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BULLETIN 1
FAO in review: At 80, FAO unveils greener, upgraded facilities and friendly environment
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Figure: FAO Director-General QU Dongyu visits the Asian Pavilion in the garden area. FAO Headquarters. ©FAO/Giuseppe Carotenuto
FAO News 22 Dec 2025
In its 80th year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has unveiled a transformed headquarters in Rome, featuring expanded green spaces, an inspiring new museum, as well as upgraded facilities across its global network.
As FAO enters its ninth decade, these changes symbolize a commitment to trust, innovation, and a future where no one is left behind. From green roofs and solar-powered offices to immersive cultural spaces, FAO is opening its doors to Rome and to the world.
Greener headquarters
Visitors to FAO’s Rome headquarters are now welcomed by a sprawling garden that blurs the line between institution and city. Covering 17,419 square metres, the redesign increased green space by 84 percent, adding 9,400 square metres of planted areas, permeable surfaces, and green roofs.
The gardens capture and reuse rainwater through underground tanks and soil-moisture seniors based on the ecosystem friendly design of sponge park. Nearly 80 new trees, 10,000 shrubs, and over 100 plant species enhance biodiversity, while edible species such as olives, almonds, pomegranates and citrus reflect FAO’s mission. Paths of reused stone reinforce a circular approach to materials, complemented by new landmarks like an eight-jet fountain and a monumental vertical stone from China.
FAO’s new Entrance, along Rome’s Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, serves as a welcoming front door. Built to LEED standards, it features a green roof and improved access controls.
Inside the pavilion, decorative panels narrate the archaeological discoveries unearthed during construction. Excavations coordinated with the Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma uncovered Roman era remains, including masonry and stratified evidence charting the area’s evolution, as well as amphora layers testifying to Mediterranean trade in wine, oil, and other goods.
The headquarters’ travertine façades were restored with support from Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure, while the historic Santa Balbina wall was reinforced and integrated with travertine planters for climbing vegetation.
A new three-story parking structure, clad in travertine, was built above preserved Roman remains. The curtain walls of the parking building are covered in travertine marble, harmonizing with the architectural style of FAO’s current buildings.
“Sustainability has been a guiding principle throughout these projects, as with all the building work we have undertaken to renovate headquarters,” said Director-General QU Dongyu. “We prioritized the use of sustainable materials, and existing materials were re-used wherever possible.”
See https://www.fao.org/director-general/news/2025/at-80-fao-unveils-greener-upgraded-facilities-friendly-environment/en
In its 80th year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has unveiled a transformed headquarters in Rome, featuring expanded green spaces, an inspiring new museum, as well as upgraded facilities across its global network.
As FAO enters its ninth decade, these changes symbolize a commitment to trust, innovation, and a future where no one is left behind. From green roofs and solar-powered offices to immersive cultural spaces, FAO is opening its doors to Rome and to the world.
Greener headquarters
Visitors to FAO’s Rome headquarters are now welcomed by a sprawling garden that blurs the line between institution and city. Covering 17,419 square metres, the redesign increased green space by 84 percent, adding 9,400 square metres of planted areas, permeable surfaces, and green roofs.
The gardens capture and reuse rainwater through underground tanks and soil-moisture seniors based on the ecosystem friendly design of sponge park. Nearly 80 new trees, 10,000 shrubs, and over 100 plant species enhance biodiversity, while edible species such as olives, almonds, pomegranates and citrus reflect FAO’s mission. Paths of reused stone reinforce a circular approach to materials, complemented by new landmarks like an eight-jet fountain and a monumental vertical stone from China.
FAO’s new Entrance, along Rome’s Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, serves as a welcoming front door. Built to LEED standards, it features a green roof and improved access controls.
Inside the pavilion, decorative panels narrate the archaeological discoveries unearthed during construction. Excavations coordinated with the Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma uncovered Roman era remains, including masonry and stratified evidence charting the area’s evolution, as well as amphora layers testifying to Mediterranean trade in wine, oil, and other goods.
The headquarters’ travertine façades were restored with support from Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure, while the historic Santa Balbina wall was reinforced and integrated with travertine planters for climbing vegetation.
A new three-story parking structure, clad in travertine, was built above preserved Roman remains. The curtain walls of the parking building are covered in travertine marble, harmonizing with the architectural style of FAO’s current buildings.
“Sustainability has been a guiding principle throughout these projects, as with all the building work we have undertaken to renovate headquarters,” said Director-General QU Dongyu. “We prioritized the use of sustainable materials, and existing materials were re-used wherever possible.”
See https://www.fao.org/director-general/news/2025/at-80-fao-unveils-greener-upgraded-facilities-friendly-environment/en
BULLETIN 2
CIMMYT Reports High-Efficiency Genome Editing in Pearl Millet
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December 17, 2025
Scientists from CIMMYT and Corteva Agriscience successfully devised an effective method to improve pearl millet using genetic transformation and CRISPR-based editing. This breakthrough is expected to help improve traits vital for food security, nutrition, and climate resilience.
