Historic Wheat Collection Reveals Untapped Diversity
An international study, published in Nature, has revealed that at least 60% of the genetic diversity found in a historic collection of wheat is unused providing an unprecedented opportunity to improve modern wheat and sustainably feed a growing global population.
ASTA Recognizes Seed Industry Pioneers
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) honored industry pioneers at the 2024 ASTA Leadership Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. The honorees were recognized in the categories of Heritage, Distinguished Service, Lifetime Honorary Member and Excellence in Science.
APSA and ISF Sign MoU to Foster Technical and Advocacy Cooperation
The Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA) and the International Seed Federation (ISF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the centennial ISF World Seed held in Rotterdam.
Cheers to Major Milestones at ISTA, ISF and Seed World too!
100 years! Congratulations to the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) for standing at the forefront of global seed and food security for the past century. For a full 10 decades, ISTA has been the driving force towards promoting international standardisation in seed sampling, testing and reporting. I’m delighted to be travelling to Cambridge to celebrate the Centenary and report to the wider world of seed as ISTA charts its path forward into the next century.
Albaugh Names New North American VP of Technology
Nathan Kimmerle reecently joined Albaugh, LLC as the North America Region Vice President – Technology.
According to an Albaugh news relase, Kimmerle will oversee production and operations at Albaugh’s manufacturing facility in St. Joseph, Missouri.
3 Reasons to Register for the NAPB Meeting Before July 1
If you want to help Rethink, Reinvent, and Revolutionize plant breeding, an upcoming event being held in St. Louis, Miss., is for you. Early bird registration for the annual meeting […]
World Agri-Tech South America Summit Starts Today
The fifth World Agri-Tech South America Summit begins today, June 18, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Summit focuses on innovation across the entire agricultural supply chain, showcasing how investments, new technologies and partnerships are improving resilience for one of the most important food production regions.
An Inside Look at ISTA’s Goals for its Second Century
As the International Seed Trade Association celebrates 100 years, ISTA Secretary General Andreas Wais and ISTA President Dr. Keshavulu Kunusoth make plans to lead the organization forward in a changing political and regulatory landscape.
New Lettuce Breeding Lines Show Strong Resistance to Major Pests and Diseases
USDA-ARS study reveals advanced green leaf, red leaf and romaine lettuce varieties that combat leafminer, corky root, and downy mildew, offering a sustainable alternative to chemical interventions for farmers.
Farmers Turn to Regenerative Agriculture Amid Climate Challenges
As U.S. farmers deal with extreme weather conditions like heat, drought, heavy rainfall, flooding and erosion—all factors of climate change affecting crops—there’s been increasing interest in regenerative agriculture. Big agriculture companies are promoting “carbon farming” as a way to make money while also improving soil health.
ISF Looking for 100 #SeedHeroes
In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Seed federation (ISF) launched the #SeedHeroes campaign to highlight the essential workers in the seed sector. These dedicated individuals ensured that farmers and growers worldwide could access quality seeds, enabling them to produce healthy crops and provide nutritious food for all. The campaign was a tremendous success, showcasing the diversity within the global seed industry, including the variety of people, professions, roles, and types of companies and organizations involved.
Thank Gene Editing for Your Morning Cup of Joe
The pace of climate change the world is experiencing is far greater than anything we’ve ever experienced before. At Tropic, our focus is on the tropical crop sector, mostly banana, rice and coffee. These are sectors, that today suffer greatly from climate change.
From Lab to Legislation
Marlene Ortiz Berrocal was completing her Ph.D in plant biotechnology at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México on route to beginning an academic career in research when her studies took an almost accidental right turn. It changed the entire direction of her career path, unexpectedly turning her into a powerful regulatory ally for Mexico’s seed sector.
Standout Stewardship on The Hill for the Seed Industry
Janae Brady traces her agricultural roots to the vast, open Kansas wheat fields. From these beginnings on her family’s farm, Brady has grown into a pivotal figure in agricultural advocacy, currently serving as vice president of government affairs for the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA). Her journey from farm to the forefront of agricultural policy in Washington D.C. reflects her deep connection to her roots and her desire to be a dynamic influence on the seed industry.
Picketa Systems Expands LENS Technology into United States
Picketa Systems, an agricultural technology company dedicated to unlocking agronomic potential, is expanding into 13 states across the United States. Their LENS system, a real-time crop management technology, is set to redefine how agronomists and farmers handle their crop. Committed to integrating real-time plant tissue analysis into agribusiness workflows, Picketa Systems showcased its precision agricultural management in a recent news release.
Students Selected for International Borlaug-Ruan World Food Prize Foundation Internship
The World Food Prize Foundation has announced the selection of 14 students for the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship program, according to a release. These individuals, representing 11 U.S. states as well as China, will embark on eight-week internships at international research centers and development organizations in Costa Rica, India, Kenya, Mexico, Peru and Taiwan.
We Set Out to Discover What’s Big in Public Sector Research. Here’s What we Discovered
A huge percentage of plant breeding and plant science in general is done by Canada’s public sector. The landscape of public and private breeding can be somewhat different depending on […]
A Sneak Peek at What to Expect at ISTA’s Centennial Annual Meeting
The International Seed Trade Association’s secretary general Andreas Wais walks us through what to expect at ISTA’s Annual Meeting and 100th Anniversary celebration coming up in Cambridge, U.K., July 1-5.
