The ongoing commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops continues to enhance global grain yields, improve crop quality, and reduce pesticide usage. These technological advancements have effectively propelled agricultural production systems toward sustainable transformation. Specifically, GM crops address core challenges such as pest infestations, weed proliferation, and arable land constraints, emerging as a pivotal new productive force in agriculture. This study systematically examines the global spatial distribution patterns of GM crops in 2024 and provides an indepth analysis of the driving forces and evolving regional trends, offering critical informational support and strategic guidance for innovation in agricultural science and technology. In 2024, the global GM crop cultivation area reached 209.8 million hectares, a 1.7% year-on-year increase. GM Glycine max (soybean) and Zea mays (maize) dominated the landscape, accounting for 50.0 and 32.5% of the total area, respectively. Among them, maize with stacked traits of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance accounts for 92.5% of GM maize. The share of cultivation in developing countries expanded substantially, with Brazil and Vietnam emerging as regional growth drivers. Policy support and the diffusion of advanced technologies were identified as core driving forces. Concurrently, applications of gene-editing technology accelerated, and several countries approved novel tr aits such as drought tolerance and disease resistance, marking substantial progress in the commercialization of next-generation GM crops. This research provides multidimensional insights and strategic guidance to support global agricultural biotechnology development, promoting the transition of biotechnology breeding into the ‘4.0 era’.

The commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops has increased food production, improved crop quality, reduced pesticide use, promoted changes in agricultural production methods, and become an important new production strategy for dealing with insect pests and weeds while reducing the cultivated land area.  This article provides a comprehensive examination of the global distribution of GM crops in 2023.  It discusses the internal factors that are driving their adoption, such as the increasing number of GM crops and the growing variety of commodities.  This article also provides information support and application guidance for the new developments in global agricultural science and technology.

Drought stress has been reported to impair chemotropism of pollen tube growth in the pistil, yet the physiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unexplored in G. hirsutum. This study hypothesized that drought-induced nitric oxide (NO) changes in ovules may inhibit pollen tube directional growth. To test the above hypothesis, pools experiments were conducted using two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars Yuzaomian 9110 (drought-sensitive) and Dexiamian 1 (drought-tolerant) under water stress. Results demonstrated that drought stress inhibited the directional growth of pollen tube to the embryo sac and simultaneously reduced fertilization rate, the number of cotton seeds per boll as well as the single boll weight. Moreover, correlation analyses showed that NO content in the ovules had significantly negative correlation with the fertilization rate, implying that NO changes in ovules might inhibit pollen tube directional growth and subsequent yield component formation. Further analyses showed that drought stress elevated nitrate reductase (NR) activity in the ovules of both cultivars, facilitating the conversion of nitrite (NO₂^-) to NO. This process was accompanied by the up-regulation of NR gene (GhNIAD) expressions in the drought-affected ovules of both cultivars, further promoting NO synthesis. The reduction in S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) activity under drought conditions was correlated with an accumulation of S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), suggesting that the compromised removal of NO contributed to the higher NO levels in the ovules. Additionally, elevated NO levels may, as part of a regulatory mechanism, further inhibit the activity of GSNOR in the ovules of both cultivars under drought stress. Thus, these findings revealed that drought leads to the accumulation of NO in the cotton ovules, which may be a factor inhibiting pollen tube growth. Of course, this causal relationship requires more evidence to be confirmed in future research. These results provide novel insights into the molecular-physiological mechanisms by which water deficit triggers reproductive failure in cotton.