BULLETIN 1
Recognizing a Rising Young Leader: Announcing the 2025 Borlaug-Ruan Internship Excellence Award Winner

Figure: Ariadne Pappa (right) is pictured with Jeanie Borlaug-Laube (left) during youth recognition moment at the 2025 Innovate for Impact awards ceremony.
World Food Prize Foundation
November 11, 2025
Each year, the World Food Prize Foundation recognizes one outstanding student’s accomplishments and performance as an intern with the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship as an indication of the Foundation’s commitment to continuing to empower and invest in youth.
After an impactful summer of hands-on learning and immersive experiences, one intern was selected to win the Internship Excellence Award for her outstanding internship report, personal and professional growth during her internship and commitment to cross-cultural understanding and impact during her Borlaug-Ruan International Internship. This year, Ariadne Pappa, intern at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India, has won the Internship Excellence Award.
“During her internship, Ariadne fully embodied the values of Dr. Norman Borlaug - service, dedication to global food security and scientific excellence,” said Renee Cooper, Senior Manager of Global Youth Programs & Partnerships. “Beyond her commitment to research, Ariadne carried a spirit of global citizenship, fostering collaboration among peers and contributing knowledge exchange across cultures, and was an excellent ambassador of the World Food Prize Foundation.”
Since 1998, the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship has placed 447 students at top research centers worldwide, offering hands-on opportunities to work with leading scientists. This unique program prepares students for careers in science, agriculture and global development, focusing on solving critical issues like food security and environmental sustainability.
“The Borlaug-Ruan International Internship changed the way I see the world and my place in it,” said Ariadne. “Through my policy research, I learned that even small ideas can have the power to shift precedent and create hope where it’s needed most. Truthfully, receiving the Internship Excellence Award is not just a personal achievement, but a reminder of our shared duty to use what we learn to make a real difference in the world. Following Dr Norman Borlaug’s vision, I hope that through efforts like mine and those of others, we can restore systems that have long been neglected and build a future where access to food is a basic right, not a privilege.”
In addition to hands-on research experience and cultural immersion, a crucial aspect of the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship is the mentorship interns receive from world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research and development organizations around the world. This year, Padmaja Ravula, who was Ariadne's mentor at ICRISAT, was awarded the World Food Prize Foundation Inspiring the Next Generation Award presented at DialogueNEXT India.
“Ariadne consistently displayed enthusiasm, curiosity, and a growth mindset throughout the internship,” said Ravula, ICRISAT Principal Scientist and mentor of Ariadne Pappa. “With her leadership, professionalism, and deep passion for sustainable agriculture and nutrition equity, Ariadne has not only advanced the goals of the internship but also inspired those around her. She truly stands out as a deserving recipient of the Internship Excellence Award.”
The Foundation is committed to empowering and recognizing outstanding youth who are addressing global challenges locally, nationally and internationally, and the mentors who invest in and encourage them along their journeys. Ariadne was recognized at the Innovate for Impact award ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa on October 23, 2025. In addition to her recognition, she received a $1000 award to be used however she chooses.
See https://pressroom.icrisat.org/recognizing-a-rising-young-leader-announcing-the-2025-borlaug-ruan-internship-excellence-award-winner

 

BULLETIN 2
Experts Improve Efficiency of Transgene-free Gene Editing in Citrus

 

 

University of Connecticut (UConn) researchers reported a transgene-free gene editing with higher efficiency than older methods and used citrus plants as a model system. Their findings are published in Horticulture Research.
Citrus plants are facing a devastating disease called Huanglongbing, which has destroyed over 70% of citrus trees in Florida. One potential solution to this agricultural problem is to genetically edit citrus to develop natural resistance to the pathogen. This led the UConn researchers to devise a new gene editing method optimized to achieve this objective.
One of the key steps in the new method was the use of kanamycin, a chemical that helps pinpoint cells that are temporarily or stably expressing CRISPR-related genes in Agrobacterium-infected plant cells for only three to four days during the genome-editing process. As kanamycin resistance is linked with CRISPR gene expression, the kanamycin treatment prevented the growth of cells that Agrobacterium did not infect. Results showed that this method was 17 times more efficient than the method they previously developed for citrus in 2018.
“Our new but simple method is far more effective and can now be applied to a much wider range of plant species than our original approach,” said Yi Li, one of the authors of the study.
Read more from UConn Today.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21591

 

SCIENTIFC NEWS

Review

  

Global scenario of viruses infecting papaya
T Nivetha, P Renukadevi, M Gayathri, N Indra, D Vidhya, B Rajagopal
3 Biotech; 2025 Jul; 15(7):208. doi: 10.1007/s13205-025-04370-x.

Abstract
Papaya (Carica papaya), a member of the family Caricaceae, is an important fruit crop extensively cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States of America. Originally native to Central and North America, its global distribution is attributed to its adaptability to diverse climates and soil conditions. Renowned for its exceptional nutritional value, papaya is widely utilized in medicinal and pharmaceutical applications, with all parts of the plant offering therapeutic benefits. Despite its economic significance, papaya cultivation faces major challenges due to various biotic and abiotic factors, particularly viral diseases. Among these, papaya ringspot and leaf curl diseases are the most prevalent globally, often causing yield losses of up to 100%. To date, 22 viruses from diverse groups including potyviruses, begomoviruses, alfamoviruses, potexviruses, sobemoviruses, rhabdoviruses and unassigned viruses have been identified as infecting papaya. These viruses are primarily transmitted by vectors such as aphids, whiteflies, and leafhoppers. In addition, some viruses, including those responsible for papaya lethal yellowing and sticky diseases, exhibit seed transmissibility. A comprehensive understanding of the distribution, impact on yield, and transmission mechanisms of these viruses is essential for developing effective disease management strategies in papaya cultivation. This review systematically compiles and summarizes information on all known viruses reported to infect papaya worldwide.
See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40521212/