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BULLETIN 1
New Center of Excellence Launched to Drive Agricultural Transformation through South-South Cooperation
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ICRISAT June 3 2025
New Delhi, 3 June 2025 — In a landmark move to accelerate agricultural innovation and collaboration across the Global South, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in partnership with the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), officially launched the ICRISAT Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA) during the Conference on Global South and Triangular Cooperation: Emerging Facets, held in New Delhi.
The launch also featured the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding between ICRISAT and DAKSHIN - a Government of India initiative focused on strengthening South-South cooperation through capacity building and development partnerships.
The inauguration of ISSCA marks a pivotal moment for global agricultural development, establishing a dedicated platform to exchange knowledge, scale innovations, and forge partnerships among countries facing similar agricultural, climatic, and socio-economic challenges.
ISSCA will serve as a catalyst for translating proven agricultural solutions into scalable impact. It features a digital portal that functions as a living repository of validated innovations, enabling peer-to-peer learning, partnership brokering, and the deployment of low-cost, high-impact technologies and policy models tailored to dryland and developing regions.
See https://pressroom.icrisat.org/new-center-of-excellence-launched-to-drive-agricultural-transformation-through-south-south-cooperation
New Delhi, 3 June 2025 — In a landmark move to accelerate agricultural innovation and collaboration across the Global South, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in partnership with the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), officially launched the ICRISAT Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA) during the Conference on Global South and Triangular Cooperation: Emerging Facets, held in New Delhi.
The launch also featured the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding between ICRISAT and DAKSHIN - a Government of India initiative focused on strengthening South-South cooperation through capacity building and development partnerships.
The inauguration of ISSCA marks a pivotal moment for global agricultural development, establishing a dedicated platform to exchange knowledge, scale innovations, and forge partnerships among countries facing similar agricultural, climatic, and socio-economic challenges.
ISSCA will serve as a catalyst for translating proven agricultural solutions into scalable impact. It features a digital portal that functions as a living repository of validated innovations, enabling peer-to-peer learning, partnership brokering, and the deployment of low-cost, high-impact technologies and policy models tailored to dryland and developing regions.
See https://pressroom.icrisat.org/new-center-of-excellence-launched-to-drive-agricultural-transformation-through-south-south-cooperation
BULLETIN 2
IRRI launches new 5-Year Strategy to drive sustainability in rice-based agri-food systems
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IRRI Jun 09, 2025
Los Baños, Philippines (9 June 2025) – The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) today unveiled its 2025–2030 Strategy, a bold vision to transform global rice-based food systems through inclusive science, deep partnerships, and coordinated action across public and private sectors.
Building on its 65-year research innovations, IRRI’s new strategy recognizes rice as a powerful lever for achieving climate resilience, nutrition security, rural prosperity, and sustainable ecosystems in Asia, Africa, and beyond, while charting a course to address urgent global priorities—from food price volatility and climate stress to the health and economic well-being of rice-dependent communities.
“Rice feeds more than half the world’s population, but its potential as a climate and development solution remains underleveraged,” said Dr. Yvonne Pinto, IRRI Director General. “This strategy shifts us from research as usual to a market-driven approach—one that’s responsive to today’s biggest challenges and accountable for real-world results.”
IRRI’s new strategy reflects IRRI’s evolution as a science-for-impact organization and outlines a progressive roadmap to achieve long-term impacts across key rice system challenges.
One of the countries IRRI is working with is the Philippines, the world’s 7th largest rice producer and top importer. By 2028, the Philippines seeks to reach 97.4 percent self-sufficiency in rice, according to the Philippine Rice Research Institute. IRRI is closely working with the Philippine Department of Agriculture, along with its attached agencies to co-develop and implement tailored mechanisms to accelerate innovation and strengthen partnerships to support food and nutrition security, enhance climate resilience, and improve the livelihoods of farmers.
It also emphasizes innovative funding and partnership models to ensure long-term sustainability, including commercialization pathways for lasting impact across rice systems. Key efforts include the ADB-CGIAR Clearinghouse Facility, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank and the Gates Foundation, to scale CGIAR innovations through the ADB’s loan portfolio. This initiative connects CGIAR expertise with ADB financial resources to drive food system transformation across Asia and foster collaborative learning for impactful results.
