Ultra-Low Asparagine Wheat Developed Using Precision Gene Editing | Rothamsted Research Scientists at Rothamsted Research have successfully developed wheat with dramatically reduced levels of asparagine, without affecting yield, using gene editing techniques, offering a promising route to safer food production and improved regulatory compliance.Results from two years of field trials demonstrate that wheat produced using CRISPR genome editing can significantly lower concentrations of free asparagine—an amino acid that converts into acrylamide, a toxic and probably carcinogenic compound formed during everyday baking, frying, and toasting.

#FoodSafety: Bread made from gene-edited wheat showed much reduced levels of acrylamide, a common but toxic and probably carcinogenic compound. Conventional breeding would unlikely deliver similar improvements: www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/ultra-l... #Wheat #CRISPR #GeneEditing #PlantBreeding #Health

Watermelon breeding today is about more than traits—it’s about delivering taste, resilience, & consistency under climate & disease pressure. Field expertise still matters, but genomics and multi-location testing are becoming essential.
#PlantBreeding #Watermelon

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

Fun Fact Friday 🌱 #2 – A plant breeding trial yields thousands of data points on yield, disease resistance, and more, aiding smart decisions. Modern breeding blends data and genetics. #PlantBreeding #DataScience #AgTech #Agriculture #BigData #FoodSecurity

Going wild in banana-breeding enables disease-resistant hybrids with improved fruit quality A groundbreaking study has revealed how a wild banana species from the Himalayas could save the global banana industry from devastating soil-borne diseases, while boosting yields and fruit sweetness.

www.agtechnavigator.com/Article/2026... Good to see the progress #plantbreeding

Purple Physalis in a hand with lots of keeping ground cherry in the background (photo taken mid february)

I've been growing ground cherry since 2022 and saving seed to improve and locally adapt the crop to my northern climate in Denmark as well as picking fruits that keep well over the winter. I want to eat delicious local fruit in February, when there is only […]

[Original post on radikal.social]

It takes 8–12 years to develop a new crop variety through extensive crossing, testing, and refinement across various conditions. Innovation in agriculture takes time. 🌱 #PlantBreeding #AgTech #Agriculture #CropScience #Sustainability

Czech Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding

📢 We are pleased to announce that Issue 2/2026 of the Czech Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding has been published online! 🌱🧬
🔗 Link: cjgpb.agriculturejournals.cz/magno/cjg/20...

#PlantGenetics #PlantBreeding #CropScience #MolecularGenetics #Genomics #AgriculturalResearch #PlantScience

Horticultural Science

📢 We are pleased to announce that Issue 1/2026 of Horticultural Science has been published online!

🔗 Link: hortsci.agriculturejournals.cz/magno/hor/20...

Thank you for sharing :)
#HorticulturalScience #PlantScience #CropResearch #PlantPathology #SeedScience #PlantBreeding #CropProduction

Corn plants from UC Davis fields.

🌱 Current Opinion in Biotechnology (Review): Clonal seeds could lock in hybrid vigor, stabilizing yields. Synthetic apomixis is advancing, but fertility and cross-crop transfer remain key hurdles. (Hui Ren, Venkatesan Sundaresan)

▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#PlantScience #PlantBreeding

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, so...

Rising yields are not only a story of genetics, agronomy and machinery. A new NBER paper suggests rising CO₂ may also have played a larger role in crop productivity, especially for wheat, than many models assume.
#Agriculture #Seeds #PlantBreeding #Wheat #Climate

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

Grain zinc, iron and protein concentrations of contemporary wheat cultivars fall short of targets for human health - Nature Food A synthesis of 243 field studies shows that grain zinc, iron and protein concentrations in modern wheat cultivars have declined since the 1960s, with most varieties falling short of recommended nutrit...

Grain zinc, iron & protein concentrations in new wheat varieties have declined since the 1960s. Combining agronomic & genetic #Biofortification is key for improving grain nutrient concentrations and addressing micronutrient deficiencies: doi.org/10.1038/s430... #Nutrition #PlantBreeding #Fertilizer

The left circle shows how plant breeding and fiber science increase dietary fiber while assessing farming, milling, bread-making, health, and economic impacts. The arrows show continuous feedback and improvement loop. The right circle shows public health stakeholders supporting incentives, such as grower premiums. The “little hinge” coordinates.

🌱 From Foods: Breeding staple crops for higher nutrition could improve public health at scale, reducing chronic disease risk without requiring diet changes. (Barbara Schneeman, Payam Vahmani, Xiaofei Zhang)

▶️ www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/15...

#PublicHealth #Agriculture #PlantBreeding #SmallGrains

Agricultural Placement Agricultural Placement

If you're studying #Agriculture #PlantBreeding and would be interested in #IndustryPlacement experience, there is an opportunity at our @kwsgroup.bsky.social Breeding Station in Thriplow, Cambridgeshire:

jobs.kws.com/job/Thriplow...

#PlantScience #PlantSciJobs #PlantScienceUK #outdoorclassroom

These seeds are from the government, and they’re here to help you In his recent paper in Plant Genetic Resources, Reimagining the Role of National Genebanks: Purposes, Priorities, and Programs, Cary Fowler offers a refreshingly blunt intervention for the world’s nat...

These seeds are from the government, and they’re here to help you – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog agro.biodiver.se/2026/03/thes...

#genebanks #conservation #agrobiodiversity #biodiversity #plantbreeding #seeds

Fig fruits from the UC Davis campus.

🌱 From Frontiers in Plant Science: Genome analysis of 286 Mediterranean figs reveals genes shaping fruit size, sweetness and firmness, opening new paths for breeding improved varieties. (Mitchell J. Feldmann, Steven J. Knapp)

▶️ www.frontiersin.org/journals/pla...

