Source: ISAAA – 08 February 2023

ISAAA Inc., in partnership with the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research and Agriculture (SEARCA), released a policy brief on Modern Animal Biotechnology: Benefits, Future Directions, and Policy Recommendations which provides a summary of genetically engineered animals and research on genome-edited animals conducted in various institutions worldwide.

The brief recommends a science-based regulatory framework specifically designed for GM animals and a separate regulatory process for genome-edited animals. 

Source: University of Queensland – 02 February 2023
30 years of research at The University of Queensland and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) has culminated in gene discoveries that allow breeders to better protect cereal crops from water scarcity.

The discoveries culminated in key findings made by the Australian Research Council (ARC) funded project Cereal blueprints for a water-limited world, led by Professor Andrew Borrell in collaboration with researchers from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and DAF.

Researchers spent decades investigating a trait known as stay-green, where some sorghum lines maintained green leaves for longer under dry conditions, leading to higher grain yield. 

“We have now uncovered genetic clues that allow a major step change in our ability to breed for drought adaptation,” Professor Borrell said.

Source: New Scientist – 30 January 2023

A US start-up will soon begin planting genetically engineered trees in Georgia and Pennsylvania that may be able to capture more carbon than regular trees. Trees genetically engineered to grow faster and bigger will be planted on private land in Georgia and Pennsylvania by US firm Living Carbon starting early February.

The company says its modified poplar and loblolly pine trees can capture more carbon than unmodified trees, but hasn’t yet demonstrated this outside a laboratory setting.

Source: Murdoch University – 03 February 2023

The collaboration between the Western Crop Genetics Alliance, University of Tasmania and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science offers a new opportunity for developing barley varieties that can adapt to modern farming conditions.

The researchers have discovered a new semidwarf gene and developed diagnostic molecular markers to support faster breeding of varieties which carry desirable traits such as enhanced early emergence characteristics with deep seeding.