Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) is a widely used chemical mutagen that induces high-frequency point mutations and has been extensively applied in genetic studies across diverse biological systems. While EMS-based mutagenesis frameworks are well established in plant research, their application in fungal systems remains comparatively fragmented and methodologically inconsistent. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the mechanisms, efficiency, and mutation profiles of EMS in fungi, with emphasis on forward genetics, functional genomics, strain improvement, and pathogenicity studies relevant to agricultural biotechnology. We critically evaluate methodological limitations, mutation validation challenges, and gaps in standardised screening and sequencing pipelines relative to plant EMS platforms. Furthermore, we contextualize reported laboratory-scale trait enhancements, such as enzyme production and stress tolerance, within their prospective agricultural relevance. Overall, this review highlights the need for standardized fungal EMS workflows, integrated genomic validation, and ecologically relevant phenotyping to advance fungal biotechnology and agricultural applications.

This document presents a comprehensive analysis of the concept of sustainable agriculture, focusing on an examination of various scientific foundations that drive the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and subsequent ecological conservation. Its main objective is to discuss various emerging alternatives in the environmental field, such as precision agriculture, agricultural biotechnology, the implementation of artificial intelligence, and renewable energy systems, among others, which enable progress toward net-zero-emission agri-food systems. Likewise, organic practices and integrated models such as aquaponics and circular agriculture are highlighted. Methodologically, the bibliographical review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol, which ensured clarity, uniformity, and methodological rigor. Thus, selection criteria were defined, a comprehensive search strategy was designed, and data analysis and synthesis were performed. The literature was primarily sourced from Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science as the main academic sources. This approach made it possible to identify relevant patterns, trends, and knowledge gaps in the subject under study. As the main finding of this research, various social, economic, and regulatory challenges to the adoption of low-carbon technologies are addressed and discussed, including the importance of public policies, green financing, and education for a sustainable transition. Among other conclusions, emphasis is placed on the need to implement a global framework for action toward sustainable agri-food systems with net-zero emissions by 2050, with the goal of achieving resilient, equitable, and environmentally responsible agri-food systems.

Insect cell culture has become foundational for many areas of research and biotechnological innovation, yet major taxonomic gaps persist, particularly among orthopteran species. Here, we report the isolation and long-term maintenance of primary embryonic cells derived from the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. By isolating cells from late-stage embryos and culturing them at 29°C in Shields and Sang M3 insect cell media supplemented with 1mg/mL yeast extract, 2.5mg/mL Bacto Peptone, 100µg/mL primocin, and 20% heat inactivated FBS, we were able to establish robust primary cultures of small, rounded cells. Passaging via mechanical sloughing preserved cell viability and supported 37.7 cumulative doublings over 287days, thus, an average doubling time of 182.4h. The results highlight the importance of conditioned media for sustaining proliferation, while also identifying challenges related to metabolite accumulation and slow doubling times. These preliminary findings provide an avenue for expanding the diversity of insect cell lines, with promising implications for both cellular agriculture and fundamental biotechnology research.

Genome-wide in-silico characterization and expression profiles of serpin gene family in foxtail millet (Setaria italica).

Global trends in the commercialization of genetically modified crops in 2024

Plant responses to UV-B radiation: physiology, transcription, epigenetics, and secondary metabolism.

Bacillus velezensis is a safety-grade probiotic with wide applications in agricultural, food and industrial biotechnology. Improving its growth and extracellular enzyme production is critical for enhancing process efficiency and reducing production costs. This study evaluated the potential of alternating magnetic fields (AMFs) to enhance the growth and extracellular enzyme production in B. velezensis. A preliminary comparison with static magnetic fields (SMFs) demonstrated that AMFs exerted a stronger stimulatory effect, therefore AMFs were selected for subsequent investigation. Under the optimal AMF conditions (3 mT, 18h), biomass increased by 63.59% relative to the untreated control, while cellulase and protease activities were enhanced by 142.93% and 130.5%, respectively. Moreover, AMF treatment significantly improved enzyme stability, for example, cellulase produced under AMF-assisted fermentation retained 72.15% of its initial activity after 24h at 37°C when incubated under a 3 mT AMF, whereas only 19.05% activity remained under non-AMF incubation. A similar stabilization trend was observed for enzymes produced under non-AMF fermentation conditions. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that AMF treatment induced notable changes in cell surfaces, including increased roughness, pronounced folding, and depressions, potentially enhancing membrane permeability. Transcriptomic profiling further indicated significant upregulation of key metabolic pathways, specifically branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, acetyl-CoA metabolism, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. These results demonstrate that AMF represents a promising non-invasive strategy for enhancing microbial bioprocess performance.