Lessons Learned from Argentina’s UPOV 91 Debate
In Argentina, the recent debate regarding its adherence to the 1991 Act of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 91) has been one of the most contentious and significant for its seed sector. Although Argentina did not, in the end, subscribe to this convention, the process left a series of crucial lessons for all the actors involved, from producers and seed companies to legislators and civil society.
Focused on Surviving or Thriving?
I frequently engage with industry leaders to discuss the direction of our sector. The overall sentiment in our conversations at ISF World Seed Congress was remarkably positive, with a dynamic shift happening right now regarding where businesses will emerge and who will deliver on these new opportunities. However, the industry currently feels divided into two distinct camps.
KWS Cereals Launches Soil Protection Program
Soil protection program aimed at improving cover crops and sustainable soil management practices.
Building Food Security One Gene at a Time
Many rice and wheat producers dread blast disease. Blast disease, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, not only destroys rice, a food staple of 60 per cent of the world, it began attacking wheat in the 1980s. The disease has spread rapidly in Asia and carries a high risk of emergence in Europe.
New Alliance Champions Intermediate Oilseed Crops for U.S. Biofuel Boom
In response to the growing global and U.S. demand for significantly higher biofuel volume, a new U.S. industry initiative called the Intermediate Oilseed Crop Alliance (IOCA) was created in 2023. Current IOCA members include CoverCress Inc., Nuseed, Global Clean Energy, Vision Bioenergy Oilseeds and Yield10 Bioscience.
AI Will Unravel Secrets of Non-Coding Genes
From smart chatbots to apps that can write entire articles, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly ubiquitous part of our lives. Michael Schon, a research associate at Wageningen University & Research, is designing an AI tool that can perform comparisons of non-coding RNA on plant genomes, according to a press release. The tool is expected to accelerate and simplify the future development of new plant varieties with greater resistance to drought or diseases, for example. Schon has received a Veni grant to support his research.
Hutton Confirms Extension of ‘Fight Against Blight’ Funding for 2024 Season
The FAB scheme, initiated in 2006, leverages a nationwide network of agronomists, growers, and industry representatives known as the FAB Scouts to monitor Phytophthora infestans populations. Each year, this network submits up to 1,500 field samples from suspected late blight outbreaks across Britain. Under the leadership of Dr. David Cooke and Dr. Alison Lees from The James Hutton Institute, the initiative encompasses annual sampling of late blight outbreaks, characterization of pathogen populations, and fungicide sensitivity testing on industry-prioritized active ingredients.
Cressing the Threshold
The speed at which Pennycress has moved from weed to commercial crop is unprecedented — perhaps the fastest completion of this process in history.
Fewer Pesticides Please
Florida strawberry growers can reduce pesticide usage and save money while controlling the significant pest known as chilli thrips, according to research from the University of Florida.
First New SCN Trait in 60 Years
It’s been 60 years since the seed industry saw a new trait to fight the pathogen. BASF officials unveiled a new SCN trait they’ve named Nemasphere™.
Euroseeds Adopts its New Position Paper on IP
On June 4, the Euroseeds Board of Directors unanimously adopted the association’s new “View on Intellectual Property”.
Nanotechnology Could Transform Global Food Production
Carnegie Mellon University researchers are using nanomedicine and digital twin technologies to tackle climate change, improve crop yields and ensure food security for the future.
Hybrid Wheat Opportunities and Challenges
Despite decades of research and development, hybrid wheat has not yet made significant inroads into North American fields. While some companies are pushing forward on efforts to make hybrid wheat a reality, others are stepping back from hybrid wheat research programs, citing challenges with the crop’s economic viability.
Scientists Make Stunning Corn Gene Discovery
The genome of a corn plant contains almost 40,000 genes, thousands more than the human genome. But 15 years after the publication of the first draft of the corn genome, the roles 98% of those genes play in making a corn plant or determining how corn will respond to different growing conditions remain unknown.
Move over Tubers!
Seed World Europe Editorial Director Marcel Bruins interviewed Solynta chief commercial officer Joost Van Regteren at the ISF World Seed Congress in Rotterdam. Van Regteren has been in the vegetable seed industry for 30 years, starting as a crop consultant. He wants Solynta to be seen as a seed company and not just a breeding company.
Bayer Achieves Breakthrough in Tar Spot Management
Bayer Crop Science announced in a news release that researchers have been able to artificially inoculate tar spot in field test plots, a key step in helping to gain a deeper understanding of how to manage the disease. This development shows promise for advancing both genetic and crop protection research on the pathogen that can severely impact yield.
Syngenta Group Opening Genome-Editing Tools to the World
Syngenta Group announced in a news release that it will provide rights to selected genome-editing and breeding technologies for academic research globally as part of its commitment to foster innovation and drive sustainability in agriculture. These rights are accessible through its innovation collaboration platform Shoots by Syngenta.
Trading with Europe: Q&A with Petra Jorasch
Petra Jorasch is the manager of plant breeding innovation advocacy at Euroseeds. She plays a crucial role in advocacy and regulatory affairs. She works with stakeholders, policy makers, industry representatives and the broader scientific community to promote a better understanding of plant breeding innovations and to ensure that the regulatory environment supports scientific advancement and agricultural productivity.