released in Plants journal. Cereals are the major source of human food globally. With the continuously increasing demand for food, changing climate conditions, and prevalence of diseases, cereal production has been a challenge.

Researchers from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) have produced the genome sequence of signal grass (Urochloa ruziziensis), one of the most used forage grasses in tropical agriculture. Embrapa researcher Marco Pessoa Filho explains that U. ruziziensis has evolutionary proximity to other Urochloa species most used in cultivated tropical pastures – U. brizantha, U. decumbens, and U. humidicola.