Embrapa Sends Brazilian Seeds to Svalbard Vault
Embrapa delivered a new shipment of Brazilian seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. The deposit adds 24 accessions of cashew, fava beans, peanuts, castor and sesame to Brazil’s collection in the global agricultural safety reserve.
Seed Sector 2045: Future of Plant Breeding in Europe
Seed Sector 2045 is a new editorial series exploring the trends shaping plant breeding and the seed sector over the next two decades, from climate adaptation and gene editing to AI, regulation, public trust and new business models.
At 25, Anirup Sengupta is Already Thinking Decades Ahead for Agriculture
From rural West Bengal to Saskatchewan’s leading agricultural research programs, he’s helping build the genomic foundations that could shape the future of crop improvement. At 25, Anirup Sengupta is already […]
Super El Niño Potential in 2026-2027 Could Rival Historic 1877-1878 Event
A rare alignment of climate indicators could point to a historic super El Niño with major implications for global crops, seed production and agricultural markets.
Breeding Canada’s Future | On The Brink: Season 2 – Episode 7
In Episode 8 of On The Brink, grower Mark Keating of Keating Seed argues the financial risk on Canadian farms has never been higher, and that continued Canadian plant breeding investment is what keeps growers competitive in a global market.
James Hutton Institute Joins PhenomUK Crop Programme
The James Hutton Institute has joined PhenomUK, a £35 million UKRI-backed programme designed to strengthen national crop phenotyping capacity. The six-year initiative will support resilient crop development through advanced imaging, automation, controlled environments and field-based evaluation.
The System Behind the Seed: Honoring IPSA Lifetime Achievement Recipient Jon Popp
For nearly 50 years, Jon Popp has designed seed facilities that quietly influence everything from seed quality to final yield. The CEO of Popp Engineering explains why successful operations depend less on equipment and more on designing systems that create uniformity, reduce variability and improve performance.
BSPB Celebrates 60 Years of Plant Breeding Progress
The British Society of Plant Breeders is marking 60 years of supporting plant breeding in the UK, celebrating advances in crop improvement, industry collaboration and the role of innovation in strengthening agriculture and food security.
Plant Viruses Advance Virus-Induced Gene Editing
New research shows that virus-induced gene editing using potyviruses could help scientists deliver CRISPR guide molecules into plants. The approach may expand crop genome editing tools for tomato, tobacco and other species that are difficult to modify.
Embrapa deposita semillas Brasileñas en Svalbard
Embrapa entregó un nuevo cargamento de semillas brasileñas a la Bóveda Global de Semillas de Svalbard, en Noruega. El depósito incluye 24 accesiones de anacardo, habas, cacahuetes, ricino y sésamo para respaldar la conservación de la biodiversidad agrícola.
Sorghum Wax Gene Could Aid Drought-Tolerant Crops
A sorghum wax gene discovery is helping researchers understand how the BM-SZ gene controls the crop’s protective wax layer. The findings may support future breeding for drought-tolerant sorghum and other resilient crops.
La Brecha Cultural Entre Latinoamérica Y Occidente
La perspectiva cultural puede influir profundamente en cómo los profesionales agrícolas planifican sus carreras. Esta reflexión compara experiencias en Latinoamérica y países desarrollados, destacando diferencias en ambición, competencia, redes profesionales y caminos académicos.
Why the Seed Industry Has a Stake in the Future of Global Trade
WTO agriculture leader Edwini Kessie discusses trade fragmentation, food security and why international collaboration remains essential for seed innovation.
EU Seed Legislation Modernised Under New PRM Rules
A new EU seed legislation framework aims to modernise plant reproductive material rules while maintaining core quality, variety registration and market access principles. Euroseeds says the agreement balances flexibility for specific operators and markets with oversight in the Common Market.
Crop Disease Resistance Gene Targets Two Pathogens
New research shows how plant immune receptors can evolve through molecular mimicry, opening a potential path to more durable disease resistance in cereal crops.
Scientists have found new evidence showing how plant immune receptors can evolve to recognize disease threats by mimicking the targets that pathogens attack.
Using this insight, researchers engineered a disease-resistance gene capable of recognizing two major crop pathogens. The discovery could help guide future efforts to develop crops with stronger and more durable resistance to disease.
International Research Effort
The study was led by scientists from The Sainsbury Laboratory and the John Innes Centre in Norwich, U.K., in collaboration with USDA–University of Minnesota laboratories in the U.S.
