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@ISSUESINK.COM.RESEARCH NEWS A team of Japanese researchers, led by Naoko Kato-Nitta, a research scientist at the Joint Support-Center for Data Science Research and the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Tokyo, Japan, conducted a survey of perceptions of Japanese experts and the public to gene editing versus other emerging or conventional breeding techniques in Japan, where the production of geneti-cally modified crops is strictly regulated and not readily accepted. According to the study, participants who had expert knowledge of molecular biology perceived emerging technologies as offering the lowest risk and highest benefits or value for food application, while the lay public showed the highest risk and lowest benefit. Experts from other disciplines had similar perceptions to the lay public in terms of the risk, but similar perceptions to the molecular biology experts in terms of value. The lay public tended to perceive gene-edited crops as being both more beneficial and valuable than other genetically modified crops, while also posing less risk. Even though the differences in perception between gene editing and genetic modification were very small compared to the differences in perception between genetic modification and conventional plant breeding techniques, obtaining such results from the participants New technologies are needed to combat climate change. Nowliving in Japan may hold great potential for this emerging technol-bioinformatics specialists from the University of Wrzburg,ogy, the researchers said.Germany, might have found a way of enabling plants to store more carbon dioxide. Researchers believe they have discovered a promising way forward: They are studying plants which areAustralian growers have made significant inroads against capable of absorbing residual carbon dioxide more effectivelyherbicide-resistant weeds in recent years by focusing on har-thanks to a modified metabolism. The scientists have now pub- vest-time weed seed controls. One of the most popular strategies lished their findings in the current issue of the journal Trendsis the use of an impact mill that intercepts chaff as it exits the in Biotechnology. harvester. The mill destroys weed seeds and then deposits the residue on the field for moisture conservation and nutrient cycling. Like animals and humans, plants possess a kind of immune system. They can recognize pathogenic fungi by the chitin in theirConsumers were more willing to buy unlabeled produce after cell walls, triggering disease resistance. Some fungi hide from thebeing shown food tagged as genetically modified in a new immune system by modifying some at the chitin building blocks,Cornell University study, which comes as a new U.S. federal converting chitin into chitosan. Researchers of the University oflaw requiring genetically modified organism disclosure labels on Mnster in Germany found that plants can react to a certainfood products goes into effect. In the study, the Cornell research-pattern in this chitosan, stimulating their immune system. Theyers recruited 1,300 consumers, who were shown GM, non-GM and are already developing a chitosan-based plant immune-stimulantunlabeled opportunitiesin random sequencesto purchase in order to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture.apples, as well as other fruits and vegetables. The paper found that when an unlabeled apple was presented first, the initial consumer demandwillingness to purchasewas 65.2 per cent. But if 44IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'