Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued a license in response to application DIR 143 from Bayer CropScience, authorizing the commercial release of cotton genetically modified (GM) for insect resistance and herbicide tolerance (GlyTol^® and GlyTol TwinLink Plus^®).

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have uncovered the genetic and metabolic mechanisms that allow certain plants to conserve water and thrive in semi-arid climates. Semi-arid plants, such as agave, have survived in areas with little or no rainfall by developing a specialized mode of photosynthesis called crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM).

Achieving gender equality and empowering women is not only the right thing to do but is a critical ingredient in the fight against extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today. Speaking at a high-level event co-organized by FAO, the European Commission and the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),

Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia and winner of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize, outlined a vision for his country's future after a 50-year civil war, affirming that the peace dividend would be reaped well beyond his nation‘s borders. "Peace in our country is a peace that will benefit the whole world on many fronts, one of which is that of food security and agricultural development," he said during a visit to FAO.

Scientists from University of East Anglia working at the John Innes Centre have identified the cluster of genes responsible for reproductive traits in the Primula flower, first noted by Charles Darwin more than 150 years ago. Darwin hypothesized that plant species with two distinct forms of flower evolved that way to promote out-crossing by insect pollinators. His insight coined the term ‘heterostyly', and subsequent studies contributed to the foundation of modern genetic theory.

The field trial of GM maize at Trung Son Commune (Do Luong district) in 2015 with 0.5 Acre (1,800 m²) area has gained high productivity and economic efficiency. Trung Son commune has 560 ha of agricultural land, in which 80 ha is specialized for maize. In 2016, Trung Son has expanded the area of GM maize in 6 ha for 55 farmers.

A new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center finds that  U.S. public opinion is divided over how people assess the health effects of organic and genetically modified (GM) foods. Drawn from a nationally representative panel of 1,480 randomly selected U.S. adults living in households, the survey found that half of Americans (48%)

Children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa have greater access to effective malaria control, according to WHO's World Malaria Report 2016. But in many countries in the region, substantial gaps in programme coverage remain. Sub-Saharan Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2015, the region was home to 90% of malaria cases and 92% of malaria deaths.

The FAO Food Price Index dipped slightly in November, marking a mild departure from its steady rise over the course of 2016.The Index declined 0.4 percent from October, averaging 171.3 points in November, as a sharp drop in sugar prices outweighed an increase in palm oil quotations.

Plant aging, or what is called senescence, is an important process in the life cycle of a plant. This process has critical implications for biological success: premature aging could result in yield reduction, while late senescence delays reallocation of nutrients, which may impact the viability of the next generation.