An international research team has identified genes associated with plant survival in Chile's Atacama Desert, one of the harshest environments on Earth. The discovery will help scientists breed resilient crops that will thrive in drier climates. The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and Andes Mountains, is the driest place on the planet, excluding the poles.

The Kenya Chapter of Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB-Kenya) has celebrated exemplary science journalism and feted three top journalists for their contribution in promoting agricultural biotechnology. The celebrations were held during a media awards gala held in Nairobi on October 28, 2021.Speaking during the event, Australian High Commissioner to Kenya His Excellency Luke Joseph Williams,

Policy makers must find a way to “feed the world and save the planet at the same time,” QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said at the G20 Leaders Summit in Rome on Sunday.“Climate change will compromise our ability to produce sufficient amounts of nutritious foods and increase poverty and deepen inequalities,” Qu warned, on the eve of COP climate conference in Glasgow.

The potential of agribiotech to contribute to sustainable agriculture depends on research and development, as well as the integration of other factors, such as effective communication, science-based national regulatory frameworks, and an adequate understanding of international legal instruments. Strong collaboration among key players in the agri-biotech and biosafety arena is important, so that science and regulation can evolve and society can benefit from modern biotechnology while risks are minimized.

Plants are constantly attacked by insect pests, and they have mechanisms to defend themselves, including chemicals or sturdier leaves. Now, researchers have found that when wild black mustard plants defend themselves against an initial enemy, they already anticipate the need to later fend off other, different enemies and prepare for the most likely sequence of attackers.

Iron is an essential micronutrient important to photosynthesis, and the research conducted by researchers at Dartmouth College focused on the activity in chloroplasts, where 90 percent of the iron in plant leaves is stored and where photosynthesis takes place. The research team followed the cause of light-induced leaf bleaching observed in iron-deficient plants. They identified two regulatory proteins that protect plants from absorbing too much light during iron deficiency.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched the Global Map of Salt-Affected Soils, a key tool for stopping salinization and boosting productivity on October 20, 2021, at the opening day of the Global Symposium on Salt-Affected Soils. The three-day virtual conference was co-organized by FAO and attended by more than 5,000 experts.

Princeton University researchers have developed a new tool to enhance the use of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique. The tool called Repair-seq aids researchers to quickly see how various genes involved in repairing DNA damage impact the efficiency of genome editing technologies.The research team is led by Britt Adamson, who worked together with researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Editas Medicine

Research experts explored the policy implications for seed systems in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region where genetically modified (GM) crops are being approved by different countries in the area. Their analysis produced several recommendations which include the importance of harmonization of individual country regulations as well as the close coordination of government approaches for the long-term benefit of agricultural innovation in the region.

The Whole-Body Edible and Elite Plant (WBEEP) strategy was proposed by Chinese scientists for space crop improvement and help establish efficient space farming that is essential for humans to survive in space. The strategy involves several plant biotechnology techniques that include biofortification, increased yield, and enhancement of nutrient use by the plant.