b'INDUSTRY NEWSTAILORED TO SEED PROFESSIONALS, INDUSTRY NEWS DELIVERS THE PEOPLE, RESEARCH, BUSINESS AND PRODUCT NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW. SUBMISSIONS ARE WELCOME. EMAIL US AT NEWS@SEEDWORLDGROUP.COM.Scientists have successfully pinpointed a temperature tolerance geneexpand the use of AI in the discovery and development of new that could shield wheat from the growing uncertainties posed bysustainable crop protection products. climate change, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Plant Science. Scientists at the John Innes Center, led by Professor Graham Moore, discovered the breakthrough while investigat- Bayer is making several key executive leadership changes within ing wheat fertility in plants subjected to varying temperatures.it Crop Science Division, the company announced in a press release Researchers at the John Innes Center employed gene-editing tech- Jan. 10. Effective March 1, 2024, Brian Naber stepped into the role niques to remove DMC1 from a variety of Chinese Spring Wheat.of commercial lead for the North America region. Malu Nachreiner, Subsequent controlled experiments gauged the impact of differentcurrently a senior representative and country division head for Bayer temperatures on meiosis in the mutated plants. in Brazil, will step into the role vacated by Naber: commercial lead for the Asia Pacific region. The Crop Trust has confirmed a 5m funding pledge from the Government of the United Kingdom to help support the futureEffective at the end of the Annual Shareholders Meeting on April of food. Delivered through the Foreign and Commonwealth25, 2024, Dr. Markus Kamieth (53) will take over as Chairman of Development Office (FCDO), the funding will help bolster thethe Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE. This was decided Crop Trusts vital work in supporting genebanks across the world.by the Supervisory Board in its meeting on December 20, 2023. Through the endowment fund, the Crop Trust provides long-termKamieth has been a member of the Board of Executive Directors support to secure key collections of crop diversity in genebankssince 2017. worldwide; ensuring not just their safety, but also that they are made available for use by researchers, plant breeders, farmers and local communities. Bioscientists from Joint BioEnergy Institute developed strains of sorghum that can grow tall, strong, and healthy with very little water. This highly benefits farmers in producing large quantities of Corn van Beers was appointed as General Director of Breederscrops with minimal costs. According to the researchers, sorghum Trust Ltd company located in Brussels, as of 1 January 2024.does not have the best ability to regenerate in the plant tissue cul-Corn succeeds Geert Staring, who has reached his retirement age.ture. Genes from wheat have been found to allow regeneration in Breeders Trust was founded in 2008 and currently consists of 12wheat. Thus, the researchers added the genes from wheat to improve leading European seed potato breeding companies.the regeneration efficiency in sorghum.A Cornell plant breeder has developed an unusual tomatowithThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations yellow flesh and an oblong shape that prompted its fans to name(FAO) has welcomed the announcement of an additional $10 mil-it Yellow Submarine. Developed by Phillip Griffiths, associatelion from the United States Department of State for projects map-professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticultureping soil fertility in Ghana and Kenya to promote climate-smart Section, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), theagriculture and adaptation measures, resilient crops, fertilizer use Yellow Submarine tomato has clear skin with an ethereal, semitrans- efficiency and soil health. The funding will significantly boost pro-lucent look and is resistant to cracking on the vine. Fruition Seeds,gress with FAOs ambitious SoilFER (Soil mapping for resilient based in Naples, New York, is bringing the variety to market in 2024. agrifood systems in the Central America and sub-Saharan Africa), which currently focuses on Guatemala, Honduras and Zambia.The first tranche of funding from the U.S. Government ($20 million) UPL Ltd. is planning to buy Corteva Agrisciences solo mancozebenabled FAO to fast track the impact-oriented project in July 2022.global fungicide business outside of China, Japan, South Korea and European Union member countries, a Jan. 9 news release said. The acquisition will give UPL ownership of Dithane, the originalThree decades of data have informed a new Nebraska-led study that global mancozeb brand which has provided farmers with a reliableshows how the depletion of groundwaterthe same that many disease management solution, as well as access to Rainshield tech- farmers rely on for irrigationcan threaten food production amid nology which enables crop protection in wet weather conditions,drought and drier climes. The study found that, due in part to the the release said. challenges of extracting groundwater, an aquifers depletion can curb crop yields even when it appears saturated enough to continue meeting the demands of irrigation. Those agricultural losses escalate Iktos, a company specialized in Artificial Intelligence (AI) foras an aquifer dwindles, the researchers reported, so that its depletion new drug design, and Bayers Crop Science division with its indus- exerts a greater toll on corn and soybean yields when waning from, try-leading R&D pipeline and portfolio of seeds & traits, crop pro- say, 100 feet thick to 50 than from 200 feet to 150. tection and digital farming solutions, announced a collaboration to 36ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE'