Simple Seed Coating with Peptides Leads to Big Plant Growth Improvement

Researchers at Noble are exploring the potential for native small peptides to be applied as seed coatings to enhance plant growth and return carbon back to the soil.

60% of Zimbabweans face food crisis by December: UN – Nehanda Radio

About 8 million (60 %) of the Zimbabwean population is facing serious food shortages by December due to continued droughts in the country and COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted the informal sector.

Saint Lucia’s Women and Youth in Agri/Fisheries Small Business Sectors to be Empowered - St. Lucia News From The Voice St. Lucia

THE United Nations and Government of Japan through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) Wednesday launched...

Data-driven agric can solve food security challenge in Nigeria, others –Abdella - New Telegraph

....as Microsoft 4Africa set to modernise agriculture on continent     Amrote Abdella, Regional Director, Microsoft 4Africa says one of the most prominent challenges facing Nigeria and the rest of sub-Saharan African nations is providing food security for its citizens.   He noted that while many farmers still rely on…

Olive Production in Pakistan is the Next best Agricultural Solution

Olive production in Pakistan is the next best agricultural solution in order to support the cash-strapped economy of Pakistan. As per the report, Pakistan im

GM wheat variety with drought tolerance

"We think that the trifecta of herbicide, drought & frost tolerance is the next quantum leap in yield."

Engineering drought-resistant crops with Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis

ASPB is pleased to announce the publication of noteworthy research investigating water-saving alternatives for photosynthesis in temperate environments, which are likely to become hotter and drier in ...

COVID-19 vaccine trial will continue after volunteer death

The phase III trial of AZD1222, the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will continue in Brazil, following a review into the death of a volunteer. The Brazilian health authority disclosed the death on Wednesday, without saying if the volunteer had received the vaccine or the placebo, citing confidentiality protocols. Oxford University said a "careful assessment" had revealed no safety concerns in the phase III COVID-19 trial, which started in June and aims to enrol 5,000 volunteers across the country. AstraZeneca said it could not comment on individual cases but "can confirm that all required review processes have been followed". "All significant medical events are carefully assessed by trial investigators, an independent safety monitoring committee and the regulatory authorities," the company said. "These assessments have not led to any concerns about continuation of the ongoing study." The test vaccine, developed at the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, is also in phase III trials in the UK, South Africa and the US. AZD1222 is one of the leading candidates of more than 240 similar efforts around the world.  In a bid to further speed up development of a vaccine, it was announced earlier this week that healthy people will be deliberately infected with COVID-19 in the first “human challenge” trial for the virus, set to begin at a London hospital in January. The London study will recruit up to 90 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 30. The UK government has pledged to invest £33.6 million in the trial, which will be carried out by HVivo, the UK subsidiary of Open Orphan plc of Dublin. HVivo has long experience of conducting these trials, having deliberately infected around 3,000 volunteers with different viruses in previous human challenge studies. “Deliberately infecting volunteers with a known human pathogen is never undertaken lightly,” said Peter Openshaw, co-investigator on the study at Imperial College London. “However, such studies ar...

Member states want commission to decide on the use of gene editing in animal and plant breeding

The EU should make use of innovative breeding technologies to boost sustainability of food production, agriculture ministers agreed on Monday, as they gave their stamp of approval to the European Commission’s ‘Farm to Fork’ plan to reduce the use of fertilisers by 30 per cent and turn 25 per cent of agricultural land over to organic farming. The ministers called for the use of “new innovative ingredients and techniques” to boost sustainable food production, as long as they are shown to be safe for humans, animals and the environment. This was with reference to precision breeding using gene editing, which enables genetically modified organisms to be generated without introducing genes from other species. As things stand, the technology cannot be used in the EU, following a 2018 ruling by the European Court of Justice, which founds genome editing is subject to the 2001 EU directive banning genetically modified organisms. Researchers in 120 institutes across Europe have asked the commission to reverse the court ruling, arguing precision breeding and genome editing are a speeded-up equivalent of traditional breeding techniques and could increase the genetic diversity of crop plants, reduce use of pesticides, and further the development of healthy food. Agriculture ministers want the commission to complete its study of the status of novel genomic techniques under EU legislation by April 2021. The commission’s view is that precision farming technologies should underpin the transition to eco-friendly food production. Frans Timmermans, the commission’s executive vice-president for the European Green Deal said the EU aims to give farmers the tools to adopt precision agriculture and to leverage scientific discoveries to optimise seeds. “That's how we limit our dependency on pesticides,” Timmermans told delegates at the EU Green Week conference last week. “Going to ecological farming doesn't mean we all have to munch on grass and live in caves, we need to use the latest technology to get us ther...

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