Biotech News

Russia strikes deal to accelerate development of 30 gene-edited crops, animals by 2027

March 9, 2020

This article or excerpt is included in the GLP’s daily curated selection of ideologically diverse news, opinion and analysis of biotechnology innovation. Russia’s oil giant Rosneft and the Russian government will join forces to develop gene-editing technology, according to a government decree published [March 4]. The deal, which President Vladimir Putin ordered in December, aims…

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Viewpoint: It’s time to stop ‘worrying’ whether gene-edited plants and animals are GMOs—and set aside senseless regulations

March 9, 2020

This article or excerpt is included in the GLP’s daily curated selection of ideologically diverse news, opinion and analysis of biotechnology innovation. After decades of special interest groups raising unwarranted fears and misrepresenting every aspect of so-called “GMOs”, opponents of innovation in plant and animal breeding are adding a new under-the-bed-monster to the mythical menagerie. …

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Ugandan experts forecast 40-50% adoption of new bioengineered potato Victoria

March 9, 2020

Harvest from a confined field trial in Uganda shows a significantly higher yield (right) for the 3R Victoria potato, and without the use of fungicide. Photo: CIP Stakeholders working within the potato sector in Uganda are confident about the wide adoption of a new bioengineered late blight resistant potato. Dubbed the “3R Victoria” potato, the…

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Research Shows Consumers Can’t Define Pesticides: Why That Doesn’t Matter

February 19, 2020

The online conversation around pesticides is expected to explode by 212 percent over the next two years, despite the fact that consumers aren’t really sure what pesticides are. New research from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) illustrates the confusion and growing concern around crop protection products and the lesson for agriculture that definitions don’t…

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Drought-tolerant GMO wheat boosts yields up to 22% in field trials, while drought-tolerant soy could launch in 2020

February 19, 2020

This article or excerpt is included in the GLP’s daily curated selection of ideologically diverse news, opinion and analysis of biotechnology innovation. During the latest harvest, drought-tolerant wheat yielded up to 22.1% more, according to tests conducted on 395 hectares, [the biotech firm] Bioceres said. Soybeans with the same technology, HB4, continue to multiply to…

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Biotech corn, soy crops boost yields, weather extreme conditions

January 13, 2020

U.S. Corn Crop Is Now 92% Genetically Modified How much does crazy weather matter anymore to crop production? That’s the question grain traders are scratching their heads over after fresh data showed U.S. farmers churned out another bumper harvest despite some of the wildest growing conditions in years. Under pressure from soggy fields, late planting…

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Philippines is first! Long-delayed Vitamin A-enhanced Golden Rice greenlighted, bucking activist opposition

December 31, 2019

In its decision, the Philippine Government  joined Australia, New Zealand, Canada [Health Canada] and the United States [US Food and Drug Administration], which all affirmed in 2018 that Golden Rice poses no unique health concerns. The regulatory data were submitted by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in…

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Idaho Grower Trailblazes Industry-Changing Technology

December 3, 2019

Duane Grant never set out to be an agricultural pioneer. He just wanted to continue the family farm and make his dad proud. Grant grew up on his father Douglas’s farm in Southern Idaho and contributed from an early age, eventually joining the operation full-time after high school. Since he joined the operation in 1980,…

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Ghana’s parliament gives GMO crops a boost

November 25, 2019

Ghana’s parliament has approved regulations that open the door for the country to commercialize genetically modified (GMO) crops. The regulations pave the way for the commercialization of insect-resistant Bt cowpea, which will allow farmers to dramatically reduce their use of pesticides and boost their yields. Researchers are also ready to move forward with NEWEST rice, which has been…

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High-Tech Chestnuts: US to Consider Genetically Altered Tree

November 13, 2019

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Chestnuts harvested from high branches on a chilly fall morning look typical: they’re marble sized, russet colored and nestled in prickly burs. But many are like no other nuts in nature. In a feat of genetic engineering, about half the chestnuts collected at this college experiment station feature a gene that provides…

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