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BULLETIN 1
Over USD 142 million pledged at COP30 to advance CGIAR’s mission of a food-secure future
Over USD 142 million pledged at COP30 to advance CGIAR’s mission of a food-secure future
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Figure: COP30 Delegates at the Embrapa/Gates Foundation Innovation Showcase
CGIAR November 15 2025
The United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, and Canada reaffirm their commitment to sustainable, resilient food systems amid a global agricultural crisis.
COP30, Brazil, November: CGIAR is thrilled to receive over USD 142 million in pledges from its generous funders, aimed at advancing agricultural research and innovation for a climate-resilient future.
During the Agricultural Innovation Showcase at COP30, hosted by Embrapa and the Gates Foundation on November 10th, the United Kingdom (GBP 76 million), Denmark (USD 18.5 million), and Belgium (EUR 16 million) strengthened their commitment to CGIAR’s mission of uniting research, policy, and finance innovations, to help close the adaptation finance gap and drive science solutions to ongoing global agricultural challenges.
On November 13th, Canada then committed C$8 million to advance CGIAR’s partner-led research on reducing agricultural emissions while building resilient, equitable land, water, and food systems that support climate adaptation for rural farmers on the frontlines of the agricultural crisis.
“We are deeply grateful for the generous investment in our research today,” said Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, “Agricultural innovation is central to how the world can adapt, mitigate, and thrive amid a climate crisis. This funding will enable us to continue generating the evidence-based data that countries need to build the business case for adaptation, while ensuring that our partner-led science delivers measurable impact across food, land, and water systems.”
A key focus of COP30 is the shift towards approaches that track climate action – guiding adaptation finance and turning climate commitments into country-level progress. Key to this effort is the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), a framework that evaluates real-world climate risks and offers relevant solutions. Through its partner-led research, CGIAR provides evidence-based data that countries need to set GGA indicators and measure progress, in turn attracting and aligning finance to support smallholder resilience.
See more https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/over-usd-142-million-pledged-at-cop30-to-advance-cgiars-mission-of-a-food-secure-future/
The United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, and Canada reaffirm their commitment to sustainable, resilient food systems amid a global agricultural crisis.
COP30, Brazil, November: CGIAR is thrilled to receive over USD 142 million in pledges from its generous funders, aimed at advancing agricultural research and innovation for a climate-resilient future.
During the Agricultural Innovation Showcase at COP30, hosted by Embrapa and the Gates Foundation on November 10th, the United Kingdom (GBP 76 million), Denmark (USD 18.5 million), and Belgium (EUR 16 million) strengthened their commitment to CGIAR’s mission of uniting research, policy, and finance innovations, to help close the adaptation finance gap and drive science solutions to ongoing global agricultural challenges.
On November 13th, Canada then committed C$8 million to advance CGIAR’s partner-led research on reducing agricultural emissions while building resilient, equitable land, water, and food systems that support climate adaptation for rural farmers on the frontlines of the agricultural crisis.
“We are deeply grateful for the generous investment in our research today,” said Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, “Agricultural innovation is central to how the world can adapt, mitigate, and thrive amid a climate crisis. This funding will enable us to continue generating the evidence-based data that countries need to build the business case for adaptation, while ensuring that our partner-led science delivers measurable impact across food, land, and water systems.”
A key focus of COP30 is the shift towards approaches that track climate action – guiding adaptation finance and turning climate commitments into country-level progress. Key to this effort is the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), a framework that evaluates real-world climate risks and offers relevant solutions. Through its partner-led research, CGIAR provides evidence-based data that countries need to set GGA indicators and measure progress, in turn attracting and aligning finance to support smallholder resilience.
See more https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/over-usd-142-million-pledged-at-cop30-to-advance-cgiars-mission-of-a-food-secure-future/
BULLETIN 2
EFSA GMO Panel Releases Scientific Assessment of GM Oilseed Rape LBFLFK
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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) GMO Panel has released its Scientific Opinion on the safety of genetically modified (GM) herbicide tolerant oilseed rape (Brassica napus AACC) LBFLFK according to Regulation (EU) No 503/2013, for import, processing, and food and feed uses, within the EU.
