BULLETIN 1

Saudi Arabia signs cooperation agreement with CGIAR

 

Figure: CGIAR Executive Managing Director, Ismahane Elouafi and His Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Alfadley.

CGIAR January 15 2026
This agreement marks the first commitment between Saudi Arabia and CGIAR to facilitate collaboration, knowledge sharing, and projects on agricultural innovation, food security and environmental sustainability.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture is funding the deal with $5 million. CGIAR will provide training for local workers and launch joint projects in the agricultural sector. It extends to research on sustainable water management and digital tools to make irrigation methods more efficient. The partnership will produce a technological roadmap for crop improvement in Saudi Arabia, using local research facilities.
CGIAR is the world's largest global research partnership for a food-secure future. Implementation of the agreement will be led by ICARDA, the leading dryland agri-research center in the MENA region. ICARDA has more than fifty years of experience of working on science-based solutions for communities across the non-tropical dry areas, including digital innovations and advanced water technologies.
See https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/saudi-arabia-signs-cooperation-agreement-cgiar

 

BULLETIN 2
New Chemical Method Helps in Selection of Desirable Crop Traits

 

January 14, 2026
Researchers at the Whitehead Institute have developed a chemical method to generate large-scale genetic diversity in crops, providing a more accessible alternative to traditional mutation breeding. Published in PLOS Genetics, the study led by Mary Gehring describes the use of etoposide, a chemotherapy drug, to induce structural variants—large-scale DNA changes like deletions and duplications—in germinating seeds.
Unlike conventional mutation breeding, which relies on complex and highly regulated radiation, this chemical approach uses standard laboratory tools to interfere with enzymes that manage DNA structure during cell division. The resulting errors in DNA repair create heritable traits that can be selected for in subsequent generations, effectively expanding the genetic toolkit available to breeders.
The method was successfully demonstrated in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, where two-thirds of treated lines showed visible changes in size, leaf shape, and fertility. The research team is now applying this technique to orphan crops, which are vital for regional nutrition but often lack the genetic diversity needed to breed for climate resilience. By screening these chemically altered lines for traits such as salt and drought tolerance, scientists hope to develop robust new varieties that can thrive in harsh environments. This innovation is particularly promising for species that are resistant to CRISPR-based gene editing, offering a scalable way to systematically restructure crop genomes for future food security.
For more details, read the news article on the Whitehead Institute website.
See: https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21656

 

 

Comparative transcriptomics of anthocyanin accumulation in the pericarp of pigmented purple corn
Anderson A. Holly, Paulsmeyer N. Michael & Juvik A. John
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; January 17 2026; vol. 139; article 37

 

  

Key message
RNA-seq, bulked segregant analysis, anthocyanin quantification, and WGCNA identified Pl1, Lc1, P1, and Wrky33 as important regulatory factors for enhancing anthocyanin content in maize pericarp.

Abstract
Anthocyanins are plant pigments that can be used as natural food colorants. We developed Midwestern, purple corn lines with enhanced anthocyanin content exclusively in the pericarp tissue layer: two lines near-isogenic to elite inbreds B73 and Mo17 (B73 Color Converted and Mo17 Color Converted, respectively) and two recombinant inbred lines (RILs) with diverse anthocyanin profiles (Amazonas and Maize Morado). In Experiment 1, a time-series, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of whole pericarp tissue was conducted on three pigmented genotypes (B73 Color Converted, Amazonas, and Maize Morado). Ultra-High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) identified a dramatic increase in anthocyanin accumulation between 15 and 20 days after pollination (DAP) in pigmented genotypes. Bulk segregant analysis discovered Leaf color1 (Lc1) and Purple plant1 (Pl1) as the major contributors to pericarp pigmentation in B73 Color Converted. Additional loci Bronze2 (Bz2) and Pericarp color1 (P1) were also donated by the purple parent. In Experiment 2, RNA-seq was performed on 18 DAP kernels of four pigmented maize lines (B73 Color Converted, Mo17 Color Converted, Amazonas, and Maize Morado), comparing pigmented and unpigmented pericarp fractions from bulked individual kernels. Upregulation of Lc1, Pl1, and P1 suggests a distinct MBW protein complex in pigmented pericarp. Correlational analyses of 18 DAP pigmented pericarp fractions revealed enriched expression of anthocyanin transporters, Bz2 and Multidrug resistance-associated protein3 (Mrpa3), and a candidate transcription factor, WRKY-transcription factor 33 (Wrky33). These candidate genes can be used in breeding programs as a source of natural food and beverage colorants and improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying maize pericarp pigmentation.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-025-05137-x