The genus Ganoderma comprises a group of wood-decaying basidiomycete fungi widely recognized for their medicinal and pharmacological significance. Species of Ganoderma have been used for centuries in traditional Asian medicine, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea, where they are valued for their health-promoting properties. In recent decades, scientific research has increasingly focused on understanding the diversity, bioactive compounds, and therapeutic potential of these fungi. The genus includes more than 200 species distributed across tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions of the world. Among them, Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma sinense, and Ganoderma applanatum are some of the most extensively studied due to their remarkable medicinal value and wide industrial applications. Ganoderma species are rich sources of biologically active compounds, including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, proteins, phenolic compounds, sterols, and nucleosides. These metabolites contribute to a wide range of pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and cardioprotective effects. Polysaccharides, particularly β-glucans, are known for their strong immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties, while triterpenoids such as ganoderic acids exhibit potent anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. In addition to their pharmacological importance, Ganoderma species have significant industrial applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture, and environmental biotechnology. Advancements in molecular biology and DNA-based identification techniques have improved the understanding of Ganoderma taxonomy and phylogeny, enabling more accurate species identification and classification. Modern cultivation techniques and fermentation technologies have also facilitated the large-scale production of Ganoderma fruiting bodies and mycelial biomass, supporting the growing global demand for medicinal mushroom products. Furthermore, enzymes produced by Ganoderma, such as laccases and peroxidases, have important applications in bioremediation and industrial processes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of Ganoderma species, focusing on their taxonomy, diversity, morphological and biological characteristics, bioactive compounds, pharmacological properties, and industrial applications. It also highlights current cultivation practices and future research directions aimed at enhancing the utilization of Ganoderma as a valuable natural resource for medicine, biotechnology, and sustainable industrial development.

Cotton is a vital natural fibre crop with significant economic value worldwide. In response to the threat of cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), the China government initiated a research project in 1992 to develop transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton. Through domestic research and development efforts, China achieved a significant milestone in 1994: the successful development of Bt cotton. The project has continued since then, consistently advancing agricultural plant breeding efforts and providing economically critical new cotton germplasm to combat insect infestation and other stressors. We here present an overview of the 30-year history of this project, highlighting eight important lessons, six significant achievements, and three valuable insights gleaned from the pioneering agricultural endeavour. Chinese Bt cotton revolutionised the country's cotton industry and contributed to the economic growth and sustainability of Chinese agriculture. Through careful analysis and reflection, this article provides guidance for future development and implementation of agricultural biotechnologies.

Journal of Agricultural Biotechnology and Sustainable Development

Streptomyces species play key roles in producing natural products and are important in soil and agricultural environments. The link between their biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and clinically known antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment remains poorly understood. In this study, we compared the genomes of 90 environmental Streptomyces strains from diverse agricultural and natural sites worldwide to examine how their biosynthetic capabilities and antibiotic resistance relate to their evolutionary history and environments. Phylogenomic analyses based on average nucleotide identity (ANI) revealed substantial genetic diversity with limited clustering by geographic origin or isolation source. Genome-wide prediction of biosynthetic gene clusters using GECCO revealed extensive, highly variable biosynthetic potential across genomes, with a large proportion of BGCs remaining uncharacterized. In contrast, clinically referenced ARGs identified using AMRFinderPlus and CARD were unevenly distributed and often absent, indicating limited overlap between environmental resistance mechanisms and clinical resistance determinants. Our quantitative analysis found a significant negative correlation between the total number of BGCs and the number of clinically identified ARGs (Spearman’s ρ=−0.277, P=0.0081). This result challenges the common belief that antibiotic production and clinical resistance are closely connected. When we measured antibiotic-specific biosynthetic potential using the Antibiotic Biosynthetic Potential Index (ABPI), we also found no association with ARG content, further supporting the idea that biosynthesis and clinical resistance are separate. We also observed substantial variation in both BGC and ARG content, even among closely related genomes, indicating that Streptomyces genomes are highly flexible. Overall, our findings show that biosynthetic capacity and clinically defined antibiotic resistance are separate genomic traits in environmental Streptomyces. This highlights the need for genome-based, context-aware methods to assess environmental resistance risks. It also shows that Streptomyces are a valuable source of new biosynthetic diversity for discovering natural products, improving agricultural biotechnology, and supporting One Health research.

