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BULLETIN 1
From bottles to solar pumps: how Cocoa farmers in Ghana are innovating to beat water stress
From bottles to solar pumps: how Cocoa farmers in Ghana are innovating to beat water stress
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CGIAR 28 October 2025
Across Ghana’s cocoa belt, the rhythm of the rains is no longer reliable. Once-predictable wet and dry seasons have given way to longer dry spells, hotter harmattan months, and sudden, intense downpours. For cocoa farmers, this “climate whiplash” is not just an inconvenience; it is a direct threat to their yields, which are projected to decline by 5% in the future compared to the current period, and to their livelihoods. Prolonged water stress causes pods to shrivel, while extreme rainfall fuels outbreaks of black pod disease, making it challenging to dry beans. These extremes are already causing sharp fluctuations in output and record-high cocoa prices, underscoring the urgent need for resilient water management solutions.
Yet on the ground, farmers are not waiting passively for the water stress to affect them. From improvised bottle-based drip systems to locally managed diesel pumps in Borteykrom, they are finding ways to bring water to their cocoa farms. Locally led innovations, such as plastic bottle-based drip, reveal an important truth: the barrier to irrigation is not a lack of willingness but access to affordable and Scalable solutions. This blog explores how farmers are reimagining water management for cocoa under water stress during dry periods, and how organizations like International Water Management Institute (IWMI) are working to turn these small, local experiments into significant, climate-resilient transformations across West Africa.
See: https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/from-bottles-to-solar-pumps-how-cocoa-farmers-in-ghana-are-innovating-to-beat-water-stress/
BULLETIN 2
Scientists Discover Tomato Gene that Boosts Resistance Against Bacterial Wilt
Scientists Discover Tomato Gene that Boosts Resistance Against Bacterial Wilt
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Experts from Yichun University in China discovered that SlWRKY75 plays a crucial role in helping tomatoes fight bacterial wilt, a devastating disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. The study, published in Frontiers of Plant Science, provides new insights into how this gene enhances disease resistance, offering potential pathways for developing stronger, more resilient tomato varieties.
In this study, the researchers observed that the SlWRKY75-overexpressing tomato lines show enhanced resistance to bacterial wilt. The generated lines show improved growth, elevated activity of key antioxidant enzymes, increased jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation, and upregulation of genes involved in JA biosynthesis and signaling. Additionally, the edited lines also showed decreased levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2–), and salicylic acid (SA) and decreased expression of SA synthesis-related and signal response-related genes.
Further analysis confirmed that SlWRKY75 interacts with SlMYC2 to activate defense pathways that improve hormone signaling and antioxidant defense in tomato immunity. The study concludes that SlWRKY75 could serve as a promising target for breeding bacterial wilt-resistant tomato cultivars for future disease management strategies.
For more information, read the abstract from Frontiers of Plant Science.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21564
SCIENTIFIC. NEWS
Targeted disruption of OsBADH2 induces basmati aroma in the popular indica rice variety IR-64 using CRISPR/Cas9
Vacha Bhatt, Thakku R. Ramkumar, Vitthal Barvkar, Rupesh Deshmukh, Gunvant B. Patil & Altafhusain Nadaf
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; October 18 2025; vol. 138
Targeted disruption of OsBADH2 induces basmati aroma in the popular indica rice variety IR-64 using CRISPR/Cas9
Vacha Bhatt, Thakku R. Ramkumar, Vitthal Barvkar, Rupesh Deshmukh, Gunvant B. Patil & Altafhusain Nadaf
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; October 18 2025; vol. 138
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Abstract
Rice, a major staple food for half of the world’s population, has been a significant source of nutrition. India is the second-largest producer and consumer of rice globally. Rice aroma is considered one of the most important traits as it is a key factor determining market price and is related to local and national identity. The genetic basis underlying aroma synthesis is well-explored in rice, and it is controlled by a recessive mutation in the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (OsBADH2) gene that results in the synthesis of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP). However, the non-scented rice varieties such as IR-64 carry a functional OsBADH2 gene. Therefore, to induce aroma in IR-64, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 tool to knockout the OsBADH2 gene. The single guide RNA targeting OsBADH2 was cloned into pRGEB31 vector and transformed into IR-64 using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Several transgenic lines were developed and genotyped for targeted and untargeted (off-target) mutations in T1 generation. No off-target activity was recorded in T1 edited lines. Analysis of aromatic volatiles showed induction of 2AP in the grains of T0 and T1 edited lines. Moreover, a significant decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content was observed, indicating a functionally successful gene editing. However, the agronomic characterization of OsBADH2 edited T1 lines revealed a reduction in yield-related characteristics. In conclusion, this research has established a successful genome-editing approach to induce the commercially important trait of aroma in the IR-64 rice variety and assessed yield-related traits in gene edited IR-64 lines.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40502-025-00901-z
Rice, a major staple food for half of the world’s population, has been a significant source of nutrition. India is the second-largest producer and consumer of rice globally. Rice aroma is considered one of the most important traits as it is a key factor determining market price and is related to local and national identity. The genetic basis underlying aroma synthesis is well-explored in rice, and it is controlled by a recessive mutation in the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (OsBADH2) gene that results in the synthesis of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP). However, the non-scented rice varieties such as IR-64 carry a functional OsBADH2 gene. Therefore, to induce aroma in IR-64, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 tool to knockout the OsBADH2 gene. The single guide RNA targeting OsBADH2 was cloned into pRGEB31 vector and transformed into IR-64 using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Several transgenic lines were developed and genotyped for targeted and untargeted (off-target) mutations in T1 generation. No off-target activity was recorded in T1 edited lines. Analysis of aromatic volatiles showed induction of 2AP in the grains of T0 and T1 edited lines. Moreover, a significant decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content was observed, indicating a functionally successful gene editing. However, the agronomic characterization of OsBADH2 edited T1 lines revealed a reduction in yield-related characteristics. In conclusion, this research has established a successful genome-editing approach to induce the commercially important trait of aroma in the IR-64 rice variety and assessed yield-related traits in gene edited IR-64 lines.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40502-025-00901-z
