ISAAA October 16, 2024

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced the final approval of genetically modified (GM) maize and soy varieties that passed the assessment of China National Crop Variety Registration Committee (CNCVRC). This is according to the report of the Global Agricultural Information Network of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service released on October 14, 2024.

A total of 30 GM varieties (27 corn, and 3 soybean) were included in the approved planting list in suitable locations. These varieties were initially published for public comment in March 2024. The developers with approved varieties include the Maize Research Institute of Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, China Agricultural University, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Grain and Oil Crops Research Institute of Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Institute of Crop Science, CAAS.

One of the maize varieties that received approval is Rongyu 8K (event ND207), which exhibits resistance to Asian corn borer and armyworm, and also yields 7.9% more than its conventional counterpart. On the other hand, herbicide tolerant soybean Zhongliandou 6024 (event Zhonghuang 6106) exhibits 7.3% yield advantage over the control.

Read the report for more details.