Issue 3: Genomes and Agriculture

In this issue, we explore how genomic advancements can revolutionize agriculture: enhancing crop yields, engineering desirable traits, and expanding genetic diversity to help the agri-food industry adapt to climate change and emerging pathogens. While high-quality reference genomes are essential to global research, many eukaryotic taxa remain underrepresented. EBP-affiliates are addressing these gaps by generating reference genomes for geographical regions, diverse taxa across the Tree of Life, threatened species, and those of economic importance. Join us as we explore how EBP-generated genomes are driving innovation in agriculture—genetically improving crops and paving the way for a more sustainable future.

EBP GoaT Update

EBP taxa with assemblies out of all Eukaryotic taxa in INSDC as of June 4, 2025.

EBP News

NEW Principles on Patenting of Reference Sequences: The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) aims to make reference DNA sequences for all eukaryotes freely available through open databases, with minimal restrictions. Data must follow FAIR principles, though these don’t apply to downstream uses like applications or patents.

2 NEW Affiliated Projects

EBP Position Paper - Genomics in Conservation

NEW EBP Position Paper - Genomics in Conservation: In this new position paper, EBP offers guidance for members engaging with governments, NGOs, and industry on the role of genomics in conservation. It highlights both the benefits and limitations of using genomic data to inform management decisions—especially in support of Goal A of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which focuses on preserving genetic diversity to protect species' adaptive potential.

FIRST Regional Node