A weekly summary of the world developments in agri-biotech, produced by the ISAAA Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology.
Crop Biotech Update
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April 15, 2020
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International Research Team Discovers Gene to Develop Fusarium Head Blight Resistant Wheat
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) and colleagues from Shandong Agricultural University in China have discovered a gene that can be used in the development of wheat varieties with more resistance to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), a disease that is a major threat to wheat crops worldwide. FHB shrivels grain and can significantly decrease harvests of wheat and barley. Worse, the toxins released by the fungus Fusarium graminearum, a growing problem in the breadbaskets of Europe, North America, and China, remain in grain intended for food.

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Researchers in Spain Use Biotech to Produce SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Plants
Researchers María Coca and Juan José López-Moya from the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) are using their expertise in plant biotechnology and virology to produce SARS-CoV-2 antigens to be used in vaccine development. The researchers will experiment with different expression systems from plants and have formed a team including an immunologist expert in coronavirus.

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Five Countries Produce More than 90% of Biotech Crops Worldwide
High adoption of biotech crops continued in 2018 with 26 countries planting 191.7 million hectares worldwide. This area is an increase of 1.9 million hectares or 1% from the previous year's area. The average adoption rate in the top five biotech crop-growing countries increased to reach close to saturation, with the United States at 93.3% (average for soybeans, maize, and canola), Brazil at 93%, Argentina at close to 100%, Canada at 92.5%, and India at 95%.

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Cas-CLOVER, an Alternative to CRISPR-Cas9
CRISPR-Cas9 has been the most used gene editing system used for genetic improvement of plants, animals, and other organisms. A new gene editing technology called Cas-CLOVER was presented in a webinar held by Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News (GEN) on April 14, 2020.

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GM APPROVAL UPDATES
  • The Philippines approved the canola event LBFLFK for food, feed, and processing.
  • The Philippines approved the cotton event GFM cry1A for commercial cultivation.
  • Brazil approved the wheat event HB4 for commercial cultivation.
  • The Philippines approved the soybean event GMB 151 for food, feed, and processing.
  • The Philippines approved the eggplant event EE-1 for cultivation
  • The USA approved the canola event MON94100  for food and feed.

Visit GM APPROVAL DATABASE
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.

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