70 / SEEDWORLD.COM INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2026 I N D U S T R Y N E W S Delivering the news you need to know. Submissions welcome – email us at news@seedworldgroup.com. U.S. Wheat Associates launched a free mobile app that gives users easier access to price reports, commercial sales data, crop quality reports and harvest updates. The app includes a conversion calculator, interactive FOB pricing and harvest data, and a personalized watchlist. It is available on Apple and Android devices to support farmers, millers, bakers and trade partners. AOSCA has appointed Michael Bouck of the Utah Crop Improvement Association as president, succeeding Doug Miller of the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association. Matthew Young of the Tennessee Crop Improvement Association becomes vice president. BASF received EPA federal registration for Engenia herbicide for over- the-top use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton. The registration gives growers another option for managing resistant broadleaf weeds, including Palmer amaranth and waterhemp. Researchers led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign created the first soybean cyst nematode pangenome, revealing extreme genetic diversity that helps the pest overcome soybean resistance. The break through offers insight into why resistance weakens over time and could support future tools to match resistance sources with local SCN popula tions, improve management strategies and guide development of longer- lasting soybean protection. Iowa State University Research Park and Bayer’s Crop Science division opened the Seed Production Innovation Center on the research park campus. The facility is intended to support seed production research, collaboration with faculty and industry part ners and applied work in precision agriculture, auto mation and data analytics. Researchers from Chosun University and Seoul National University found no consistent evidence linking GMO consumption to major human health problems. Reviewing epidemiological studies and international health data, they examined cancer, aller gies, reproductive disorders and other chronic ill nesses. Disease trends varied by country and time, but did not align with GMO approvals or adoption, weak ening claims of a causal connection. Resurrect Bio and Corteva entered a joint develop ment agreement to address major corn diseases in the United States. The collaboration will use Resurrect Bio’s AI-driven screening platform to identify and restore disease-resistance genes that pathogens have overcome. By combining that work with Corteva’s genetics and trial network, the companies aim to develop corn varieties with stronger disease protec tion and reduced chemical input needs. ASTA has added Collin Cisco as director of state gov ernment affairs and Benjamin Rietmann as director of international programs and policy as it expands its biotechnology advocacy and regulatory work. They also promoted Samuel Crowell to vice president for science, trade and global affairs and Martha Malapi to senior director of seed health and trade. Colorado State University researchers found a way to keep plants growing while their immune systems remain active by adjusting hormone signaling. The approach restored growth in plants with overactive immunity without reducing disease resistance and sometimes improved it. The discovery could raise crop yields, support food security and reduce dependence on pesticides and other crop inputs. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault received 7,864 seed samples in its first 2026 deposit, including first-time contributions from Guatemala and Niger and the first- ever olive seeds from Spain’s University of Córdoba. The deposit highlights global efforts to preserve crop diversity, safeguard food security and protect endan gered plant varieties. SW
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.