A new tool, SeedGerm - based on machine learning-driven image analysis – is able to test seed samples to ensure a certain germination rate is met in a low-cost, high-throughput and semi-automated way.

The product is the result of a collaboration between the Earlham Institute (EI), the John Innes Centre (JIC), Syngenta and NIAB. Details have been published in the New Phytologist, along with the open-source software and data.

Carmel O’Neill, research assistant in the Penfield Group at John Innes Centre says: “Currently most seed germination is still recorded manually. Against this, SeedGerm presents fast, accurate, high throughput screening and will be of major interest to crop seed production companies and research programmes screening large germplasm collections.”

A new body, called "Office for Talent", will be set up in No 10 to encourage scientists, researchers and innovators to come to the country, the government has said.

It will be tasked with making immigration "simple, easy and quick" for those wanting to move to the UK. The initiative comes as the UK seeks to recover economically from coronavirus. Some scientists have warned that uncertainty over Brexit could lead to researchers leaving the UK.

In addition, the government says its new Research and Development Roadmap will cut "unnecessary red tape" in a bid to encourage scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to work and study in the UK.

Genome editing does not pose any additional hazards compared to conventional breeding or other genetic modification methods, meaning that existing guidance is adequate for their assessment, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has concluded.

EFSA’s latest scientific opinion, published on Wednesday (24 November), focuses on plants produced using different genome editing techniques, including oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis and two kinds of site-directed nucleases.

These techniques modify a specific region of the genome but, unlike traditional genetic modification (GM), do not introduce foreign DNA.

A new vertical farm is being launched in South East London by Vertical future, which could mark a giant leap forward in food production efficiency for the sector.

The innovative farming method requires no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, and minimal human interaction, and, when implemented correctly uses far less of the planet’s resources and significantly less water, while producing much closer to the point of consumption.

Vertical Future’s new 1,500m3 farm provides a yield increase of 172% per m3 and approximately 60% less energy consumption compared to other vertical farms, making it one of the most efficient in the world.

The Prince of Wales has called for small family farmers in the UK and across the world to come together in a cooperative movement using sustainable farming methods, and for their plight to be at the centre of environmental action.

Small farmers, in the UK and EU, are facing their biggest upheavals in more than a generation, with the loss of farm subsidies and new post-Brexit trade deals in the UK, and sweeping reforms to the EU’s common agricultural policy to be announced this week in Brussels.

Scientists have decoded the whole genetic make-up of pigs in a development that could facilitate the discovery of genetic variations linked to key traits.

The findings could help improve selective breeding and enable more accurate use of gene-editing technologies.

This would help breeders develop pigs with desired characteristics, such as resistance to infectious diseases, the researchers say.

A New Zealand farmer has broken the world record for the highest wheat yield with a massive 17.398 tonne per hectare wheat crop.

Eric Watson has achieved the Guinness World Record for the highest wheat yield for the second consecutive time.

The Ashburton-based farmer produced 17.398 tonnes per hectare wheat crop, beating his previous record crop grown in 2017 of 16.791t/ha.

Nearly 40 percent of arable soils across England and Wales are 'degraded', according to a newly-developed soil health index developed by British scientists.

The index, developed by Rothamsted Research, shows for the first time that 38% of arable soils in England and Wales are degraded.

This is compared with less than 7 percent of grassland and woodland soils being given the same rating.

Environmentalists are calling for the UK government to match the European Union in reducing pesticide use by 50 percent by 2030.

The target has been called for in a new report by the Wildlife Trusts, which urges the government for more action in boosting insect populations.

The report, entitled ‘Reversing the Decline of Insects’, explained that reducing 'insect-harming' pesticides would help them become 'abundant once more'.

While the EU considers the potential role of new innovative techniques to protect harvests from pests and diseases, on the other side of the Channel, the UK is getting ready to open the door to new gene-editing technologies post-Brexit.

Asked about the potential for biotech and gene editing in the Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), the EU’s new flagship food policy, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EURACTIV that the bloc needs to develop innovative ways to cope with its dependency on pesticides.

Concerns are mounting about the impact of virus yellows on the future viability of the UK sugar beet crop.

Independent agricultural consultant Robin Limb says there are reports of up to 60 per cent of virus yellows in crops in the Yorkshire area.

“This could have a big impact on yield. Virus yellows could be the death knell for the industry without neonics and other chemicals to control aphids in future.”

A recent farm-trial used new precision tools to predict tuber size of seed and salad potatoes for growers to maximise yield and profit margin.

SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), partnered with precision farming company SoilEssentials and farmer-owned cooperative Grampian Growers.