BULLETIN 1

FAO Food Price Index declined slightly in September

 

 

  

Figure: Cows in Ecuador. ©FAO/Heriberto Araujo

FAO News 03/10/2025

Rome – The benchmark of world food commodity prices declined slightly in September, led by drops in the sugar and dairy price indices, according to the new report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 128.8 points in September, versus a revised August level of 129.7 points. The September reading represents a 3.4 percent increase from a year ago.

The FAO Cereal Price Index declined by 0.6 percent from August. International wheat prices decreased for the third consecutive month amid subdued international demand and confirmation of large harvests in key producing countries. World maize prices also dropped, amid forecasts of abundant supplies as well as the temporary suspension of grain export taxes in Argentina. The FAO All Rice Price Index fell by 0.5 percent as reduced purchase orders by buyers in the Philippines and Africa weighed on the market.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index decreased by 0.7 percent in September, as lower palm and soybean oil quotations – partly reflecting robust stocks of the former in Malaysia and elevated exportable supplies of the latter from Argentina - more than offset increases in sunflower and rapeseed oil prices.

The FAO Meat Price Index, by contrast, increased by 0.7 percent from its revised August level and reached a new record high, up 6.6 percent from a year earlier. The rise reflected higher world bovine and ovine meat prices, while pig and poultry meat quotations remained broadly stable. Bovine meat prices climbed to an all-time high, supported by strong demand in the United States of America, where limited domestic supplies and favourable price differential continued to encourage imports.

The FAO Dairy Price Index declined by 2.6 percent in September. World butter quotations fell by 7.0 percent, partly reflecting waning demand for ice cream in the Northern Hemisphere and higher production prospects in Oceania. Milk powder quotations decreased mainly on softer demand from key importers and firmer export competition. Cheese prices declined only marginally.

The FAO Sugar Price Index declined by 4.1 percent from August to reach its lowest level since March 2021. The drop was driven by higher-than-expected sugar production in Brazil and favourable harvest prospects in India and Thailand, following ample monsoon rains and expanded plantings.

More details are available here.
See https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/fao-food-price-index-declined-slightly-in-september/en?=gfgfgf

 

BULLETIN 2
Experts Highlight Hybrid Foods as Meat Alternatives

 

Experts from Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts say that hybrid foods combining proteins from plants, fungi, insects, microbial fermentation, and cultivated meat could deliver nutritious and sustainable alternatives to animal products. According to their study published in Frontiers in Science, this approach could help reduce reliance on industrial livestock while meeting consumer demand for flavor, texture, and health.
The researchers said that by blending different protein sources, hybrids can overcome individual drawbacks, such as costly production and a lack of meat flavor and texture. In the short term, they noted that plant–mycelium hybrids are the most practical option, as they are scalable, nutritious, and already present in commercial products. In the longer term, plant–cultivated meat hybrids may become a better option once production costs decline and expand production capacity.
“Hybrid foods could give us delicious taste and texture without breaking the bank or the planet,” said Prof. David L. Kaplan of Tufts University. However, they also identified hurdles and barriers in mainstreaming hybrid food, including high production costs, regulatory gaps, and consumer skepticism. The research team recommends the optimization of protein sources, scaling up production, environmental and economic impact assessment, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to explore new hybrid combinations and processing methods.
For more information, read the article or study from Frontiers in Science.
See: https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21537

 

SCIENTIFIC NEWS

ZmHSFA2d positively regulates maize seedling heat and drought tolerance by modulating photosystem protein synthesis
Yongyan Cao, Chunyu Zhang, Xuanxuan Chen, Tuo Zeng, Hongcheng Wang, Xuye Du, Xun Wu, Bin Zhu & Lei Gu
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; October 6 2025; vol. 138; article 266

 

  

Key message
ZmHSFA2d enhances maize heat and drought tolerance by safeguarding photosynthesis homeostasis, and its expression is directly activated by ZmbHLH124.

Abstract
Heat stress significantly influences plant growth, development, and productivity. Nevertheless, many maize (Zea mays) heat shock factors (HSFs) remain uncharacterized. Here, we explored the role of ZmHSFA2d in thermotolerance. ZmHSFA2d transcript levels were notably elevated under heat shock. ZmHSFA2d localized to the nucleus and displayed transactivation in yeast. Under heat shock, ZmHSFA2d-overexpressing maize seedlings exhibited greater thermotolerance, increased antioxidant enzyme activities, and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents compared to control lines; however, these effects were reversed following the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout (KO) of ZmHSFA2d. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the expression of genes encoding ribosomal proteins, including those associated with ribosome assembly and translation progress, was significantly decreased in ZmHSFA2d-KO plants. Quantitative proteomic analysis further indicated that compared to control, the expression of key proteins [chlorophyll a/b binding proteins and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH) complex subunits] in photosystem was significantly decreased in ZmHSFA2d-KO lines. Furthermore, using Y1H, EMSA, Dual-Luciferin assays, and maize mesophyll protoplast expression, we found that ZmbHLH124, which is responsive to both heat and drought stress, directly upregulated the transcript levels of ZmHSFA2d. Additionally, ZmHSFA2d positively modulating maize drought tolerance, and compare to WT, ribosomal protein genes in ZmHSFA2d-KO plants also notably decreased under drought stress. Overall, our results indicated that the ZmHSFA2d positively regulates maize heat and drought tolerance by modulating the protein synthesis. This study contributes to the understanding of the role of HSFs in maize thermotolerance and offers useful genetic resources for the breeding of multiple stress-tolerant maize varieties.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-025-05052-1