KWS Group

Multiplex Genome Editing Improves Wild Rice Agronomic Traits Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences used multiplex genome editing of seven genes to rapidly enhance wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) traits. The results are published in the Journa...

🌾Researchers used multiplex #GenomeEditing to introduce multiple agronomic traits in wild rice.
This approach could unlock genetic diversity for breeding crops that handle stress better or need fewer inputs.
www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiote...

Europe’s seed sector welcomes the end of trilogue negotiations on New Genomic Techniques - Euroseeds Euroseeds welcomes the successful conclusion of trilogue negotiations on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), a key step toward strengthening innovation, competitiveness and resilience in European agricultu...

🌱 EU institutions have reached a deal on new genomic techniques (#NGTs).
This marks an important step toward innovation & sustainability. Read the statement from Euroseeds to know more. 👇
euroseeds.eu/news/europes...

🌾 Using #CRISPR to knock out certain genes, researchers developed rice that was more susceptible to sheath blight and other infections.
By shedding light to the mechanisms of disease resistance, the study paves way to the development of resistant rice varieties.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Thanks for your insights! True, for us it’s always about striking the right balance for the best results, and with the challenges ahead, exploring new breeding approaches is more important than ever.

Absolutely! It’s always about striking the right balance for the best results, and with the challenges ahead, exploring new approaches in breeding is more important than ever.

Nuvio Planet and KWS Expand Partnership to Scale Environmental Intelligence Across Global Agri-Food Systems Nuvio Planet & KWS are expanding their partnership after a successful pilot that demonstrated measurable reductions in emissions.

🌍 Plant breeding matters to sustainability in so many ways 🌱

After our successful pilot with Nuvio Planet, cutting CO2 emissions in pig production by up to 30%, we’re expanding our collaboration.
Read more: igrownews.com/nuvio-planet...

@socialistsanddemocrats.eu , @reneweurope.bsky.social , @eppgroup.bsky.social , @greens-efa.eu

Europe cannot afford to fall behind on innovation!
We join 25 EU agri-food organizations urging policymakers to conclude #NGTs trilogue talks now.
Science-based rules = resilient crops & global competitiveness. Act today! 🌱
euroseeds.eu/app/uploads/...

Explainable AI (XAI) can make AI more effective in plant phenotyping. 👩‍💻
By uncovering underlying biological processes, XAI helps breeders understand machine learning predictions.
👉 Check out the review: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Today, it takes about 10 years on average for a new variety to reach the field - but this timeframe could be dramatically shortened in future 🌱⏱️ Learn about the tools and strategies that make this possible in our latest #KWSPortrait 👉 portrait.kws.com/edition-2025...

Researchers Use CRISPR to Identify Tobacco Gene Regulating Leaf Senescence Experts from ​​Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and China Tobacco Guangxi Industry Co. Ltd. discovered that a gene called NtBAG5 plays a ...

Chinese researchers identified a gene that plays a key role in regulating leaf aging in tobacco plants.
🥬Leaf yellowing is critical to tobacco quality, and the new insights into plant aging can be helpful in future R&D 🔬
www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiote...

YouTube video by KWS Group WoF: Seed multiplication of sugarbeet

🌾 Ever wondered what it takes to produce seed for farmers?
Our KWS history and success are rooted in #sugarbeet – but what makes this crop so special?
Find out in our latest episode of #WorldofFarming:
👉 youtu.be/2hdPoRQ0VYQ?...

Vegetables don’t go straight from field to fork - they’re usually processed first🥗
Plant breeding helps cut the environmental footprint by making crops easier to process & reducing waste and need of additives.

👉Learn more in @plants4thefuture.bsky.social explainer: www.plantetp.eu/wp-content/u...

Breeding Game "Breeder" is an entertaining plant breeding game, that puts you in the position of the breeder that has to make selection with a limited amount of resources. Can you obtain the tallest plants with th...

🌱 Fancy some plant-breeding magic? Check out 'Breeder', a plant-breeding game by @wurplant.bsky.social!
With limited resources, select plants to create the tallest and most colorful varieties.
💡Can you make the perfect cross?
www.wur.nl/en/show/soft...

Prime editing‐mediated correction of the endogenous xa23 gene confers broad‐spectrum resistance to rice bacterial blight Using prime editing, we corrected the EBE within the xa23 promoter in the rice cultivar N9208, generating a T-DNA-free line with broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial blight. This approach provides ...

🌾 Rice bacterial blight is a challenge to farmers. While some rice varieties carry a resistance gene, others have a mutation that disrupts its function🧬

Researchers from China used Prime-Editing tool to correct the mutations, developing resistant rice.
🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Joint Letter - COPA COGECA & Euroseeds urge the European Parliament to stick to science: NGT 1 plants should be regulated like conventional ones, with no extra sustainability checks or labels… |... Joint Letter - COPA COGECA & Euroseeds urge the European Parliament to stick to science: NGT 1 plants should be regulated like conventional ones, with no extra sustainability checks or labels becaus...