Over 90 million people in Africa and Asia rely on pearl millet as food and a source of nutrition. It is known for its resilience, being about to withstand drought, heat, salinity, and low soil fertility; thus, it is an optimal crop for communities with challenging climate conditions. However, there has been slow progress in the research and development of pearl millet because of the limitations in transforming the plant in vitro. With the new research, the experts developed a pathway to speed up trait discovery and varietal improvement.
By utilizing immature embryos as the primary tissue source, the researchers identified specific types that reliably trigger robust callus induction. These embryos were then inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens that carries genome-editing constructs.
The breakthrough lies in the integration of two morphogenic regulator genes: WUSCHEL2 and BABY BOOM1. These genes facilitate the regeneration of transformed cells into healthy, fertile plants while avoiding the developmental abnormalities common in earlier methods. While this technology has already revolutionized breeding in other cereals, it now establishes a high-efficiency platform for pearl millet.
Read more from CIMMYT and Plant Physiology.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/ged/article/default.asp?ID=21648
Over 90 million people in Africa and Asia rely on pearl millet as food and a source of nutrition. It is known for its resilience, being about to withstand drought, heat, salinity, and low soil fertility; thus, it is an optimal crop for communities with challenging climate conditions. However, there has been slow progress in the research and development of pearl millet because of the limitations in transforming the plant in vitro. With the new research, the experts developed a pathway to speed up trait discovery and varietal improvement.
By utilizing immature embryos as the primary tissue source, the researchers identified specific types that reliably trigger robust callus induction. These embryos were then inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens that carries genome-editing constructs.
The breakthrough lies in the integration of two morphogenic regulator genes: WUSCHEL2 and BABY BOOM1. These genes facilitate the regeneration of transformed cells into healthy, fertile plants while avoiding the developmental abnormalities common in earlier methods. While this technology has already revolutionized breeding in other cereals, it now establishes a high-efficiency platform for pearl millet.
Read more from CIMMYT and Plant Physiology.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/ged/article/default.asp?ID=21648
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Chromosomal variations and evolution in Arachis species revealed by single-copy FISH karyotyping
Guoquan Chen, Qian Wang, Haojie Sun, Liuyang Fu, Xiaobo Wang, Ziqiang Mo, Lijuan Miao, Suoyi Han, Hua Liu, Lina Li, Chenyu Li, Mingbo Zhao, Fanpei Zeng, Yifang Du, Wenzhao Dong, Pei Du & Xinyou Zhang
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; December 21 2025; vol. 139; article 12 (2026)
Guoquan Chen, Qian Wang, Haojie Sun, Liuyang Fu, Xiaobo Wang, Ziqiang Mo, Lijuan Miao, Suoyi Han, Hua Liu, Lina Li, Chenyu Li, Mingbo Zhao, Fanpei Zeng, Yifang Du, Wenzhao Dong, Pei Du & Xinyou Zhang
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; December 21 2025; vol. 139; article 12 (2026)
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Abstract
Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea, AABB genome) is an allotetraploid species that likely originated from hybridization between the two wild diploid species A. duranensis (AA) and A. ipaensis (BB). Chromosome identification and genomic evolution studies in Arachis species have encountered significant challenges due to the absence of consensus karyotypes. In this study, we developed the first “barcode” consensus karyotype for peanut using single-copy oligonucleotide probe libraries. This karyotype was applied to identify interspecific hybrids and radiation-induced chromosomal variants, correlate pseudochromosomes with physical chromosomes, and determine chromosomal homoeologous relationships among Arachis species. Analyses of karyotype, chloroplast phylogeny, and similarity heatmaps revealed that A. duranensis and A. ipaensis exhibited the highest similarity to the subgenome of A. hypogaea; certain A-genome species displayed high heterozygosity; and, despite harboring distinct chloroplast genomes, the nuclear genomes of various botanical varieties of peanut were all most similar to A. duranensis accessions from the Rio Seco region in Argentina. Combined with the geographical distribution of A. ipaensis, we propose that outcrossing events may have contributed to the generation of A. duranensis accessions with distinct chloroplasts; subsequently, these accessions likely hybridized with A. ipaensis, leading to the formation of different peanut botanical varieties within an area extending from southern Bolivia to the Rio Seco region. These findings underscore the broad applicability of our new karyotype for distant hybridization, chromosomal identification, and genome evolution research in peanut.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-025-05125-1
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Figure: In silico mapping of the LTR-retrotransposon families, RE128-84, Pipoka and Athena on the chromosomal pseudomolecules of A. duranensis (left) and A. ipaensis (right).
