Large-Scale DNA Variants Drive Cucumber History, Study Finds
A new Nature Genetics study led by Boyce Thompson Institute’s Zhangjun Fei reveals that large DNA “structural variants” play a major role in cucumber evolution and breeding. Using a graph-based pangenome built from 39 high-quality genomes, researchers identified nearly 172,000 variants affecting traits like fruit shape and hollowness. The resource helps breeders predict performance, reduce harmful genetic baggage, and accelerate development of resilient, high-quality cucumber varieties.
Brazil at the Forefront of AI-Driven Soybean Yield Prediction
Brazil leads AI-driven soybean yield prediction by applying transfer learning. Researchers adapted a U.S.-trained model to Brazilian conditions using limited state or municipal data, improving cross-scale prediction from 50% to 78% of the theoretical best. The approach addresses data scarcity, supports market forecasting, sustainability analysis, and risk assessment, and offers a scalable pathway for global food security and climate-resilient agriculture.
Brasil a la vanguardia de la predicción del rendimiento de la soja basada en IA
Brasil lidera la predicción del rendimiento de soja impulsada por IA mediante aprendizaje por transferencia. Los investigadores adaptaron un modelo entrenado en EE. UU. a condiciones brasileñas usando datos limitados estatales o municipales, elevando la predicción multiescala del 50% al 78% del límite teórico. El enfoque reduce la escasez de datos, mejora pronósticos de mercado y sostenibilidad, y apoya seguridad alimentaria y gestión del riesgo climático.
Harnessing Technology to Protect the World’s Crop Diversity
The Crop Trust has launched Securing Our Seeds (SOS), a USD 2 million Google.org-backed initiative to modernize global crop diversity conservation. The project will digitize genebanks using GRIN-Global software, integrate data with the Genesys portal, and strengthen digital skills. SOS will also explore AI-powered early warning systems to detect biodiversity loss, improving food security, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture worldwide.
Gene Editing Is Getting Faster. Commercialization Still Isn’t
The seed industry is now at a point that is past CRISPR breakthrough. Commercialization is still a big hurdle.
AAFC Research Station Closures Trigger Emergency Study in Ottawa
Closures in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan are now under scrutiny by the House ag committee
Freshness, Flavor And Trust: The Market Signals Guiding The Next Wave Of Seed Development
Collaboration across the supply chain, from breeding programs to grocery shelves, is becoming the defining force behind future vegetable markets. The vegetable seed industry is entering a quieter, but more […]
Designed to Burn: Breeding Superhot Peppers
Ed Currie, inventor of the Carolina Reaper, has built a legacy breeding the hottest of hot peppers. What started as a backyard hobby has grown into a impactful career.
From Field to Fire: How Hot is Hot?
Superhot peppers take awhile to develop. The Scoville Scale is a great tool to know what’s hot and what’s not so hot.
New Research Reveals Camelina’s Climate Adaptation Potential
EU-funded UNTWIST research shows camelina (Camelina sativa) could help climate-proof agriculture as heatwaves and droughts intensify. Scientists tested 54 camelina lines across controlled environments and European field trials, finding wide variation in stress responses despite limited genetic diversity. Some lines used metabolic shifts, others physical traits, revealing high plasticity. Identified metabolites and fatty acids may guide breeding, while the UNTWIST Plant Adaptation Hub shares open datasets and tools.
Empowering Africa, One Seed at a Time
African farmers are central to regional and global food security. The Syngenta Seedcare Institute in Brits, South Africa, develops locally tailored seed treatment solutions to improve crop emergence, soil health and sustainable yields. By combining global innovation with African expertise, the institute supports farmers with end-to-end technologies that strengthen resilience, productivity and long-term agricultural sustainability.
The Future of Produce Starts with Seed Decisions
Consumer expectations retail consolidation labor shortages and climate pressure are reshaping produce faster than the industry can respond. Increasingly those forces are pushing upstream placing new demands on plant breeding trait development and seed innovation as the starting point for how the food system adapts.
Meet Seed World’s Connector of the Year
Seed World names Radicle Seed’s Lisa Branco Connector of the Year, recognizing her leadership in building relationships, fostering collaboration and strengthening connections across the seed industry.
