In
This Issue:
BIOTECH
FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The AgBioWorld Foundation urged representatives to next week's World Summit
on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa to live up to a ten-year-old
commitment to facilitate the introduction of advanced biotechnologies into
less developed nations.
"At the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, negotiators committed to using biotechnology to
advance sustainable development goals," said AgBioWorld president C.S. Prakash,
a professor of plant genetics at Tuskegee University, USA. "But for the past
ten years, most industrialized nations have been actively preventing this from
becoming a reality."
AgBioWorld notes that the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN's "Agenda
21" -- adopted by more than 178 governments at the Rio Earth Summit -- both
acknowledge that biotechnology can be used to improve food security, healthcare,
and environmental protection. A wide body of international scientists and independent
scientific bodies, including the UN's World Health Organization and Food and
Agricultural Organization, agree that food biotechnology poses no more risk
to consumers or the environment than conventional breeding.
The AgBioWorld Foundation (www.AgBioWorld.org) is a non-profit organization
that provides information to teachers, journalists, policymakers, and the general
public about developments in plant science, biotechnology, and sustainable
agriculture.
For more details email C.S. Prakash at prakash@agbioworld.org.
WORLD
SUMMIT COULD BE TURNING POINT FOR SCIENTISTS
The World Summit for Sustainable Development to be held next week at Johannesburg,
South Africa, "could mark the start of a transformation in the way scientists
deal with sustainability issues". This is according to the Nature Science Update
22 August 2002 issue.
The Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability (ICSU) based at
Harvard University, together with the Third World Academy of Sciences in Trieste,
Italy, and the World Federation of Engineering Organisations in Paris, will
be running a series of parallel meetings in Johannesburg. The council hopes
to summarize its findings in a report that "could serve as a framework for
science and sustainability" by early next year.
Addressing the need of getting existing scientific expertise to where it is
needed will be priority on the researcher's agenda. Daniel Kammen, director
of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California,
Berkeley believes that the techniques, tools and experience to do the work
already exists. Another need, say sustainability experts, "is the expansion
of local research projects so as to address the sustainability of all resources
at a particular location at once".
However, scientists face problems such as getting needed funds. Getting the
information to policy makers is another issue. Thomas Rosswall, executive director
of the International Council for Science in Paris, stated, "communication about
sustainability issues can be poor even among scientists". What is needed is
a clear description of exactly what researchers can do for sustainable development
and to make policy makers realize what science can offer.
To read the article in full go to http://www.nature.com/nsu/020819/020819-7.html.
A series of fact sheets released by the United Nations on the World Summit
is available at: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/whats_new/otherstories_unfactsheets_finance.html
FAO:
HOW TO FEED 2 BILLION MORE PEOPLE
By the year 2030, there will be an additional 2 billion more people but according
to the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Jelle Bruinsma, it is possible
to meet the demand. Bruinsma, editor of the major FAO publication "World Agriculture:
towards 2015/2030", said it is estimated that the total demand for agricultural
products will be 60% higher than today and more than 85% will be in developing
countries.
However, agriculture will respond to the increase in demand though not automatically.
Furthermore, the pressure in the environment will increase though not as rapidly
as in the past because population growth is expected to slow down and more
agricultural technologies will become available that have less damaging effects
on natural resources than conventional methods. Regarding arable land and water,
some regions will have ample resources while others are already experiencing
shortages.
It was
also projected by FAO that the agricultural trade deficit in the
developing world will increase drastically from the present to 2030.
While globalization can potentially offer great benefits, a few more
things need to be done for developing countries to profit from trade
in agricultural products and these include:
- Eliminate
export subsidies
- Simplify
access to markets in OECD (industrialized) countries
- Reduce
tariffs in both OECD and developing countries, in particular for
processed products
- Reduce
production-enhancing subsidies in OECD countries
- Make
sure that safety, environmental and other standards are not used
as protectionism in disguise.
To see
more of Bruinsma's views go to http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/
news/2002/8280-en.html.
CSIRO
TO STRENGTHEN BIOTECH R AND D
Australia is gearing to become a stronger global competitor in the field of
biotechnological research and development in the 21st century. The Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) launched its strategy
statement to achieve growth in the area at the AusBiotech2002 Conference in
Melbourne, Australia.
The statement stresses that "Our vision for Australia is to use biotechnologies
to deliver improvements in our health and well being; safer and more globally
competitive food systems; prosperity through more jobs and new industry developments;
and, a more sustainable environment".
Richard Head, Deputy Chair of CSIRO's Biotechnology Strategy Team, said Australia's
biotechnology R & D sector was in a prime position to take advantage of
its already high international standing.
CSIRO currently spends about Aus$112 million on biotechnology research. This
is 29% of the Australian Government investment in biotechnology R&D, and
about 12% of CSIRO's total budget. New investments in bioinformatics, structural
biology and robotics, totaling Aus$3.6 million, are being made to position
CSIRO more strongly in emerging areas of biotechnology research.
