A novel OsSBEIIb allele was identified in an indica rice mutant. The OsSBEIIb mutation increases the resistant starch (RS) content in raw rice flour, as well as in retrograded and heated rice. The chalk2 mutant serves as a valuable indica rice germplasm for breeding high-RS rice varieties.

An elite germplasm, G253, with superior morphogenic callus induction and proliferation capacity was identified. A stable Agrobacterium-mediated transformation platform enabling transgenic plant generation was established. An efficient protoplast transient transformation system was developed from the morphogenic callus.

Building upon their earlier platform Crop-GPA 1.0, a team of researchers in China developed Crop-GPA 2.0 to enable transferable SNP-level genotype–phenotype association prediction across crop species. Across multiple crop species, Crop-GPA 2.0 improved cross-species prediction performance, remained robust under limited training data, and identified biologically meaningful SNPs supported by previously reported quantitative trait locus (QTL) evidence.

Stem diameter is an important agronomic trait that affects lodging resistance and stem yield in flax. To clarify the genetic basis of stem diameter, a team of researchers from Xinjiang University, Xinjiang Normal University, and Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science conducted a multi-model genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 200 diverse flax accessions representing oil flax, fiber flax, and oil–fiber dual-purpose flax evaluated in three environments. The study provides genetic insights into the natural variation of flax stem diameter, identifying loci and genes as direct targets for molecular breeding to improve lodging resistance and stem yield.

Researchers in China employed CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to disrupt Dysfunctional Tapetum 1 (DYT1), encoding a conserved regulator of pollen development in plants, and successfully induced complete male sterility in soybean. Phylogenetic analysis identified three DYT1 genes in soybean, among which two bHLH genes, GmDYT1a and GmDYT1c, exhibited distinct expression patterns, and their encoded proteins displayed different subcellular localizations. The study establishes CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of DYT1 as an effective strategy for generating male-sterile lines and provides a genetic resource for hybrid breeding in soybean.

Researchers have developed a scalable polyolefin bilayer membrane that helps roofs stay cool while resisting the loss of reflectivity caused by aging and dirt. The membrane achieved 94.1% solar reflectance and retained 83% after xenon-arc aging equivalent to ten years under the adopted testing protocol. Outdoor tests showed an average roof-temperature reduction of 9.4 degrees Celsius and a maximum reduction of 18.1 degrees Celsius, highlighting its potential for long-term building energy savings.