According to the Scientific Opinion, none of the identified differences in the agronomic/phenotypic and compositional characteristics between oilseed rape LBFLFK and the non-GM comparator needed further assessment, except for germination of harvested seeds, which underwent additional evaluation and was found not to raise environmental concerns.
The GMO Panel could not conclude on the overall safety of oilseed rape LBFLFK because the safety of its newly expressed proteins and its use in animal feed and aquaculture could not be established. However, the panel determined that the refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) oil is safe for human consumption, provided it is not used in high-temperature applications and is subject to post-market monitoring. While no risks were identified for the terrestrial environment, the panel could not conclude on the safety of LBFLFK to aquatic organisms, rendering the post-market environmental monitoring plan inadequate.
For more information, read the Scientific Opinion in the EFSA Journal.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21593
According to the Scientific Opinion, none of the identified differences in the agronomic/phenotypic and compositional characteristics between oilseed rape LBFLFK and the non-GM comparator needed further assessment, except for germination of harvested seeds, which underwent additional evaluation and was found not to raise environmental concerns.
The GMO Panel could not conclude on the overall safety of oilseed rape LBFLFK because the safety of its newly expressed proteins and its use in animal feed and aquaculture could not be established. However, the panel determined that the refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) oil is safe for human consumption, provided it is not used in high-temperature applications and is subject to post-market monitoring. While no risks were identified for the terrestrial environment, the panel could not conclude on the safety of LBFLFK to aquatic organisms, rendering the post-market environmental monitoring plan inadequate.
For more information, read the Scientific Opinion in the EFSA Journal.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21593
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Map-based cloning identifies a missense SNP in CsTRX z, encoding a z-type thioredoxin homolog, as the genetic determinant of Dominant Virescent Leaf in cucumber
Yuqing Zhou, Lei Zhang, Hanqiang Liu, Haoran Tian, Linglong Fu, Xiaoxue Wang, Yupeng Pan & Zhengnan Li
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; November 7 2025; vol. 138; article 297
Yuqing Zhou, Lei Zhang, Hanqiang Liu, Haoran Tian, Linglong Fu, Xiaoxue Wang, Yupeng Pan & Zhengnan Li
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; November 7 2025; vol. 138; article 297
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Key message
A missense SNP G → A mutation in the z-type thioredoxin-coding gene CsTRX z (CsDVL) reveals its pivotal regulatory function in chloroplast development, chlorophyll homeostasis, and low-temperature-sensitive photosynthetic regulation, with direct implications for targeted genetic improvement in breeding programs.
Abstract
Thioredoxins (TRXs), pivotal redox regulators modulating protein function, are essential for plant stress adaptation, development, and growth. While extensively characterized in model species (e.g., Arabidopsis, rice), their roles in vegetable crops remain underexplored. Here, we report a missense SNP (G → A) in the z-type thioredoxin CsTRX z (CsDVL), identified via ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis, as the causal variant underlying the Dominant Virescent Leaf phenotype in cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The mutant PSM004 exhibits transient yellow-green cotyledons at seedling emergence, reverting to wild-type pigmentation during later growth stages. Genetic and cytological analyses confirmed that the Dominant Virescent Leaf (DVL) locus perturbs chloroplast ultrastructure, chlorophyll biosynthesis, and photosynthetic efficiency. Positional cloning delimited DVL to a 75.9-Kb region on chromosome 6, with allelic diversity analysis pinpointing a G → A substitution in the fourth exon of CsTRX z as the causative mutation. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that this missense SNP reprograms expression of chloroplast-localized genes governing chlorophyll metabolism, redox homeostasis, carbohydrate flux, and photosynthetic machinery. Physiological assays further demonstrated thermosensitivity in PSM004, with low-temperature treatment (20 °C/15 °C) inducing reversible chlorosis in developing leaves. Our findings elucidate CsTRX z’s conserved yet distinct role in chloroplast biogenesis beyond model systems and establish its utility as a genetic target for enhancing stress resilience and photosynthetic performance in cucumber breeding programs.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-025-05090-9
