From edit to outcome: AI-guided breeding targets gene editing’s field-performance gap
The next frontier in crop gene editing is understanding how engineered traits interact with the rest of the genome in the field, a task AI is being used to tackle
For years, biotechnology has focused on one central challenge in agriculture: making precise changes to crop DNA. Advances in CRISPR and other gene-editing technologies have brought scientists closer than ever to that goal.
Yet as gene editing moves from the laboratory into commercial crop development, researchers are increasingly grappling with a different question: what happens in the field after an edit is made?
Fertilizer start-up Mafix raises $5.4m pre-seed round to scale silicon for soil health, CO2 removal
Mafix will use $5.4 million in pre-seed funding to scale production of its silicon fertilizer that provides soil, plant, and climate benefits
While nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium remain the primary nutrients of concern for farmers, silicon is becoming an increasingly important crop input, with Stanford University spin-out Mafix aiming to produce it economically at scale.
The Seattle-based agtech start-up developed a mineral conversion process that enhances silicate rock weathering, Jade Marcus, CEO and cofounder of Mafix, told AgNavigator. Mafix uses cement kilns to make inert silicate rocks weather over time — as fast as a growing season — allowing nutrients to be released into the soil.
Bayer calms break-up speculation as Crop Science drives earnings beat
Bayer sought to reassure investors on multiple fronts as stronger-than-expected second-quarter results, progress in containing glyphosate litigation, a lower debt outlook and ongoing efforts to strip out bureaucracy helped lift shares. But CEO Bill Anderson signalled that a breakup of the group’s Crop Science, Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Health divisions remains off the table for now
Bayer reported a solid second quarter, with Crop Science once again emerging as the group’s strongest performer.
The division delivered 5.5% sales growth in the first half of 2026, helped by strong demand for seeds and traits and improved profitability. EBITDA margin expanded to 31%, driven by a higher-value sales mix, licensing revenues and tighter operational execution.
‘A landmark achievement’: China launches seed IP regime to spur innovation, protect breeders’ rights
China has rolled out a long-awaited agricultural plant EDV system designed to curb imitation breeding and better reward original breeders, with the first phase covering 10 major crops including rice, wheat, cotton and rapeseed
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced the first batch of crops covered by China’s new Essentially Derived Variety (EDV) system, marking the official implementation of the framework.
“Innovation is the core of seed industry revitalisation,” said Liu Lihua, director of MARA’s Seed Industry Management Department and director of the Plant Variety Protection Office.
Soil degradation is quietly cutting global food supplies, landmark study finds
Global crop yields are being significantly eroded by soil degradation, according to the first worldwide attempt to quantify its impact. Researchers estimate that reversing just 10% of human-caused soil degradation could generate enough additional food to feed more than 70 million people, while evidence suggests policies and incentives can help restore soil health
Soil degradation is taking a measurable toll on the world’s food supply, with new research suggesting that restoring degraded farmland could dramatically increase agricultural output.
Researchers from the University of Bonn, the University of Minnesota, the University of Basel and Hamburg University of Technology have produced the first global estimate of how soil degradation affects agricultural yields, finding that a 10% rise in degradation reduces crop production by around 2%.
Inside fertiliser’s innovation drive: Why the industry wants start-ups to help disrupt itself
After almost a century focused on optimising established systems, the global fertiliser industry is opening its doors to start-ups, biologicals, AI and next-generation nutrient technologies. Jack Keeys, the International Fertilizer Association’s first-ever innovation lead, tells AgNavigator why the sector believes decarbonisation, nutrient efficiency and climate resilience will require a package of innovations rather than a single breakthrough
When Jack Keeys took up his role as global lead of the innovation hub at the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), he became the first person to hold such a position in the organisation’s history.
That fact alone says something about how the fertiliser sector is changing.
“This role didn’t exist two years ago,” Keeys tells AgNavigator. “It took 98 years for the industry to create this co-ordinated global innovation programme.”
From farm resilience to nutrition security: APAC food leaders map priorities for a resilient food system
Building resilient food systems will require action across the value chain, from supporting farmers on the ground to deploying new technologies that improve nutrition and boost productivity
Food security is no longer just about producing enough food.
It also depends on ensuring farming remains economically viable, improving access to nutritious diets and using technologies such as AI to make food systems more efficient and adaptable.
Corteva lifts outlook, but investors want more than margin growth ahead of split
Corteva Agriscience raised its full-year earnings guidance after a strong first half of 2026 driven by premium seed technologies, licensing growth and operational discipline. Yet shares slipped following the results as investors focused on weaker-than-expected revenue and questioned whether profit growth can continue without a stronger top-line performance ahead of the company’s October separation
Corteva Agriscience delivered a robust set of second-quarter results, but investors appeared unconvinced that improving profitability alone would be enough to sustain growth.
The company reported second-quarter net sales of $6.38bn, down 1% year-on-year and below analyst expectations, while operating EBITDA rose 4% to $2.26bn. Operating earnings per share reached $2.30, ahead of consensus forecasts, prompting Corteva to increase its full-year guidance.
Methane money: Investors target livestock climate tech, animal monitoring and waste-to-energy solutions
Reducing livestock emissions is becoming an attractive opportunity in European agtech as investors back technologies capable of delivering measurable environmental impact while simultaneously improving farm economics
The latest example comes from UK start-up EcoNomad Solutions, which has secured £230,000 from the British Design Fund as part of a wider £400,000 funding round that also includes support from Innovate UK’s Investor Partnership programme and existing investor Beeches Group.
The funding will help the company expand deployment of its BioNomad® system, a decentralised anaerobic digestion technology designed specifically for small and medium-sized livestock farms.
‘The phosphate market today is completely unsustainable,’ Nutrien shares Q2 2026 fertilizer performance
Nutrien continues to review strategic options for its phosphate business, as the ag supplier anticipates higher fertilizer applications in the fall
A day after The Mosaic Company reported its second quarter (Q2) 2026 earnings, Nutrien reported its results, including lower nitrogen sales volumes and slightly lower potash sales volumes year-over-year, while phosphate sales volumes increased despite elevated sulfur costs.
“Following a strong start to the application season in the first quarter, North American retail crop nutrient volumes declined in the second quarter, in particular for phosphate and nitrogen. The reduction in commodity fertilizer volumes was offset by strong proprietary product performance. We maintained our full-year retail-adjusted EBITDA guidance of $1.75 to 1.95 billion,” said Mark Thompson, executive VP and CFO at Nutrien in an earnings call.