Expansins, whose cell wall-loosening function contributes to plant cell growth, biomass deconstruction, and substrate accessibility, have attracted increasing attention in agricultural biotechnology and bioprocessing. However, their predominant sourcing from plants, with limited low abundance and inconsistency, presents a challenge for industrial production. In this study, we developed a multi-level engineering strategy in Bacillus subtilis to enhance the extracellular production of two expansins: B. subtilis expansin-like group X1 (BsEXLX1) and Solanum lycopersicum α-expansin (LeEXP2). By systematically screening temporal promoters, optimizing ribosome-binding site (RBS) and signal peptides (SPs), and expressing secretion machinery components, the expression levels of BsEXLX1 and LeEXP2 reached 232.3mg/L and 15.6mg/L, respectively, in shake flasks. Further fed-batch culture increased the extracellular BsEXLX1 and LeEXP2 to 1.3g/L and 43.7mg/L in a 5-L bioreactor, representing the highest level reported in B. subtilis to date. Furthermore, both microbial-generated expansins exhibited a strong synergistic effect on cellulose degradation, enhancing total sugar release by 42.6% (BsEXLX1) and 5.7% (LeEXP2) when combined with commercial cellulase. Collectively, this study establishes a scalable B. subtilis-based secretion platform for the high-level production of functional expansins and provides a transferable framework for efficient extracellular protein production in B. subtilis.

PM-BioPred: A Web-Server for Prediction of Compound Bioactivity Against Plant and Microbial Proteins.

Corrigendum to <The assessment of antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, molecular docking studies, and the photodegradation of methylene blue by green-fabricated ZnO nanoparticles using the plant extract of Helichrysum noeanum Boiss.> Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology 69(2025) 103755

Skeletal muscle development is cornerstone of vertebrate locomotion, relies on the functionally distinct muscle fiber-type. Although the cellular dynamics in myogenesis have been extensively studied, the developmental origins and pathways governing fiber-type diversification remain unresolved. Furthermore, the evolutionary conservation of these mechanisms across vertebrates is poorly understood. Thus, we generate a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of duck skeletal muscle across embryonic development to explore the trajectory from myogenic progenitors to myofiber. We identified a differentiation mechanism whereby slow-twitch type could transdifferentiate into the fast-twitch type, a process mediated by LEF1+(I) subtype. Comparative analysis of datasets across vertebrates (avian and mammalian) reveals that this fiber-type conversion program is phylogenetically conserved, suggesting homology in muscle adaptation mechanisms. Our study provides the transcription factors roadmap of vertebrate myofiber development, bridging gaps in developmental and evolutionary biology. These insights advance fundamental knowledge of tissue patterning and hold translational potential for regenerative medicine and agricultural biotechnology.

Fungi and yeasts are prolific producers of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with extensive applications in pharmaceutical, food, agricultural, and industrial biotechnology. Conventional strategies to enhance metabolite production have largely relied on rational metabolic and genetic engineering; however, these approaches are often constrained by incomplete pathway knowledge, metabolic burden, regulatory complexity, and biosafety concerns associated with genetically engineered microorganisms. In recent years, the application of abiotic stresses has emerged as a powerful and complementary strategy to activate silent biosynthetic gene clusters and redirect metabolic fluxes without direct genetic manipulation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of abiotic stress-based approaches for enhancing secondary metabolite production in fungi and yeasts. We systematically examine the effects of major stress categories, including osmotic, oxidative, pH, solvent-induced, radiation, and heavy metal stresses, on microbial metabolism and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Evidence from diverse fungal and yeast models demonstrates that controlled stress exposure can significantly increase the yield and diversity of metabolites such as pigments, carotenoids, antibiotics, statins, lipids, organic acids, osmolytes, and antioxidants. Importantly, this review highlights that stress responses are highly strain- and metabolite-specific, underscoring the need for tailored stress packages optimized for individual industrial strains or target compounds. We also discuss universally stress-responsive metabolites, such as proline and trehalose, which consistently accumulate under multiple stress conditions and represent promising leverage points for metabolic improvement. Overall, abiotic stress-induced metabolic engineering offers a cost-effective, flexible, and non-GMO strategy to enhance fungal and yeast metabolite production, with significant implications for industrial biotechnology and natural product discovery.