MyPlate Reset Sends Early Signals to Seed
The MyPlate reset is more than a nutrition story — it’s an early signal for seed. From the ASTA Vegetable and Flower Conference, this piece explores how federal nutrition guidance can influence breeding priorities, crop investment and long-term strategy across the seed industry.
Advancing Gene-Edited Potatoes to Cut Post-Harvest Losses
Gene-edited potatoes developed by Chile’s INIA show significantly reduced post-harvest browning, helping cut food losses across processing, storage, retail, and households. Using CRISPR to edit the PPO2 gene without introducing foreign DNA, researchers achieved non-transgenic lines that retain quality and shelf life. The innovation supports sustainability, efficiency, and Chile’s regulatory pathway for gene-edited crops.
How Biology Drives the Bottom Line — Why Resilience, Consistency, and System Performance are Reshaping ROI Conversations
Farm success in an unpredictable world depends on resilience—reducing yield loss when weather, disease, tariffs, and input volatility strike. While resilience is harder to measure than yield gains, it stabilizes performance by limiting stress impacts and speeding recovery. Beyond genetics, microbes are critical to resilience. Well-matched microbial inoculants can improve nutrient use, root growth, stress tolerance, and pathogen defense—supporting yield stability. Jord BioScience is advancing better evaluation and deployment of microbial solutions to reduce variability.
Why Proposed Dicamba Restrictions Could Impact Canadian Soybean Seed Production
Dicamba’s future in Canada is now tied to more than weed control
What’s Happening at ASTA Vegetable and Flower Conference 2026?
Scenes and snippets from the 2026 ASTA Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference in San Diego, California
Navigating Seed Labeling Requirements Across All 50 States
A new national Seed Labeling Database from the Oregon Seed Association helps seed companies navigate complex state and federal labeling requirements for specialty crops across all 50 states.
Why Speed Isn’t the Same as Progress
The February issue of Seed World U.S. is full of vegetable and flower seed industry-specific stories. Check it out!
Avances en la edición genética de patatas para reducir las pérdidas poscosecha
Papas editadas genéticamente desarrolladas por el INIA de Chile presentan una reducción significativa del pardeamiento poscosecha, ayudando a disminuir pérdidas en procesamiento, almacenamiento, comercio y hogares. Mediante CRISPR y la edición del gen PPO2 sin introducir ADN externo, se obtuvieron líneas no transgénicas con mayor calidad y vida útil, impulsando la sostenibilidad, la eficiencia y el marco regulatorio chileno para cultivos editados.
Why Vegetable Seed Companies Can’t Afford To Move Slow Anymore
New tools, platforms and ownership models are reshaping the seed industry, but real progress comes down to execution. With nearly 30 years of experience across production, supply chain and sales, Sakata Seed America’s vegetable business COO Davis shares how to evaluate innovation by what actually improves performance in the field and across the business.
Chile Advances Regulatory Clarity for New Plant Breeding Technologies in Agriculture
Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture, through SAG, proposed a resolution to formalize the technical procedure used to evaluate plant materials developed with New Breeding Techniques (NBT). The framework increases legal certainty, transparency, and oversight, distinguishing NBT products from regulated transgenic GMOs. Mandatory pre-field, case-by-case reviews support health and environmental protection, strengthen public confidence, and encourage innovation for climate-resilient, sustainable food production.
CO₂ and Crops: The Yield Driver EU Policy Rarely Talks About
Satellite data reveal rising CO₂ has significantly boosted crop yields, especially wheat, more than many EU climate models acknowledge. An NBER study links real-world CO₂ variation to higher maize, soybean and wheat productivity. Ignoring CO₂ fertilisation may overstate climate damage, misguide EU policy, and undervalue seed-sector innovation critical for future food security, plant biology and agricultural economics alike matter today.
Discovery May Help Barley Growers Better Manage Seed Dormancy
University of Adelaide researchers, partnering with Carlsberg Research Laboratory, mapped a key barley MAPK enzyme–substrate complex that regulates seed dormancy. Published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the work clarifies how MKK3 activates downstream MAPK signaling and helps explain dormancy-to-germination control. The discovery could support precision breeding to optimize dormancy, reduce pre-harvest sprouting, and improve crop management efficiency in barley and other grains.
