Agricultural scientists from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have developed new soybean varieties through the utilisation of CRISPR gene-editing technology. These varieties are intended to enable soybean cultivation in areas with very warm climates including southern China and equatorial regions. The new varieties reportedly produced significantly more pods and seeds per plant when planted in lower latitude regions compared to currently available soybean varieties. In China, soybeans are primarily grown in Northeast China, Henan Province (Central China), and Anhui Province (East China). China is the world’s largest consumer of soybeans, however domestic demand is primarily supplied through imports from countries such as the US and Brazil.