#PlantScience #PlantBreeding #Figs

Rice gene discovery could cut fertiliser use while protecting yields Researchers from the University of Oxford, Nanjing Agricultural University, and Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (Chinese Academy of Sciences) have finally identified the master

Yield gains up to 24% were seen in field trials of rice plants with an improved version of a newly identified regulator. The discovery could help boost crop yields while reducing dependence on synthetic fertilisers: www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-02... #Rice #Yields #PlantBreeding #Nitrogen #NUE #Fertilizer

Call for papers on phenomic prediction in plant breeding by The Plant Phenomics Journal, featuring aerial farmland imagery.

High-throughput phenotyping & predictive modeling are reshaping plant breeding.
Seeking your research on phenomics for:

• Selection accuracy & intensity
• Sensor data + AI for trait prediction
• Germplasm characterization & efficiency gains

https://ow.ly/Q6qA50Ynt6h

#PlantBreeding #Phenomics

Let’s Talk: A Critical Moment for New Genomic Techniques in Europe Europe is edging closer to a major milestone on New Genomic Techniques. In this Seed World Europe discussion, Petar Madjarac and Marcel Bruins explain where EU NGT regulation stands and why the next p...

A major milestone for NGTs in Europe may be within reach — but the process isn’t over yet.

Seed World Europe's Petar Madjarac & Marcel Bruins explain where EU regulation stands & why the next political decisions matter for plant breeding. #NGTs #PlantBreeding

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

Which traits drive consumer preferences for gene-edited foods in Spain - Agricultural and Food Economics This study examines consumer preferences for the potential benefits of CRISPR technology using a best–worst scaling (BWS) approach within an online survey of a representative Spanish sample. The BWS d...

In an online survey in Spain (n=500), participants prioritised pesticide reduction when assessing potential benefits of #CRISPR. Two groups emerged: one motivated by environmental #sustainability, the other by health and sensory quality: doi.org/10.1186/s401... #GeneEditing #PlantBreeding #Health

New Caladium Cultivars UF-15-131 and UF-15-627 for Containers and Landscapes

Two new caladium cultivars released from UF_IFAS: 'UF-15-131' (Juicy Gossip) and 'UF-15-627' (Passion Punch) offers superior sunburn tolerance & disease resistance, perfect for containers & landscapes. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI19155-25 #horticulture #plantbreeding #Floridaagriculture

A little behind the scenes for you today, some photos from Nigel's visit to one of our top plant breeders this week.
10 points for anyone who recognises the nursery!
#plantbreeding #pbr #plantbreeder #gardening #garden #newplants #youngplants #behindthescenes

Redirecting

#Biofortification is a cost-effective & scalable strategy to reduce micronutrient deficiencies. In 2023, an estimated 177-293 million people consumed zinc-rich rice & wheat (Bangladesh, Pakistan) and vitamin A-rich maize & cassava (Nigeria): doi.org/10.1016/j.cd... #Nutrition #PlantBreeding

Stay tuned for job openings in the coming months! 📢

🌐 www.landw.uni-halle.de/pphen
💼 www.linkedin.com/in/lukas-roth-700a15383

#Agriculture #PlantBreeding #Phenotyping #PlantScience #ComputerVision #Robotics #MachineLearning #FieldCrops #Wheat #HTFP

Day dreaming of breeding a sweet beet that smells like petrichor and is not astringent.

#BetaVulgaris #PlantBreeding

Seed treatment technologies: Effects on physical, functional, and physiological seed quality Seed treatment is a foundational technology in modern agriculture, designed to protect high-value seeds against initial pest and pathogen attacks, amo…

🌱 From Plant Science: Seed treatments protect crops but can damage seeds. This review shows that dose, formulation, and storage shape affect germination and vigor. (Venicius Urbano Vilela Reis, Everson Reis Carvalho, Imtiyaz Khanday)

▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#PlantBreeding

Nigerian Researcher Sheds New Light on DNA Methylation Patterns in Plants – THISDAYLIVE

Laide Abbas Rasaki, former emPLANT+ Master student at COBI @bokuvienna.bsky.social, now graduate student at NCSU, talking about his former Master's project.

www.thisdaylive.com/2025/08/12/n...

#plantbreeding #bioinformatics #genomics #betavulgaris

AgriMarketing.com - U Of Illinois Researcher: Genes From Corn's Ancestor Can Reduce Nitrification 60%, No Yield Loss Agri Marketing Magazine - A primary source of agribusiness news and discussion for the North American agribusiness community.

Corn bred with genes from wild relatives can reshape soil microbial communities and reduce #nitrogen loss -- with no yield reduction -- according to new research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. #microbiome #plantbreeding #microorganisms are grand!

www.agrimarketing.com/s/156121

Scaling Vitamin A Maize to Reach 65 Million Nigerians - harvestplus.solutions Nigeria’s fight against vitamin A deficiency — a condition affecting millions of children and women — has been transformed through the large-scale introduction of vitamin A maize (VAM).

#Nigeria: The fight against #vitaminA deficiency has been transformed thru the large-scale introduction of vitamin A #maize from conventional #plantbreeding. Today, 2 m #farmers grow the maize, improving the #diets of 65 m Nigerians: harvestplus.solutions/scaling-vita... #biofortification #nutrition

purple and white pepper foliage

Really got something going here #plantbreeding #hotpeppers

Cacao pods on a tree

Join the Crop Science Dept. for a funded PhD in partnership with Mondelēz International exploring the development of resilient cocoa varieties. Includes placement. Apply now! www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
#CropScience #PlantBreeding #Cacao #Cocoa #PhD #PhDScholarship #Agriculture #PlantBreeding