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FAO-Biotech-News <[log in to unmask]>
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FAO-Biotech-News <[log in to unmask]>
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Tue, 24 Mar 2020 15:28:39 +0000
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Dear Subscribers,

Here is Update 2-2020 of FAO-BiotechNews. As usual, we welcome any feedback.

With best wishes

John Ruane
The Coordinator of FAO-BiotechNews, 24-3-2020
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
E-mail address: [log in to unmask]
FAO Biotechnology website: http://www.fao.org/biotech/ (in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian)

*** NEWS *** (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-news/en/)

1) Cartagena Protocol risk assessment 
 
At the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Parties decided, inter alia, to consider at the 10th meeting (due to take place in October 2020 in China) whether additional guidance materials on risk assessment are needed for (a) living modified organisms containing engineered gene drives and (b) living modified fish, and to establish an ad hoc technical expert group (AHTEG) on risk assessment. The AHTEG has now been established and it will meet online from 31 March to 3 April 2020. Documents for the meeting are available at https://www.cbd.int/meetings/CP-RARM-AHTEG-2020-01. For more information about risk assessment, see https://bch.cbd.int/onlineconferences/forum_ra.shtml or contact [log in to unmask]

2) Genome editing applications and beyond
 
The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) provides access to a wide range of video recordings of presentations by scientific experts from its meetings, courses and seminars. These include numerous presentations from the workshop on “Genome editing applications and beyond”, organised by ICGEB and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) on 19-22 November 2019 in Trieste, Italy. See https://www.icgeb.org/outreach/podcasts/ or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
 
3) Biocontrol of bacterial plant diseases
 
FAO recently published a collection of abstracts from the 4th International Symposium on Biological Control of Bacterial Plant Diseases. The symposium took place in Viterbo, Italy on 9-11 July 2019 and was organised by the Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università della Tuscia in collaboration with FAO. It provided a forum to discuss the latest research results and developments in the biocontrol of bacterial plant diseases and was organised into nine core sections, including interactions between plants and microbiomes and use of genetics and genomics for innovative control strategies. See the 62-page publication at http://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/CA5311EN or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
 
4) Bolstering biotechnology research and education
 
On 26 September 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organised a stakeholder steering committee meeting in Paris, France on “Bolstering biotechnology research and education: Building human and institutional capacities for the bioeconomy”. Its objective was to advise UNESCO on the organisation of a conference on this subject as well as consider issues that are pertinent to building institutional and human capacities for the bioeconomy, such as how to promote biotechnology/bioeconomy education and training in secondary and tertiary education and in research institutions, both in the public and private sectors. See https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/bolstering_biotechnology_education_pcb_26-09-2019.pdf or contact [log in to unmask] for more information. 
 
5) OIE Biological Standards Commission meeting reports
 
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is supported by a number of Specialist Commissions whose role is to use current scientific information to study problems of epidemiology and the prevention and control of animal diseases, to develop and revise OIE's international standards and to address scientific and technical issues raised by Members. These include the OIE Biological Standards Commission (BSC), which is concerned with developing internationally agreed standards for laboratory diagnostic tests and vaccines for OIE-listed animal diseases of mammals, birds and bees. The BSC meeting reports, including the latest one from 17-20 September 2019, are available in English, French and Spanish at https://www.oie.int/en/standard-setting/specialists-commissions-working-ad-hoc-groups/laboratories-commission-reports/meetings-reports/. For more information, contact [log in to unmask]
 
6) OECD Biotechnology Update 36
 
The latest issue (December 2019) of the OECD Biotechnology Update, prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology, is now available. The 32-page newsletter provides updated information on the diverse activities at OECD related to biotechnology, including the safety of novel foods and feeds, BioTrack Online (with a database of transgenic products) and biotechnology statistics. See http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/biotrack/oecdbiotechnologynewsletterupdates.htm or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
 
7) Genomics-assisted climate-resilient crops

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Center of Excellence in Genomics and Systems Biology (CEGSB) organised a training course and workshop on “Next generation genomics for developing climate resilient crops” on 10-15 February 2020 in Hyderabad, India. It took place as part of the AdaptNET (Strengthening education, research and innovation for climate smart crops in India) project, funded by the European Commission. See the detailed agenda at https://adaptnet.aua.gr/index.php/events-adaptnet/5-workshop-4 and a brief report of the event at https://www.icrisat.org/empowering-young-scientists-with-new-skills-to-develop-genomic-assisted-climate-resilient-crops/. Contact [log in to unmask] for more information. 
 
8) In vitro propagation of potato and sweetpotato
 
The International Potato Center (CIP) recently updated its standard operational protocol (SOP056) for the in vitro propagation of potato and sweetpotato, prepared by R. Vollmer and co-authors. It describes the in vitro multiplication of potato and sweetpotato germplasm for international and national germplasm distribution, as well as in vitro conservation, phytosanitary and cryopreservation activities. Using these procedures, the plants are grown under sterile and controlled conditions. The 13-page document is available in English and Spanish at https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/53091. Contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
 
9) Workshop on livestock genomics
 
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) together with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences organised a workshop on “Genomics data analysis; Tools, methods and trends” from 30 September to 3 October 2019 at the ILRI campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Researchers from 14 sub-Saharan African countries participated and were provided with practical skills in using genomic data in the field to understand livestock population genomics and improve breeding. A news story providing a brief synthesis of the workshop is available at https://news.ilri.org/2019/11/20/genomics-capacities/. Contact [log in to unmask] for more information.
 
10) Ex ante economic assessment of GMOs in Tanzania
 
As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Ex ante economic assessment of impacts of GM maize and cassava on producers and consumers in Tanzania" by R.D. Ruhinduka and co-authors. The 91-page study estimates the potential economic impacts that could be attributed to the adoption of two main genetically modified (GM) varieties of maize and cassava. Economic models and locally collected data are used to estimate the net benefits that eventually would accrue to society should the GM varieties currently under development be commercialized. The work was undertaken as part of the Biotechnology and Biosafety Rapid Assessment and Policy Platform (BioRAPP) project, led by IFPRI’s Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS). See https://www.ifpri.org/publication/ex-ante-economic-assessment-impacts-gm-maize-and-cassava-producers-and-consumers or contact [log in to unmask] for more information. IFPRI Discussion Papers contain preliminary material and research results and are circulated in order to stimulate discussion and critical comment.

11) International Cereal Nematodes Symposium 
 
On 3-6 November 2019, the 7th International Cereal Nematodes Symposium took place in New Delhi, India, organized by the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (WHEAT) and hosted by the Division of Nematology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). Cereal nematodes, including cereal cyst nematodes (Heterodera spp.) and root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.), are acknowledged as a global economic problem in wheat production systems. Participants discussed the spread of cereal nematodes, strategies to lessen their impact on crops and ways to boost international collaboration on research. Symposium topics included the use of molecular tools for research with cereal nematodes (such as pathogen diagnostics, phylogeny studies and host resistance). A news story describing main outcomes of the meeting is available at https://www.cimmyt.org/news/global-experts-share-strategies-to-combat-cereal-nematodes/. Contact [log in to unmask] for more information. 
*****

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