New rice variety with cloned TT3 from African rice to Asian rice.

 20 June 2022. China scientists find a grain of hope in climate change rice research

Tweaking a pair of genes in rice could significantly improve the crop’s heat stress tolerance and increase yield under higher temperatures, according to a new study by Chinese scientists.

The discovery could help secure food supply, with crops vulnerable to rising temperatures and extreme weather events under climate change, the researchers said, in a paper published on Thursday in the journal Science.

The study identified the interaction between two genes in rice cells, which the scientists found can enhance the heat tolerance of rice and increase its productivity by 20 per cent in a heatwave. The same genes can be cloned in other major crops, such as maize and wheat, to improve their heat tolerance, they said.

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21 June 2022. GMOs in Sub-Saharan Africa – What you need to know

Several African countries have adopted Genetically Modified (GM) crop farming and the number is expected to grow in the future.

But just how much are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) expected to shape the future of Sub-Saharan Africa’s agriculture? Joseph Maina explains.