Dear Subscribers,
We are happy to send you here the first update of FAO-BiotechNews for the year 2021.
As usual, we welcome your feedback.
With best wishes
John Ruane
The Coordinator of FAO-BiotechNews, 11-3-2021
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
E-mail address: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[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) The state of knowledge of soil biodiversity
FAO recently released its first ever report on "The state of knowledge of soil biodiversity" on World Soil Day, which falls on 5 December. The report on the state of knowledge of soil biodiversity, covering its current status, challenges and potentialities, was produced in response to an invitation by the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for FAO, in collaboration with other organizations, to consider its preparation. The report represents the output of an inclusive process involving 300 scientists from around the world under the auspices of the FAO Global Soil Partnership and its Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils, the CBD, the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative and the European Commission. It presents the state of knowledge on soil biodiversity, the threats it faces, the solutions that soil biodiversity can provide to problems in different fields, including agriculture, environmental conservation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, nutrition, medicine and pharmaceuticals, and remediation of polluted sites, and more. The report also considers the role of molecular approaches to studying soil biodiversity. See the 618-page report at www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/CB1928EN<http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/CB1928EN>, its 'Summary for policy makers' at www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/CB1929EN<http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/CB1929EN> and the related press release at http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1339016/icode/ (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish). Contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information.
2) UNCTAD flagship report on frontier technologies, including gene editing
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has just published its Technology and Innovation Report 2021 entitled "Catching technological waves: Innovation with equity". It examines the likelihood of frontier technologies, such as gene editing, artificial intelligence and robotics, widening existing inequalities and creating new ones. It also addresses the national and international policies, instruments and institutional reforms that are needed to create a more equal world of opportunity for all, leaving no one behind. See the report (in English), the report overview (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and press materials (in English, French and Spanish) at https://unctad.org/webflyer/technology-and-innovation-report-2021 or contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information. This is the 6th publication in the Technology and Innovation Report flagship series which UNCTAD launched in 2010 to address issues in science, technology and innovation that are topical and important for developing countries in a comprehensive way with an emphasis on policy-relevant analysis and conclusions.
3) Biotechnologies and genetic resources
The 6th Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Forest Genetic Resources (WG FGR) takes place virtually on 13-15 April 2021. Items on the provisional agenda include "Review of the work on biotechnologies for the conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources" and ""Digital sequence information" on forest genetic resources". Working documents for each agenda item will be made available before the meeting, in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, at http://www.fao.org/forest-genetic-resources/working-group/. The WG FGR is one of four intergovernmental technical working groups established by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which is an intergovernmental body established by the FAO Conference in 1983 and whose membership includes 178 countries and the European Union. The topics of "digital sequence information" and biotechnologies for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources will also be discussed in meetings of the other three intergovernmental technical working groups, namely on animal genetic resources (WG AnGR), aquatic genetic resources (WG AqGR) and plant genetic resources (WG PGR), which take place virtually on 19-21 May, 1-3 June and 22-24 June 2021 respectively. Contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information.
4) Tissue culture to produce disease-free ginger in Jamaica
FAO has been helping the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to produce disease-free ginger using a low-tech biotechnology called tissue culture. Ginger rhizome rot (GRR) is a highly destructive disease which has been devastating production in Jamaica. With FAO's help, a long-term strategy to resuscitate the industry has been developed, including introduction of a commercial certification programme. As part of this, quality certified clean planting material, free from the GRR disease, is produced using tissue culture in the greenhouse that can then be purchased by farmers for cultivation. Tissue culture is a long-established biotechnology that refers to the in vitro culture of plant cells, tissues or organs in a nutrient medium under sterile conditions. See an FAO story about this project at http://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1318751/ (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information.
5) Indicators for tree genetic diversity
FAO has recently published "Indicators of the genetic diversity of trees - State, pressure, benefit and response", by Lars Graudal and co-authors. Prepared within the ambit of The State of the World's Forest Genetic Resources, this study reviews issues related to the development of indicators for tree genetic diversity. It includes a historical account of the development of science-based indicators for tree genetic diversity that embrace ecological surrogates for genetic diversity, the genecological approach, genetic monitoring of management units, the use of molecular markers, as well as relevant experience from other organisms and policy processes. It also includes a section on relevant data, data sources and databases. Finally, the study proposes a set of four operational indicators for monitoring tree genetic diversity. The proposed indicators could support efforts towards sustainable forest management, as well as the development of indicators for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. See www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb2492en<http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb2492en> or contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information.