Chile avanza en claridad regulatoria para nuevas tecnologías de fitomejoramiento en la agricultura
Chile, a través del SAG del Ministerio de Agricultura, presentó una resolución para formalizar el procedimiento técnico de evaluación de materiales vegetales desarrollados con Nuevas Técnicas de Mejoramiento (NBT). El marco aporta certeza jurídica, transparencia y mayor supervisión, diferenciando productos NBT de los OGM transgénicos ya regulados. La revisión obligatoria previa al campo, caso por caso, refuerza la protección sanitaria y ambiental, la confianza pública y la innovación agrícol
Inside a Modern Seed Cleaning Plant: How Colour Sorters Really Add Value
Greenleaf Seeds in Saskatchewan uses colour sorting technology to improve seed quality, reduce risk, and unlock new opportunities across oats, wheat, lentils, and more
Redefining Seed Enhancement: 75 Seconds with Summit Seed Coatings
Spend 75 seconds with Summit Seed Coatings’ Joseph Young. He talks about how the company has taken traditional roots into an evolving, but continual customer-focused way of doing business.
Arctic Strategy, Trade Wars and the Future of Prairie Farming — According to Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge connects climate change, northern security and China-Canada trade relations to our industry’s long-term success
Transgenic Corn and Soy Drive Cuba’s Push to Boost Grain Production
Cuba remains heavily dependent on imported corn and soy, limiting feed production and agricultural output. Despite proven high yields from domestically developed transgenic corn and soybean varieties, expansion is slowed by financing, fuel shortages, and resource constraints. Researchers and producers agree these crops are key to reducing imports, strengthening food sovereignty, and improving animal feed supply and farm profitability.
The New Trade Map: Why Canadian Seed Companies Should Rethink “the Global Marketplace”
One analyst’s advice: diversify beyond China, treat food like energy, and build demand at home
Euroseeds Publishes Updated Position on Research
Euroseeds’ updated position paper calls on the EU to secure dedicated plant breeding research funding under FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund to strengthen sustainable agriculture, the bioeconomy and EU competitiveness. The seed sector reinvests up to 20% of turnover in R&D, yet public support is declining via FP, ERC and MSCA. Euroseeds urges robust budgets and partnerships to deliver climate-resilient yields, food security and strategic sovereignty.
Ahead of Leaders’ Retreat, Agri-Food Chain Calls for Stronger EU Support
Ahead of the EU Leaders’ Retreat on 12 February, 40 agri-food organisations urge EU institutions to put agriculture and food at the heart of Europe’s competitiveness strategy. The €1 trillion EU agri-food value chain underpins food security, resilience and jobs, but faces rising regulatory complexity, administrative burdens and global uncertainty. Signatories call for simplification, investment and innovation to boost productivity, circularity and strategic independence. They back Commission efforts, urging further legislative modernisation.
Maíz y soja transgénicos impulsan el impulso de Cuba para aumentar la producción de granos
Cuba mantiene una fuerte dependencia de las importaciones de maíz y soya, lo que limita la producción de piensos y el rendimiento agrícola. Aunque variedades transgénicas desarrolladas localmente muestran altos rendimientos, su expansión enfrenta obstáculos financieros y logísticos. Autoridades y productores coinciden en que estos cultivos son esenciales para reducir importaciones, fortalecer la soberanía alimentaria y asegurar el abastecimiento de alimento animal.
How Smart Decisions at the Start Set Your Crop up for Success
Crop failure can come from drought, hail, or volatile markets—but smart agronomy decisions reduce risk. Choosing the right seed genetics for local conditions is the foundation, and advanced seed coatings support germination, protect against fungus, and can add drought resilience. With biologicals, promises aren’t enough: proven field performance matters. That’s why we validate products for coating compatibility, quality, durability, and low dust-off—backed by responsive customer service.
Why Does Advocacy Matter for the EU Seed Sector?
This column explains the long-term nature of EU agricultural policymaking and the essential role of EU associations such as Euroseeds. It highlights stakeholder engagement since the Common Agricultural Policy, the growing power of the European Parliament, and multi-year legislative timelines, using New Genomic Techniques and seed legislation to show why sustained EU advocacy and Brussels-based representation are critical.