Seed World Europe is now accepting nominations for its April 2026 “20 Most Promising Young Plant Breeders in Europe” feature. Nominate early-career plant breeders making an impact across Europe, from universities, research institutes, seed companies, and sector organisations.The post Deadline Extend
After three years, the Agricultural Crop Licensing Platform (ACLP) has expanded to include ornamental, fruit, and forest crops, strengthening access to patented traits across Europe. The platform now supports breeders of all crop types with transparent patent disclosure, standardized licensing, fair
Europe’s new agreement on New Genomic Techniques marks a turning point for plant breeding and seed innovation. Led by MEP Jessica Polfjärd, the NGT dossier balanced science, politics, and national interests to reach compromise. The reform aims to modernise EU regulation, support farmers, strengthen
Researchers at Wageningen University & Research are testing circular fertilizers made from wastewater, including treated human urine, as low-emission alternatives to inorganic fertilizer. Early trials show urine nitrogen can be up to 25% more efficiently absorbed by crops. The research aims to cut g
EFSA’s GMO Panel has issued a positive safety opinion on GM soybean MON 94313 for food and feed, finding it as safe as conventional and non-GM varieties for human and animal health and the environment. MON 94313 tolerates dicamba, glufosinate, 2,4-D and mesotrione. EFSA found no toxicity or allergen
Modern watermelon breeding has evolved from boosting yield and sweetness to optimizing the entire value chain. Driven by seedless demand, fresh-cut growth, and quality-focused European markets, breeders now balance flavor, texture, shelf life, transport resilience, and convenience. In this Seed Worl
Scientists at The James Hutton Institute have identified HvST1, a “Sticky Telomeres 1” gene that boosts genetic recombination in barley. Mutations reduced chromosome ‘stickiness’ during meiosis, unlocking genome regions and giving breeders more flexibility to combine traits like drought and disease
After years of post-Brexit disruption, EU–UK SPS negotiations offer a critical chance to simplify seed trade. Reduced border delays, regulatory alignment, and greater predictability could cut costs and restore efficiency. Euroseeds warns success depends on meaningful coverage for seed, mutual recogn
University of Zurich scientists uncovered how wheat powdery mildew can bypass genetic resistance without losing its key effector AvrPm4. The fungus deploys a second effector that masks AvrPm4 from the Pm4 resistance protein, yet this suppressor is itself detectable by another wheat resistance gene.
The Sainsbury Laboratory has secured $2 million from Google.org’s $20 million AI for Science Fund to launch Bifrost, led by Professor Sophien Kamoun. Using DeepMind’s AlphaFold3, Bifrost will predict plant immune receptor–pathogen interactions from genome sequences to speed breeding of disease-resis
International agreements born in the 1990s era of globalization shaped trade, climate, and biodiversity governance through multilateral cooperation. Three decades later, rising geopolitical tensions, stalled COPs, and growing lobbying have weakened progress. The article argues for smaller, trust-bas
The EU has reached a provisional agreement on New Genomic Techniques regulation, classifying Category 1 NGT plants as equivalent to conventional breeding and outside GMO rules. The framework increases transparency around patents, mandates disclosure, and launches reviews on intellectual property imp
Gene editing is accelerating plant breeding across crops and regions, but global regulatory frameworks may determine who gets to innovate. In a recent webinar, regulatory veteran Daniel Jenkins explains how policy decisions in Latin America, Europe and beyond are shaping the future of seed innovatio
University of Reading research published in Nature Geoscience (14 January 2026) warns Europe and western North America will face more frequent, intense crop droughts as warming accelerates soil moisture loss, even where annual rainfall rises. The study maps growing-season drought hotspots and shows
Hybrid rye is transforming Danish pig production by improving feed efficiency, animal welfare, and sustainability. In this KWS Seed World Visits episode, farmers and experts show how rye performs on poor soils, supports calmer pigs and healthier digestion, and enables 60–70% inclusion in feed. Learn
Euroseeds welcomes the ENVI committee’s strong approval of the NGT Regulation compromise text, moving the EU closer to a modern framework for new genomic techniques. Council confirmation is expected in February or early March, followed by final ENVI and plenary votes likely in April, paving the way
In Part 2 of Seed World Europe’s Seeds of Change series, leaders from Bayer, Semillas Fitó, RiceTec and Syngenta explain how sustainability in the seed sector goes beyond field traits to include operations, culture and collaboration. Through shared action under ISF’s ESR-CG, companies are aligning b
As ENVI prepares to vote on the EU New Genomic Techniques Regulation on 28 January, Euroseeds urges support for the agreed compromise. Following successful trilogue negotiations, Euroseeds warns that delays would harm plant breeding innovation, farmer competitiveness, climate-resilient crops, and Eu
Sustainability in agriculture starts with seed, argue Ben Rivoire and Khaoula Belhaj-Fragnière of the International Seed Federation. New ISF papers highlight how plant breeding innovation boosts yields, resilience and resource efficiency while reducing environmental impact. From climate-resilient va
Wheat yields in north-west Europe have plateaued since the mid-1990s, stabilising around 7–9 tonnes per hectare despite continued genetic gains. Wageningen University & Research analysis combining trials, Dutch farm data and crop modelling finds climate change has not limited yields and has slightly
phenoLytics won first prize at the 2025 Euroseeds InnovAction Stage for its high-throughput 3D and 4D X-ray CT seed phenotyping solutions. The technology delivers ground-truth data on seed and seedling quality across the entire value chain, enabling faster, objective decisions in breeding, processin
Staphyt and GenoScreen have signed a collaboration agreement combining genomics, regulatory studies, and field trials for microbial product development. The partnership links genomic characterisation, bioinformatics, laboratory studies, and efficacy trials to support European regulatory requirements
The 2Blades Group at The Sainsbury Laboratory and Bayer won a BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award to develop durable resistance to soybean rust. The £860,000, three-year project will study novel immune gene mechanisms from wild Glycine relatives, aiming to protect soybeans from Phakopsora pachyrhizi,
For decades, seed production relied almost exclusively on bees for managed pollination. Polyfly is rethinking that model by industrializing the mass rearing of hoverflies as an alternative pollinator. Recognized at the 2025 Euroseeds InnovAction Stage, Polyfly offers breeders and seed producers a fl