To accompany the Strategy, CSIRO has developed BioActivities, an interactive
presentation of CSIRO's research on a CD-ROM and the Internet that illustrates
the many different applications of biotechnology that CSIRO research is delivering.
The Strategy and the accompanying CSIRO Biotechnology presentation are available
on the web at http://www.csiro.au/biotechnology
BT
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSED
The American Society of Microbiology has come up with a study entitled "100
years of Bacillus thuringiensis: A Critical Scientific Assessment". The report
is a summary of conclusions reached by 25 scientists with experience in various
aspects of Bt, plant biology, entomology, microbiology and ecology.
Bt is currently being used as sprays and engineered into transgenic plants.
Its insecticidal proteins have provided "a uniquely specific, safe and effective
tool for the control of a wide variety of insect pests".
Since Bt is highly specific, humans and non-target species are unaffected.
It only affects target organisms and closely related species, though it may
indirectly affect the biotic community because of changes in insect populations.
Unlike some insecticides that accumulate in biological systems, there is no
data that Bt proteins do so.
Insects have the potential to develop resistance to Bt if the technology is
used incorrectly or overused though there are management strategies to delay
this occurrence. It is also theoretically possible for microorganisms to incorporate
DNA from transgenic plants though this has only been accomplished under optimal
conditions in the laboratory and is even more improbable in nature. The report
further says "there is no evidence that genes from non-engineered crops have
been transferred to microorganisms and there is no basis to suggest that transgenes
would transfer more readily than any other genes".
Transgenic plants with the Bt protein have strengths and weaknesses. The insecticidal
crystal proteins (ICP) are present in high concentrations in most or all tissues
in current transgenic plants that allow Bt crops to control even insects that
burrow deep into the plant. A potential problem is that ICP specificity could
not be changed in the middle of a planting season in case there is a need.
The report recommends further areas for research and communication regarding
Bt technology. It can be downloaded at http://www.asmusa.org/acasrc/pdfs/Btreport.pdf.
NITROGEN-FIXATION
GENE FOUND
One of the sought after traits in genetic engineering is the capability to
convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients that plants need. Two studies have
identified the protein that enables some plant roots to exchange nutrients
with microbes.
The first study was done by Gyorgy Kiss and Colleagues at the Hungarian Academy
of Sciences in Szeqed. The second study was conducted by Martin Parniske and
colleagues of the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK. Both groups found the same
protein though they used different names.
Only a few plants, including peas and beans, have the trait to form a symbiotic
relationship with bacteria that convert the atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia.
In return, the plants give carbohydrates to the bacteria, which dwell in nodules
in their roots.
Kiss said that the obvious next step is to use the findings to give non-symbiotic
plants the nitrogen-fixing trait. However, he cautions that altering staple
crops like wheat, rice and maize will take a long time.
The original article was written by Sarah Cooney and appeared in the 27 June
2002 issue of Nature Science Update. It can also be downloaded at http://www.nature.com/nsu/020624/020624-7.html.
ORGANICS
NOT NECESSARILY MORE NUTRITIOUS
A review of 100 comparative studies of organic and conventional foods disprove
claims that organically produced food has superior nutritional benefits. The
University of Otago in New Zealand conducted the study which is the first critical
review of research comparing organic and conventional foods.
The research team led by Diane Bourn and John Prescott, published their findings
in a recent edition of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
"We found no strong evidence that organic and conventional foods differ in concentrations
of various nutrients, with the possible exception of nitrate content, which may
be lower in some organic crops" Bourn says. No evidence was found that certified
organic foods might be more susceptible to microbiological contamination.
Studies investigating taste found no convincing evidence of any differences
between conventional and organic produce. However studies have not clearly
considered factors such as variety, time of harvest, distribution, and storage
conditions," Bourn added.
Additional details are available at: http://www.bio-scope.org/disp_doc.cfm?id=14A892096F0
942988DCAAF2911B9ABDB
ISAAA's
Updated Pocket Ks Available On-line
The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
through its Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology has updated earlier
editions of its Pocket K (Knowledge) series. Pocket Ks are packaged information
on crop biotechnology products and related issues that are written in an easy
to understand style. Topics available are: questions and answers about genetically
modified crops; plant products of biotechnology; food safety; GM crops and
the environment; and documented benefits of GM crops.
Download the two materials and other Pocket Ks for free at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/Services.htm
ANNOUNCEMENT:
CSIRO INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) will
hold an international workshop entitled "Towards Building a Global Rice Gene
Machine" to be held November 12-12, 2002 at the CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra,
Australia. The workshop focuses on rice functional genomics, focusing on insertional
mutagenesis as a resource for assignment of gene function. CSIRO is planning
to set up a web telecast of the workshop for interested scientists who cannot
attend the workshop. For more details contact Narayana Upadhyaya, convenor,
at narayana.upadhyaya@csiro.au
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