6) Synthetic biology and risk assessment/management of living modified organisms - Informal SBSTTA session
On 17-19 February and 24-26 February 2021, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) held a virtual informal session to prepare for the 24th meeting of the body (SBSTTA-24) scheduled to take place later in 2021. The informal session served as an opportunity for Parties and observers to explore the virtual format, and to exchange opinions on key agenda items on the road to developing a scientifically and technically sound post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Agenda items included synthetic biology (agenda item 4) as well as risk assessment and risk management of living modified organisms (item 5). See statements from the informal session for each agenda item at https://www.cbd.int/meetings/SBSTTA-24-PREP-03, the SBSTTA-24 documents at www.cbd.int/meetings/SBSTTA-24<http://www.cbd.int/meetings/SBSTTA-24> or contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information. SBSTTA is an open-ended intergovernmental scientific advisory body of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD.
7) The VETLAB Network
The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VETLAB) Network is a global network of national veterinary laboratories coordinated by the Animal Production and Health Section (APH) of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. The network currently comprises 72 laboratories in 46 African and 19 Asian countries and is now working to expand to Central and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The VETLAB laboratories and the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre's Animal Production and Health Laboratory work with each other, including experts from the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre, to use nuclear, nuclear-derived and other methods for monitoring, early detection, diagnosis and control of transboundary animal and zoonotic diseases. Recent network activities have focused, inter alia, on support to COVID-19 testing, as well as lumpy skin disease and African Swine Fever in South Asia, rabbit hemorrhagic disease in West Africa and highly pathogenic avian influenza. More information on the network is provided in the latest version of the APH newsletter (no. 73). The newsletter, issued twice a year, gives an overview of past and upcoming training courses, meetings, projects, news stories and publications. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/aph/public/newsletters-aph.html or contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information.
8) Breeding for improved vegetatively propagated and horticultural tree crops
The Plant Breeding and Genetics Section (PGS) of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture recently launched a 5-year Coordinated Research Project on "Development of integrated techniques for induced genetic diversity and improvement of vegetatively propagated and horticultural tree crops". The project aims to develop novel genetic resources, methodologies and tools for accelerated breeding for productivity improvement in vegetatively propagated crops (root and tuber crops) and horticultural tree crops (olive) using mutation induction and associated biotechnologies. It will involve ten participating countries from Member States where the crops are grown extensively. This and many other news items are included in the January 2021 PGS newsletter. The newsletter gives an overview of their past and upcoming events, ongoing projects and publications and is issued twice a year. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/newsletters-pbg.html or contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information.
9) OECD agricultural seed and forest reproductive material certification schemes
The OECD Seed Schemes, established in 1958, are a set of international standards for field inspection and certification of the most important agricultural and vegetable species. Sixty-one countries are currently a member of at least one of the eight Schemes. One of the key issues for the OECD Seed Schemes is the emerging role of biochemical and molecular techniques (BMTs) in describing and identifying varieties. In 2019, participating countries approved a list of BMTs which can be used under the OECD Seed Schemes. The OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme, established in 1967, encourages the production and use of forest reproductive material that has been collected, processed and marketed in a manner that ensures their trueness to name. Advanced forest reproductive materials such as clones are playing an increasingly important role in certain parts of the forestry sector and therefore registration of this type of basic material has increased significantly. Certification of forest clonal material is increasingly challenging and BMTs may play a key role in their certification in the future. More information on these OECD Schemes, including related websites, publications and upcoming events, are provided in the latest issue (December 2020) of the OECD Biotechnology Update, prepared by the OECD Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology. The newsletter provides updated information on activities, publications and events at the OECD. See http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/biotrack/oecdbiotechnologynewsletterupdates.htm or contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for more information.
*****
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