Maize is one of the most important grain crops in China and suffers severe damage from lepidopteran pests, with annual yield losses reaching 15–20%. Long‑term reliance on chemical pesticides has led to increasing problems of resistance, environmental pollution, and food safety. Transgenic insect‑resistant maize offers a new approach for green pest management. Although insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant maize LD05 carrying the fusion gene m2cryAb‑vip3A has been granted a biosafety certificate, its breeding efficiency and performance in elite maize hybrids have not been systematically investigated. In this study, the m2cryAb‑vip3A and bar genes from LD05 were successfully introgressed into two elite inbred lines, Qixi5101 and DH382, through backcrossing combined with marker‑assisted selection. Compared with LCV01, which carries two independent insect‑resistant genes, the fusion gene strategy significantly improved breeding efficiency. The genetically modified (GM) inbred lines exhibited high resistance to lepidopteran pests and tolerated four times the recommended medium dose of glufosinate. Developed from these GM inbred lines, the GM hybrids Ludan509 and Denghai605 maintained original yield levels while exhibiting excellent insect resistance and herbicide tolerance, thereby reducing field management costs and increasing economic benefits. This study presents the complete pre‑commercialization chain of GM maize, from LD05 transformation to hybrid combination and field validation, providing an efficient, simple and cost-effective technical pathway for multi-trait improvement. This strategy provides a practical and efficient alternative for multi-trait improvement in crop breeding and offers technical support for the sustainable development of modern agriculture.
The global intellectual property regime for plants is structurally misaligned with the molecular tools on which climate-resilient agriculture now depends. As gene editing, synthetic biology, and Digital Sequence Information (DSI) become central to breeding drought-, heat-, and salinity-tolerant crops, these same technologies are increasingly enclosed within dense patent thickets, trade rules that go beyond the minimum standards of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), commonly called TRIPS-plus rules, and costly regulatory requirements. Using doctrinal legal analysis, a patent-landscape review, and product-level case studies, we show how this architecture generates a “Market Power Effect,” whereby a small group of firms can set prices, stack royalties, and control access to enabling technologies, effectively sidelining public breeders, small laboratories, and climate-vulnerable states. We develop the concept of “legal resilience” to capture the idea that molecular resilience in biotech crops is meaningless without legal structures that allow rapid, equitable diffusion of adaptive traits. Empirically, we link rising CRISPR-related patents, escalating licensing and compliance costs, and corporate concentration to stagnant yield growth, persistent human undernourishment, and an emerging form of digital biopiracy that existing access and benefit-sharing instruments cannot contain. We also examine the position of large middle-income innovators, China in particular, which do not fit the conventional North–South division and whose domestic policy choices are pushing toward stronger rather than weaker protection. On this basis, we propose a polycentric reform package: a climate-utility model tier for incremental local adaptations; a multilateral DSI benefit-sharing fund financed by small levies on commercial seed sales; compulsory humanitarian patent pools for abiotic stress-resistance technologies; regional molecular hubs that pair laboratories with pro-bono freedom-to-operate support; and sustained support for the existing network of genebanks and community seed systems as a practical counterweight to the hazard of genetic uniformity. Our central claim is that genetic resilience must be treated as an essential facility for human food security, not merely as a tradable private asset.
Ganoderma boninense causes basal stem rot (BSR) in oil palm, resulting in substantial economic losses, particularly for smallholders who contribute approximately 40% of global production. This review synthesizes advances in molecular diagnostic techniques (qPCR, LAMP), whole-genome sequencing of resistant Elaeis guineensis genotypes, and AI-driven remote sensing to enhance understanding of G. boninense pathobiology. Soilborne mycelia of the pathogen can persist for more than 10 y. Asymptomatic infections, which are frequently missed by conventional methods, can lead to significant disease spread within plantations over 2 y. CRISPR-based paper-strip tests have demonstrated high sensitivity (detecting < 1 pg DNA in laboratory settings), while marker-assisted selection has helped identify additional resistance QTLs. Trichoderma biofilms and biodegradable fumigants reduced soil inoculum by 50–75% in controlled studies. AI-based decision support systems have demonstrated promising accuracy for guiding interventions and potential cost savings, although further field validation across diverse conditions is needed.
The drought-induced branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase (OsDIAT) from Oryza sativa belongs to a protein family with a long history of safe use (HOSU). In this study, we conducted a preliminary characterization of the recombinant OsDIAT protein produced in Escherichia coli, together with in silico and literature-based analyses, to contribute to the weight of evidence supporting the HOSU of the OsDIAT protein. In simulated gastric fluid (SGF), the intact recombinant protein was no longer detectable within 1 min, whereas it remained detectable in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) for 60 min in a separate time-course assay; sequential SGF–SIF digestion was not performed. When heated at 95 °C (the only temperature tested), the intact protein band was no longer detectable from 60 min onward; enzymatic activity was not measured. In silico analyses identified no significant sequence similarity to known proteinaceous toxins or allergens, and domain analysis was consistent with a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent aminotransferase. Two potential N-glycosylation sites were predicted, but because no signal peptide or transmembrane domain was predicted, the protein is not expected to enter the secretory pathway, and the sites are unlikely to be modified in the native protein. These preliminary data add to the weight of evidence supporting the HOSU of the OsDIAT protein. However, they relate only to the microbially produced recombinant protein, and further studies, including demonstration of equivalence with the plant-expressed protein, are required before these findings can be associated with any genetically modified plant expressing this protein.
Trust, access, and governance are important contextual dimensions of public acceptance of agricultural biotechnology. This study examined Golden Rice acceptance in the Philippines using an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework informed by a food systems governance perspective. Survey data from 333 Filipino adults recruited through purposive sampling were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The model examined the relationships of Informational Promotion (IP), representing communication-related conditions relevant to trust and information credibility, and Marketing Interventions (MI), representing perceived market-access conditions, with TPB constructs. Both IP and MI were positively associated with attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Attitude and perceived behavioral control were stronger predictors of behavioral intention than subjective norm, while behavioral intention was strongly associated with measured Golden Rice acceptance. These findings indicate that acceptance is associated not only with individual evaluations and perceived social expectations but also with perceptions of information and access conditions. The study contributes a governance-informed extension of TPB by interpreting informational promotion through the lens of epistemic governance, concerning the communication and credibility of information, and marketing interventions through material governance, concerning practical access conditions. This integrated perspective provides a framework for examining how trust-related communication and perceived accessibility intersect with individual decision-making in biofortified food systems. Because the study used cross-sectional, non-probability survey data, its findings do not establish causal effects, nationally representative levels of acceptance, or actual purchasing, consumption, and sustained adoption of Golden Rice.