Abiotic stress factors such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and oxidative stress significantly limit crop productivity and threaten global food security. Traditional breeding and transgenic approaches have been employed to enhance stress tolerance, but they are often time-consuming and face regulatory hurdles. The advent of CRISPR/Cas genome editing technology has revolutionized plant genetic engineering by enabling precise modifications to stress-responsive genes. This review explores recent advancements in CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing for improving abiotic stress resilience in crops. We discuss the mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas systems, their applications in stress tolerance, and emerging approaches such as multiplex genome editing, base editing, and AI-assisted CRISPR. Furthermore, we highlight challenges, ethical considerations, and future directions for integrating CRISPR into agricultural biotechnology. This review underscores the potential of CRISPR-based strategies in developing climate-resilient crops to ensure sustainable food production in the face of global climate change.

Tau class glutathione transferases (GSTUs) play essential roles in plant defense by facilitating the nucleophilic attack of glutathione (GSH) to a wide range of electrophilic xenobiotics. In addition to their conjugating activity, these enzymes possess hydroperoxidase function, enabling the detoxification of harmful organic hydroperoxides into less reactive alcohols. In this study, we identified three closely related GST isoenzymes (96-98% sequence identity) from Cicer arietinum (CaGSTUs) through computational homology screening. Full-length cDNAs encoding these GSTs were cloned, recombinantly produced in E. coli, and purified for functional characterization. Enzyme kinetics were evaluated using model substrates, cumene hydroperoxide (CuOOH) and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), revealing that CaGSTU1-1 displayed superior hydroperoxidase activity and thermal stability. Based on these properties, CaGSTU1-1 was selected as the parental scaffold for directed evolution via DNA shuffling, using the homologous Glycine max isoenzyme GmGSTU4-4. Screening of the generated chimeric library resulted in the identification of a new variant, CaGmGSTU, which demonstrated a fourfold enhancement in catalytic turnover and efficiency toward both substrates. Additionally, CaGmGSTU exhibited altered ligand-binding characteristics, including increased affinity for selected pesticides. Structural modeling and viscosity-dependence kinetics indicated that these enhancements were primarily driven by changes in enzyme flexibility. Given the widespread toxicity of hydroperoxides and related pollutants, CaGmGSTU represents a promising tool for detoxification applications in environmental and agricultural biotechnology.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), one of the earliest domesticated cereal crops, is globally ranked after wheat, rice, and maize for its global production. It has traditionally been valued for its role in food, feed, and brewing. Barley’s potential as a cereal crop is mainly attributed to its richness in dietary fibers, mainly β-glucan in addition to starch, minerals, vitamins, and protein that make this grain an ideal food supplement. Unfortunately, only a meagre % of the barley global production is utilized owing to the acceptability issues related to organoleptic characters. Genomic approaches are the best options to develop new varieties for improvements in traits including its organoleptic characters to be preferred by the end-users. Over the last few decades, with the advent of high-throughput sequencing, and CRISPR-based genome editing, researchers are now uncovering at a faster pace the genetic architecture underlying key nutraceutical, agrotechnological and industrial traits. These breakthroughs are enabling the development of barley varieties enriched with bioactive compounds beneficial to human health, such as β-glucans and antioxidants, while also enhancing traits valuable for bioplastics, biofuels, and other industrial applications. The present review highlights various recent approaches to and novel genetic variation of cultivated and wild barley, for barley improvement. The article also discusses the applications of genetic engineering to barley yield improvement and highlights future prospects for barley genomics studies. Lastly, an overview of potential barley byproducts and chemicals for industrial, nutraceutical or food applications is presented as future perspectives for barley genetic improvement propelling barley beyond its traditional uses, positioning it as a strategic crop for future food systems and sustainable industries.

This study aims to examine the role of agricultural biotechnology in improving the productivity, quality, and resilience of food crops as an effort to support sustainable agriculture. The method used is a systematic literature review of relevant national and international journal articles published between 2014 and 2025. The literature was analysed descriptively by grouping the findings based on aspects of increased productivity, crop quality, and crop resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The results of the analysis show that the application of biotechnology, such as genetic engineering through CRISPR-Cas9 and Agrobacterium transformation, tissue culture, and the use of functional microorganisms such as PGPR and mycorrhiza, has been proven to increase crop yields, improve nutritional content through biofortification, and increase crop resistance to pests, diseases, and environmental stress. These findings confirm that biotechnology has a significant contribution in producing superior plant varieties that are more adaptive and environmentally friendly. Thus, the integration of biotechnology into agricultural systems has the potential to become an important strategy in supporting food security and sustainable agricultural development.