📣The joint letter from EU farmers & breeders urges EU to stick to science on #NGT1 negotiations:
✅ Regulate like conventional plants
✅ Safety & transparency already ensured in EU
✅ Avoid global disadvantage
✅ Voluntary labels suffice.
www.linkedin.com/posts/copa-c...

Did you know that plant diseases cause up to 40% of global crop losses each year? 🌾
#CRISPR #GenomeEditing enables breeders to develop resistant plants faster, cutting timelines from 12–14 years to just 4–6, and helping secure our food supply.

www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/16...

How a tiny zinc finger protein determines tomato fruit size | Newswise The secret to tomato size lies within the flower’s core. Scientists have discovered that the gene SlKNUCKLES (SlKNU), which encodes a zinc finger protein, serves as a key switch that determines fruit ...

🍅 Scientists have identified a protein important to regulating tomato fruit size. Switching off this “molecular brake” with #CRISPR led to larger fruit.
The finding could open new opportunities to boost yield and quality across different crops.
Read more: www.newswise.com/articles/how....

How a humble weed became a superstar of biology Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.

Once dismissed as a nuisance, this humble weed is now at the center of cutting-edge science 🌱
Researchers are using Arabidopsis as a model organism to boost crop resilience, fight climate stress, and even inspire new biotech innovations. 🔬

knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Scientists Discover a Gene that Could Triple Wheat Production University of Maryland researchers discovered the gene that makes a rare form of wheat grow three ovaries per flower instead of one. Since each ovary can potentially develop into a grain of wheat, the...

🌾 Researchers at the @univofmaryland.bsky.social discovered a gene in wheat that affects flower development.
This discovery could help plant breeders develop wheat with more grains per spike, thus increasing yield!
agnr.umd.edu/news/scienti...

🌾Smarter breeding of virus-resistant crops?

AI can make #CRISPR systems even more powerful by for example improving target specificity, according to a recent review.

Full article 🔗 www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/16...

🧬 An interesting review highlights how #GenomeEditing tools are being used to improve stress tolerance and quality traits in vegetable crops.
🔗: https://ow.ly/awfi50XiqVB

#uzh #womeninscience #womeninstem | University of Zurich If you were a plant, how would you know you're under attack? 🏆 This is what plant biologist Jana Ordon is investigating. Her research just earned her an award of the Swiss L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program, which is being held in Switzerland for the first time this year. ‍🌱 At the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at UZH, Ordon explores how plant cells trigger immune responses. Her goal is to identify the key receptors that detect damage and send immune signals—knowledge that may help breed more resilient crops in the future. 👉 Read more here (Interview in German):...

🎉 Congratulations, Jana Ordon!
Jana just won the Swiss L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program for her work exploring how plant cells trigger immune responses.
Her research could help us breed more resilient crops in the future. 🌱

https://ow.ly/1cOZ50XfzlE

🌾Our KWS colleague Andrea Mertens presented the state of play of the #FAO #ITPGRFA and Access & Benefit Sharing at #Euroseeds2025, highlighting the vital role of genetic resources in ensuring global food security. 🌾

Today, our KWS colleague Andrea Richter presented the latest market trends on oilseed rape🌻at #Euroseeds2025.
Despite challenging climatic conditions, yields increased across EU regions — along with a slight rise in acreage.
👩‍🌾👨‍🌾 Encouraging news for our farmer partners! 👏

New varieties & authentic #PRM are key to future food security. 🌾
At #Euroseeds2025 today, our KWS colleague Nigel Moore shared insights on the revision of EU seed marketing directives — highlighting both challenges & opportunities, and the need for the sector to speak with one voice. 📣

Sugarbeet is no ordinary crop - its seed production is a two-year journey requiring precision at every step. 🌱

In our up-and-coming #WorldofFarming story, we will look into the process of our sugarbeet seed production in northern Italy.

🌍 On #WorldFoodDay by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations we celebrate the rich diversity of our food systems!
Gratitude to breeders & farmers worldwide - turning seeds into meals that nourish every culture, every diet. 🌱🍽
#ItAllStartsWithTheSeed

🌱On Oct 14, @plants4thefuture.bsky.social hosted a key event on #NGTs. Our KWS colleague Anja Matzk shared how NGTs enable faster, impactful agri innovation 💡
🚜Political voices agreed: we need enabling regulation now - farmers deserve timely solutions!
#EUAgri #FoodSecurity #Innovation

Gene-edited Japonica Rice Shows Improved Grain Size and Heat Resilience Scientists from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences and National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology have successfully used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to edit the Grain Size3 (GS3) gene in the japonica cultivar “Nipponbare.” The edited lines resulted in larger grains and improved heat tolerance. The findings offer new opportunities for breeding climate-resilient rice varieties with better grain quality and yield.

🌾 Scientists successfully used #CRISPR to edit a gene in rice to grow bigger grains and handle heat better.

A line of japonica rice produced 15% more yield during hot weather, a finding that may facilitate the development of climate-resilient crops.

Read more: https://ow.ly/UAK050XaTut