With its new strategy, IRRI is set to drive transformative change in global rice systems, leveraging these partnerships as part of a broader effort to create more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient rice farming futures.
“Our future depends on how we grow, consume, and govern rice,” said Dr. Pinto. “This strategy is our call to partners everywhere—let’s act together, with urgency and ambition, to ensure rice remains a force for good in a changing world.”
Please view the IRRI 2025-2030 Strategy here: https://65.irri.org
See https://www.irri.org/news-and-events/news/irri-launches-new-5-year-strategy-drive-sustainability-rice-based-agri-food
Building on its 65-year research innovations, IRRI’s new strategy recognizes rice as a powerful lever for achieving climate resilience, nutrition security, rural prosperity, and sustainable ecosystems in Asia, Africa, and beyond, while charting a course to address urgent global priorities—from food price volatility and climate stress to the health and economic well-being of rice-dependent communities.
“Rice feeds more than half the world’s population, but its potential as a climate and development solution remains underleveraged,” said Dr. Yvonne Pinto, IRRI Director General. “This strategy shifts us from research as usual to a market-driven approach—one that’s responsive to today’s biggest challenges and accountable for real-world results.”
IRRI’s new strategy reflects IRRI’s evolution as a science-for-impact organization and outlines a progressive roadmap to achieve long-term impacts across key rice system challenges.
One of the countries IRRI is working with is the Philippines, the world’s 7th largest rice producer and top importer. By 2028, the Philippines seeks to reach 97.4 percent self-sufficiency in rice, according to the Philippine Rice Research Institute. IRRI is closely working with the Philippine Department of Agriculture, along with its attached agencies to co-develop and implement tailored mechanisms to accelerate innovation and strengthen partnerships to support food and nutrition security, enhance climate resilience, and improve the livelihoods of farmers.
It also emphasizes innovative funding and partnership models to ensure long-term sustainability, including commercialization pathways for lasting impact across rice systems. Key efforts include the ADB-CGIAR Clearinghouse Facility, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank and the Gates Foundation, to scale CGIAR innovations through the ADB’s loan portfolio. This initiative connects CGIAR expertise with ADB financial resources to drive food system transformation across Asia and foster collaborative learning for impactful results.
With its new strategy, IRRI is set to drive transformative change in global rice systems, leveraging these partnerships as part of a broader effort to create more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient rice farming futures.
“Our future depends on how we grow, consume, and govern rice,” said Dr. Pinto. “This strategy is our call to partners everywhere—let’s act together, with urgency and ambition, to ensure rice remains a force for good in a changing world.”
Please view the IRRI 2025-2030 Strategy here: https://65.irri.org
See https://www.irri.org/news-and-events/news/irri-launches-new-5-year-strategy-drive-sustainability-rice-based-agri-food
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals a Stereoscopic Response of Rice Leaf Cells to Magnaporthe oryzae Infection
Wei Wang, Xianyu Zhang, Yong Zhang, Zhe Zhang, Chang Yang, Wen Cao, Yuqin Liang, Qinzheng Zhou, Qian Hu, Yimai Zhang, Yu Wang, Yingying Xing, Wenfeng Qian 5, Nan Yao, Ning Xu, Jun Liu
Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals a Stereoscopic Response of Rice Leaf Cells to Magnaporthe oryzae Infection
Wei Wang, Xianyu Zhang, Yong Zhang, Zhe Zhang, Chang Yang, Wen Cao, Yuqin Liang, Qinzheng Zhou, Qian Hu, Yimai Zhang, Yu Wang, Yingying Xing, Wenfeng Qian 5, Nan Yao, Ning Xu, Jun Liu
Adv Sci (Weinh); 2025 May; 12(19):e2416846. doi: 10.1002/advs.202416846.
