Murdoch University's Food Futures Institute has new findings with great potential for peanut crop improvement. The team identified the AhANT gene, associated with peanut seed and pod weight, on chromosome B06. They also found the gene BSK1, which is associated with peanut-branching habits, and the AhWRI1 gene, encoding an ethylene-responsive transcription factor.

Researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 in wheat, which improved its resistance to rust and increased its yield. Their findings offer germplasm resources that can be used for the breeding of high-resistance and high-yield plants. The immune system of plants is regulated positively and negatively by different factors. An example of a negative regulator of plant immunity is MAP kinase phosphatase1 (MKP1). However, the molecular mechanisms involving MKP1's regulation of wheat (Triticum aestivum) are currently unclear.

Scientists from Yonsei University developed cultured beef rice, rice grains with animal muscle and fat cells inside. The findings of their study published in Matter show that cultured beef rice has 8% more protein and 7% more fat than regular rice. Animals need biological scaffolds to grow tissues and organs. The researchers used rice grains as a solid scaffold to house animal-derived cells. After coating the rice grains with fish gelatin, cow muscle and fat stem cells were seeded into the rice and allowed to grow in a petri dish from nine to 11 days.

Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued license DIR 199 to Queensland University of Technology (QUT), to commercially cultivate QCAV-4, a genetically modified (GM) variety of Cavendish banana resistant to the fungal disease Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), also known as Panama disease. On February 16, 2024, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) also notified the Food Ministers' Meeting (FMM) that it has approved QCAV-4 as suitable for human consumption.

In a development aimed at advancing global crop breeding, Genetic Innovation (GI), a science group within CGIAR, has entered into an agreement with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The agreement, signed at IRRI’s headquarters in the Philippines, will help support the effective implementation of GI’s activities, and particularly one of its constituents, Breeding Resources Initiative (BRI).

Researchers have developed a new CRISPR tool that quickly detects chromosomal integration areas for genetic engineering. This tool may be useful in DNA integration and medical applications. CRISPR-Cas is a robust tool for gene editing that has many applications in different industries. However, identifying the best location on the chromosome to insert heterologous genes is still undetermined because there are multiple complex criteria to consider. Finding these sites on chromosomal locations also needs a lot of characterization efforts.

Researchers from the Henan Institute of Science and Technology and Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences reported the Molecular characteristics and expression pattern of Rubisco activase gene GhRCAβ2 in upland cotton. Their findings are published in Genes & Genomics. Rubisco activase (RCA) is one of the important enzymes involved in the carbon assimilation pathway, and it plays a vital role in activating Rubisco,

Scientists from China identified a molecular cascade that is responsible for cadmium (Cd²⁺) tolerance in cotton. Their research may help produce Cd²⁺-tolerant cotton varieties in the future. Heavy metal pollution causes adverse effects on agricultural productivity and human health. One way to address this issue is through phytoremediation, which reduces heavy metals in contaminated soil. However, the mechanisms that affect this method are still unclear, so alternative techniques must be discovered.

ISAAA Inc. joins 20 Years and Onward: Advancing the Future of Philippine Yellow Corn, a forum organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Bayer CropScience Philippines at Makati Diamond Residences on February 8, 2024. Various stakeholders were invited to the event, including business groups, regulators, policymakers, local governments, farmers, members of the academe, researchers, and non-governmental organizations.

Norfolk Healthy Produce announced the online seed sales of their first product, the genetically engineered high-antioxidant purple tomato in the United States. Seeds will be available to home gardeners only in the U.S. where the biotechnology regulatory process has been completed with U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency. The new tomato variety contains purple antioxidants called anthocyanins also found in blueberries, blackberries, and eggplants.