Rice and maize are important cereal crops that serve as staple foods, feed, and industrial material in China. Multiple factors constrain the production of both crops, among which insect pests are an important one. Lepidopteran pests cause enormous yield losses for the crops annually. In order to control these pests, China plays an active role in development and application of genetic engineering (GE) to crops, and dozens of GE rice and GE maize lines expressing insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been developed. Many lines have entered environmental release, field testing, and preproduction testing, and laboratory and field experiments have shown that most of the Bt rice and Bt maize lines developed in China exhibited effective control of major target lepidopteran pests on rice (Chilo suppressalis, Scirpophaga incertulas, and Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) and maize (Ostrinia furnacalis), demonstrating bright prospects for application. However, none of these Bt lines has yet been commercially planted through this writing in 2016. Challenges and perspectives for development and application of Bt rice and maize in China are discussed. This article provides a general context for colleagues to learn about research and development of Bt crops in China, and may shed light on future work in this field.

Two genetically improved tilapia strains (GIFT and Akosombo) have been created with Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia), which is native to Africa. In particular, GIFT has been shown to be significantly superior to local African tilapia strains in terms of growth rate. While development economists see the potential for food security and poverty reduction in Africa from culture of these new strains of tilapia, conservationists are wary of potential ecological and genetic impacts on receiving ecosystems and native stocks of tilapia. This study reviews the history of the GIFT technology, and identifies potential environmental and genetic risks of improved and farmed strains and tilapia in general. We also estimate the potential economic gains from the introduction of genetically improved strains in Africa, using Ghana as a case country. Employing a combination of the Economic-Surplus model and Monte Carlo simulation, we found the mean net present value (NPV) of the introduction of the GIFT strain in Ghana to be approximately 1% of the country’s gross domestic product. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the difference in growth or yield between the GIFT and locally-available strains has the largest effect on mean NPV. We conclude that improvements in management practices and infrastructure could increase the yield and profitability of the local strains even if genetically-improved strains are not introduced. These improvements also will ensure the realization of the full potential of introduced strains.

Interactions between plants and insect herbivores are important determinants of plant productivity in cultivated and natural agricultural fields. The rice leaf folder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) causes tremendous damage to rice production in Asian countries. However, little information is available about how rice plants defend themselves against this destructive pest at molecular and biochemical levels. Here, we observed the transcriptomic and metabolomic differences in rice leaves after 0, 1, 6, 12, and 24 h of being fed by C. medinalis using RNA sequencing and metabolome profiling. Transcriptional analyses showed that gene expression responds rapidly to leaf folder infestation, with the most significant transcriptional changes occurring within 6 h after the initiation of feeding. Metabolite abundance changed more slowly than gene expression. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses indicated that the rice transcriptional response to infestation involved genes encoding protein kinases, transcription factors, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, photosynthesis, and phytohormone signaling. Moreover, the jasmonic acid-dependent signaling pathway triggered by leaf folder herbivory played a vital role in rice defense against this pest. Taken together, our results provide comprehensive insights into the defense system of rice to this species and may inform the development of insect-resistant rice varieties.

Effective genetic management of the ~700 aquatic species cultured globally should be addressed for aquaculture to make a significant contribution towards meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. This article aims to identify the current status and challenges relating to the management of farmed aquatic genetic resources (AqGR) and to make recommendations for its improvement. The lack of information on the genetic status of many farmed species is a critical constraint and there is a need to characterize these resources and develop information systems and tools to monitor farmed types used for aquaculture and their wild counterparts. Risk assessment is needed when introducing non‐native species and when managing native species including developed farmed types; policies need to be improved and increased awareness and training in risk assessment are required. To increase the uptake of selective breeding in aquaculture, there is a need for the development and adoption of better and more sustainable business models, including long‐term financial instruments such as public–private partnerships. Training and technology transfer between aquaculture sectors can have significant impact, especially for lower‐value species. Nationally and globally applicable instruments and regulations need to be adapted to AqGR and become operational and be effectively implemented by countries.