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Abstract
Infection by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae elicits dynamic responses in rice. Utilizing an integrated approach of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, a 3D response is uncovered within rice leaf cells to M. oryzae infection. A comprehensive rice leaf atlas is constructed from 236 708 single-cell transcriptomes, revealing heightened expression of immune receptors, namely Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) and Nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat (NLRs) proteins, within vascular tissues. Diterpene phytoalexins biosynthesis genes are dramatically upregulated in procambium cells, leading to an accumulation of these phytoalexins within vascular bundles. Consistent with these findings, microscopic observations confirmed that M. oryzae is prone to target leaf veins for invasion, yet is unable to colonize further within vascular tissues. Following fungal infection, basal defenses are extensively activated in rice cells, as inferred from trajectory analyses. The spatial transcriptomics reveals that rice leaf tissues toward leaf tips display stronger immunity. Characterization of the polarity gene OsHKT9 suggests that potassium transport plays a critical role in resisting M. oryzae infection by expression along the longitudinal axis, where the immunity is stronger toward leaf tip. This work uncovers that there is a cell-specific and multi-dimensional (local and longitudinal) immune response to a fungal pathogen infection.
See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40123572/
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Figure:
Spatiotemporal cell‐type‐specific expression of immune‐related genes. a) The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified by snRNA‐seq and bulk RNA‐seq. The DEGs identified by snRNA‐seq were masked in bulk transcriptome assays. Rice leaves were inoculated with M. oryzae spores and sampled at indicated time points. The bulk RNA‐seq data were retrieved from NCBI (PRJNA661210). DEGs from the snRNA‐seq data were detected by FindMarker in each annotated cell type using cutoffs of | average log2FC| > 1.0, p adj < 0.01, pct.1 > 0.2 for up‐regulated genes and pct.2 > 0.2 for down‐regulated genes. DEGs calling from the bulk RNA‐seq used cutoffs of |log2FC| > 1 and p adj < 0.01. M, Mesophyll; X, Xylem; F, Fiber; Pr, Procambium; MS, Mestome sheath; E, Epidermis; GC, Guard cell; Ph, Phloem; LP, Large parenchyma. NS, not significant. b) Dot plot of the average log2FC and percent of cell expression. Upper panel: Known PRR genes were expressed across different cell populations in the integrated snRNA‐seq data at 12, 24, and 48 hpi. Lower panel: Dot plot of NLR DEGs based on average log2FC value comparing with their control. |average log2FC| > 1.0, p adj < 0.01, pct.1 > 0.01 for up‐regulated genes and pct.2 > 0.01 for down‐regulated genes. M, Mesophyll; X, Xylem; F, Fiber; Pr, Procambium; MS, Mestome sheath; E, Epidermis; GC, Guard cell; Ph, Phloem; LP, Large parenchyma. c) LOC_Os10g22510 mutant plants exhibited reduced disease resistance to M. oryzae. Disease symptoms were developed by spray inoculation with conidial suspensions at a concentration of 5 × 105 spores mL−1. Images were taken at 5 dpi. d) The relative fungal biomass was determined by qPCR for the M. oryzae Pot2 gene against rice OsUbi gene. Values are means ± SD. “*” represents p < 0.05 (Student's t‐test, n = 3 biological replicates). e) LOC_Os08g29809 mutant plants exhibited reduced disease resistance to M. oryzae. Disease symptoms were developed by spray inoculation with conidial suspensions at a concentration of 5 × 105 spores mL−1. Images were taken at 5 dpi. f) The relative fungal biomass was determined by qPCR for the M. oryzae Pot2 gene against rice OsUbi gene. Values are means ± SD. “*” represents p < 0.05 (Student's t‐test, n = 3 biological replicates). g) Cell‐type‐specific expression of metabolic genes during M. oryzae infection. Heatmaps show mean expression levels of metabolic genes from rice cells in each annotated cell type based on colored Z‐scores. Others are same as in b). h) Expression of momilactone biosynthesis genes. Upper panel: total gain value of key momilactone biosynthesis gene expression. Lower panel: dot plot of average log2FC in different cell types at 12, 24, and 48 hpi. Total gain value = average log2FC × pct.1. Pct.1 means the percentage of cells where the gene is detected in the treatment group. i) Measurement of momilactone A in different rice leaf tissues. The content of momilactone A in different rice leaf tissues was measured by LC‐MS/MS after inoculated with M. oryzae at 24, 48, and 72 hpi. Ot, other tissues; Vt, vascular tissues. Letters indicate the significant difference between the expression levels at different sites by one‐way ANOVA at p < 0.05 (n = 3 biological repeats). Error bars represent means ± SD.
