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.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has greenlighted 48 FAO-led projects worth about $2.9 billion –$294 million in project financing and $2.6 billion in co-financing– that will play a pivotal role in fostering a sustainable agrifood systems transformation to end hunger and conserve the environment. The initiatives, benefitting 4.2 million people in five different regions globally, will restore more than 474,000 hectares of land; improve practices on over 24 million hectares of land and marine habitats;

Cacao of Excellence, a programme of the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) announced today the winners of the 2023 Cacao of Excellence Awards, honouring excellence in the cultivation of cacao, while also supporting and encouraging a more sustainable sector. The full list of Gold, Silver and Bronze winners can be found below and on the Cacao of Excellence website.

Researchers in Italy have shed light on arabica coffee's large and complex genome, which could help in the development of desirable traits in coffee, such as disease resistance. Arabica coffee represents 60 percent of the world's total coffee production and is generally known for its higher quality than the other dominant commercial coffee species, robusta. The study notes that genetic diversity in arabica coffee is lacking and this is especially troubling because arabica has greater susceptibility to disease and climate change.

In a study published in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, researchers found that a non-allergenic wheat protein called glutenin could support the growth of muscle and fat cells, potentially paving the way for better production of cultivated meat. With the world's population on the rise, the growing interest in cultivated meat, also called cultured meat, emerged as an alternative source of meat and protein. However, the challenge lies in getting the cells to mimic the texture of real meat, which includes fat layers.

ISAAA Inc., in partnership with the University of the Philippines-Diliman Institute of Biology, will hold the hybrid event titled Pinoy Biotek Seminar: PCR Based Detection Kit for Salmonella on Meat on March 12, 2024, at 9:00 AM (GMT+8). The registration is now open. The event is part of a series of seminars that aim to increase awareness and appreciation of Pinoy biotechnologies and products by the general public, especially in the Philippines.

The benchmark for world food commodity prices fell further in January, albeit slightly, led by decreases in the prices of cereals and meat, which more than offset an increase in the sugar prices, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported today. The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 118 points in January, down 1 percent from December and 10.4 percent from its corresponding value a year ago. 

Do you have cutting-edge research, innovative solutions, or groundbreaking ideas in agricultural technology, fertilizer or soil health? If yes, you are invited to submit papers for the Fertilizer and Soil Health Conference in Africa: Emerging Lessons and Evidence for Policy Guidance – Research & Policy Conference happening on March 27, 2024, hosted by the CGIAR Research Initiatives on National Policies and Strategies (NPS) and Excellence in Agronomy (EiA).