Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have discovered the genetic linkages governing flower formation, solving a long-standing mystery of the many different types of flowers in the world and shedding light into a dark corner of evolution. The process called "programmed cell death" has long been known as partly responsible for flowers' morphological diversity. Programmed cell death is a genetic mechanism that eliminates some cells on purpose and it is at work in the carpels of flowers, or the seed-bearing structures at the heart of the flower.

African biotechnology experts and youth have called for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from utilization of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources. This was during a virtual pre-COPMOP workshop held on 20th January 2022. Digital sequence information on genetic resources is an emerging cross-cutting issue first addressed in 2016 by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol (COP13/COPMOP2).

Researchers at the University of Calgary used gene editing technology to develop a shorter, highly branched canola variety with more pods and easier to harvest. This improvement is based on the needs of canola producers. This type of canola is 34 percent shorter than the average height of canola plants. Decreasing the height of the plant is intended for minimizing lodging. It is difficult to control the height of canola, thus it is prone to lodging.

Scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are now one step closer to developing plants with the ability to harness nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Nitrogen is essential to plants, but plants can only absorb it in some of its chemical forms. Some of these forms are naturally found in soils, but not in quantities needed to reach adequate crop yields. Nitrogen is plentiful in the air, but in a form that plants cannot use.

Research conducted by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) reveals that a third of UK consumers would try cultured meat, and a quarter would try edible insects. It also revealed that 6 in 10 people are willing to try plant-based products. An online survey conducted between December 20211 and January 2022 by Ipsos MORI on behalf of FSA, it included 1,930 adults aged 16-75 living in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Researchers in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) shed light on crop yield improvement. While plant genetics has been considered the key factor in improving crop yields, the new IANR analysis which studied data for 3,000 irrigated fields in three Nebraska regions over a 15-year period, revealed that climate and field management, rather than genetics, had a far greater influence on increased crop productivity.

A researcher in Australia was successful in producing gene-edited potatoes with decreased cold-induced sweetening and acrylamide formation in fried potato products, an option that may prove to be better for the economy and human health. The more popular forms of processed potatoes are crisps and French fries. However, potatoes turn brown after frying due to the accumulation of hexose sugars.

China released new rules on field trials of gene-edited plants, paving the way for faster improvement of crops for food security. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs published the new guidelines on January 25, 2022. This announcement is part of the country's goal to overhaul the seed industry. Beijing also passed new guidelines to clear the path for GM crop approvals and is expected to promote gene-edited crops soon.

With the full picture of damage and needs after Tonga’s massive volcanic eruption and tsunami only gradually emerging, what is already clear is that the stakes could not be higher for the farmers and fishers of the South Pacific island nation, living in one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions. With roughly 86 percent of Tongans engaged in agriculture,  FAO is extremely concerned about the potential impacts across all agriculture sectors, including fisheries, crops and livestock, even though information is limited, with communications and access remaining severely affected.

After helping to sequence the quinoa genome five years ago, researchers at the Brigham Young University (BYU) used this information and came up with quinoa hybrids that are more tolerant to abiotic stress. The BYU research team was able to develop new hybrids of quinoa that were more heat tolerant, more salt tolerant, and were better at surviving in very dry conditions using the information they previously obtained from sequencing the plant's genome.