“This breakthrough discovery led by Diana Gómez de la Cruz and Matt Moscou has revealed how molecular mimicry can be used by plants to defend themselves against pathogen attack,” said Prof. Nick Talbot FRS, co-author and TSL’s Executive Director. “Using the new tools of computational structural modelling, we have an opportunity to harness this discovery to develop completely new durable resistant crops in future. It is very exciting.”
A Major Threat to Cereal Crops
A major focus of the study is the blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, one of the world’s most damaging plant pathogens. It infects several important cereal crops, including rice, wheat and barley. In rice alone, blast disease is estimated to destroy enough grain each year to feed about 60 million people, making it a serious and ongoing threat to global food security, according to a press release.
Building on Barley Resistance Research
The study builds on years of research in Matthew Moscou’s group at The Sainsbury Laboratory, now based at the USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory. First author Diana Gómez de la Cruz began the work during her PhD in the Moscou group and continued it as a postdoctoral researcher in Nick Talbot’s group at TSL.
An important starting point came from earlier TSL research on how barley recognizes the blast fungus. While working together in the Moscou group, Helen Brabham and Gómez de la Cruz showed that the barley immune receptor MLA3 helps provide resistance to M. oryzae by detecting Pwl2, a fungal effector protein secreted during infection. Read the paper here.
Understanding the Pathogen’s Strategy
At the same time, research led by Vincent Were in Nick Talbot’s group, together with Rafał Zdrzałek in Mark Banfield’s group at the John Innes Centre, showed that Pwl2 targets a specific plant protein during infection. By manipulating this protein, the fungus can weaken the plant’s defenses and support invasion.
Together, these findings gave researchers a starting point to study how the MLA3 immune receptor recognizes Pwl2 at the molecular level.
AlphaFold Reveals a Key Similarity
A major breakthrough came with AlphaFold, the artificial intelligence tool that transformed how scientists predict protein structures.
Gómez de la Cruz used AlphaFold to model how MLA3 and Pwl2 interact, helping the team better understand how the receptor recognizes the fungal effector. At the same time, Zdrzałek experimentally solved the structure of Pwl2 bound to its plant protein target.
When the predicted and experimental structures were compared, the similarity was striking. This led researchers to propose that MLA3 may recognize the pathogen by mimicking the same plant protein that the fungus is trying to attack.
Competing for the Same Target
During a seminar at The Sainsbury Laboratory, postdoctoral researcher Jack Rhodes asked whether the plant protein targeted by Pwl2 might affect how MLA3 recognizes the fungal effector. Follow-up experiments showed that it does: when the plant target protein was present, MLA3 was less able to recognize Pwl2. This suggested that the plant protein and MLA3 compete for the same binding site on the pathogen protein.
The results pointed to a new mechanism for crop disease resistance. MLA3 appears to have evolved to mimic the plant protein that Pwl2 targets during infection. By doing so, the immune receptor can intercept the fungal effector and trigger the plant’s defense response.
In effect, the receptor turns the pathogen’s own infection strategy against it. The finding provides direct evidence that plant immune receptors can evolve by mimicking pathogen targets, creating new ways to recognize disease threats.
A New Route for Engineering Resistance
This insight also opened the door to engineering broader crop disease resistance. After identifying the molecular surface that allows MLA3 to recognize Pwl2, researchers transferred that binding region into SR50, a related immune receptor found in rye.
SR50 naturally provides resistance to wheat stem rust, another major cereal disease. By adding the mimicry interface from the barley receptor, the team created a chimeric receptor capable of recognizing both stem rust and blast pathogens.
The work suggests that understanding how crop immune receptors recognize pathogens could help researchers design new resistance genes for cereals and other important crops.
Young Professionals and Influence in the Seed Sector
Young professionals are entering the seed sector at a time of rapid change. Mario González Azcárate of NGIN discusses how the next generation can help shape leadership, innovation and the future of agriculture.
Nutrition Emerged as a Big Theme at NAPB 2026
From human health to consumer expectations, NAPB 2026 showed how plant breeding priorities are expanding beyond traditional measures of success.
Plant DNA Repair Discovery Could Help Future Crops
Salk Institute researchers have identified a plant-specific DNA repair protein called YAF9B that helps protect growth tissues after DNA damage. The discovery may support future advances in crop resilience, stress tolerance and more precise genome editing.
Wild Maize Gene Could Help Boost Maize Protein
Chinese researchers have identified a teosinte gene that could help breeders raise maize protein levels in modern corn. The discovery may support development of higher-protein maize varieties without reducing grain yield.
Chile Grows as Biotechnology Seed Industry Hub
Chile is strengthening its role in the biotechnology seed industry as climate pressure, shrinking farmland and rising food demand push agriculture toward faster innovation. ChileBio’s Miguel Ángel Sánchez says the country’s climate diversity and technical expertise make it a strategic hub for global seed research.
Brian Rossnagel Inducted Into Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame for Transforming Barley and Oat Breeding
The longtime Crop Development Centre breeder developed more than 100 barley and oat varieties, including CDC Austenson
A Lifetime in Plant Breeding: Dr. Weikai Yan Honoured for Four Decades of Scientific Leadership
From his early studies in China to leading oat breeding efforts in Canada, Yan has built a career dedicated to helping breeders make better decisions
The Common Thread Running Through This Week’s Biggest Seed Industry Stories
New conversations about seed policy, concerns over declining agricultural R&D investment, and recognition for two of Canada’s most influential plant breeders all point to the same truth: innovation is built […]
Canada is Shifting Toward Innovation, But More Work Remains on Seed and IP Policy
Challenges around farm-saved seed and breeder remuneration continue to shape the future of Canadian agriculture, says UPOV’s new president
Concepts For Your Seeds
For over 40 years, SATEC® has provided high-quality seed treatment solutions—from pelleting to coating—serving agriculture, vegetables, ornamentals, and forestry with German-engineered equipment.
Plant Breeders May Need to Think Bigger Than Ever
USDA’s Scott Hutchins says plant breeders must expand their focus beyond the farm to include consumers, nutrition, human health and seed sovereignty.
Seed Priming Boosts Crop Resistance to Pests
Seed priming with methyl jasmonate, a natural plant defense molecule, may help crops resist insect and mite damage without slowing growth. The findings point to a potential tool for more sustainable crop protection.
Chile refuerza su rol en semillas biotecnológicas
Chile consolida su posición como centro estratégico para las semillas biotecnológicas, apoyado por su diversidad climática, capacidad técnica y participación en investigación agrícola internacional. Miguel Ángel Sánchez, director ejecutivo de ChileBio, destaca el papel de la biotecnología frente a la presión climática y alimentaria.
Svalbard Seed Vault Surpasses 1.4M Seed Samples
The Svalbard Seed Vault has surpassed 1.4 million seed samples after receiving 15,387 new deposits from 11 genebanks during its second opening of 2026, including first-time contributions from Burkina Faso and Niger.
Is Canada’s Ag Advantage Slipping? | On The Brink: Season 2 – Episode 6
Stuart Smyth of the University of Saskatchewan explains why Canada’s world-leading farm productivity rests on past Canadian agricultural R&D investment — and what happens to yields and grocery prices if it keeps slipping.
EU Agri-Food Coalition Welcomes NGT Regulation
A coalition of 30 European agri-food value chain organisations welcomes the NGT Regulation, calling it a major milestone for plant breeding innovation, sustainability and food security across Europe.
On-Farm Experimentation Turns Fields Into Labs
On-farm experimentation is expanding agronomic research beyond controlled plots and into working fields. Takashi Tanaka’s review explores how advanced analytics, machine learning and farmer-generated data can improve decisions while avoiding misleading conclusions.
What’s Next for Global Seed Testing? Three Conversations Shaping ISTA 2026
ISTA 2026 will bring seed testing professionals, regulators and industry leaders to Calgary to discuss global seed movement, accreditation, AI and emerging technologies. ISTA President Ernest Young shares the key conversations shaping the meeting.
From Seed Innovation to Grower ROI: Closing the On-Farm Gap
Seed technology often performs well in trials but faces new challenges on the farm. Emilhano Lima of Syngenta explains how field validation, grower collaboration and implementation support help turn innovation into measurable results.
Who Is the Seed Industry Innovating For?
Farmers from Idaho, Missouri, New Jersey and Saskatchewan say the future of seed innovation is about more than breakthrough technology. The next generation of products must help producers manage uncertainty, remain profitable, earn consumer trust and create a future worth passing on to the next generation. Their message to the seed industry is simple: innovation only matters if it solves real-world problems on the farm.
How AI is Changing Certified Seed Operations
Artificial intelligence is moving beyond breeding programs and into everyday certified seed operations. South Carolina seed grower Rachael Sharp is using AI to automate recordkeeping, improve logistics, guide crop rotation decisions and reclaim valuable time while managing the demands of certified seed production.