In
This Issue:
NATIONAL ACADEMY
OF SCIENCE REPORTS ON GM PLANTS
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently received the
report done by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) entitled "Environmental
Effects of Transgenic Plants". The report evaluates and assesses the changes
in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulatory program,
and offers its recommendations for further refinements.
The NAS report reaffirms previous scientific findings that GM plants receive
greater regulatory scrutiny than conventional plants and do not pose other
considerable risks than plants generated from traditional breeding.
It also notes that the USDA has the full capacity to oversee the new and evolving
technology as it has been constantly adapting its regulatory review processes.
In line with these changes, the USA has addressed some specific issues regarding
three processes: notification, permitting and petitioning for non-regulated
status.
APHIS has also streamlined its notification process to include independent
scientific inputs. This is to ensure that the field testing of transgenic plants
does not lead to unwanted environmental effects, the report says. It plans
to monitor existing commercialized GM products to further ensure environmental
and health safety.
APHIS is responsible for regulating the movement, importation and field testing
of GM crops and microorganisms. The agency believes that the NAS report is
an important tool in the future regulation of biotechnology.
More information is available at http://www.usda.gov
ICRISAT DEVELOPS VIRUS RESISTANT
PEANUT
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
is currently developing a genetically modified (GM) groundnut that is resistant
to the peanut clump virus (PCV). The PCV caused an estimated US $ 40 million
in damages to peanut farmers worldwide and is a widely prevalent disease of
the groundnut crop in India and West Africa.
PCV has the potential to infect several important crops such as wheat, barley,
corn, sorghum, pearl millet, sugarcane, various grassy weeds, chillies, cowpea,
bambara groundnut and other forage legumes. The symptoms of the disease include
stunted growth and leaf chlorosis.
Dr. Philippe Delfosse, a virologist of ICRISAT based in Niger, says that PCV
is able to persist in soil even for several years as its fungal vector, Polymyxa
graminis, is capable of producing highly resistant resting spores. Another
problem is that it is transmitted by using infected seeds. Since no PCV-resistant
groundnut is commercially available for farmers, cultural practices such as
trap cropping with pearl millet and judicious time of sowing are followed to
reduce the incidence of the disease.
Dr. William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT says that they are already conducting
greenhouse tests and hopefully will make the GM peanut available for commercialization
in three years time. He added that ICRISAT also hopes to come out with GM pigeon
pea and sorghum in the next five years.
For more information contact Dr. Philippe Delfosse at his email address: p.delfosse@cgiar.org
NEW GM COTTONSEED
EXPECTED IN 2004
Dow AgroSciences announced at the US Annual Beltwide Cotton Insect Research
and Control Conference that they are launching a new genetically modified (GM)
product by 2004. The company hopes to introduce a broad spectrum, insect-resistance
trait to cotton. The Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt cotton has the Cry 1F and
1Ac genes that is capable of resisting major lepidopterous pests including
bollworms, tobacco budworms, pink bollworms, armyworms and looper complexes.
John Sobek, the global business leader of Dow AgroSciences' biotechnology fiber
crops division said that results of the field trials were promising. The company
intends to submit a registration package for the new trait by the end of 2002.
He added that the project is part of Dow's $1.5 billion commitment to biotechnology.
UGANDA FAVORS
BT COTTON PLANTING
Despite domestic hesitations including those from state officials of the Cotton
Development Organization, Uganda's government is planning to commercialize
Bt cotton says Agricultural Minister Kisamba Mugerwa. "It will be introduced
once we understand its characteristics. When it has worked elsewhere you can't
say it cannot work here," he stressed.
Bt cotton would help improve the beleaguered cotton industry in Uganda whose
annual produce has dramatically decreased from 500,000 to 100,000 bales. Cotton
is the country's fourth export commodity after coffee, fish and tea.
NEWLY FORMED
ABC TO PROMOTE BIOTECHNOLOGY
In response to public request for more "open and accessible information" on
biotechnology, three key players of the agricultural biotechnology industry
namely Monsanto, Syngenta and Aventis, recently put up the Agricultural Biotechnology
Council (ABC). It aims to update the public about biotechnology.
Stephen Smith of Aventis said that the biotechnology industries have a common
goal: sustainable farming with fewer pesticides. Tony Combes of Monsanto added
that recent surveys show that the public is supportive of biotechnology that
lessens pesticide use, fosters biodiversity, and reduces allergic reactions
to food.
ABC will not advocate biotechnology as superior to other agricultural methods
but rather to contribute to an informed debate on biotechnology.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Crop Biotech Brief Vol. II No. 1 "Global
Hectarage of GM Crops in 2001" by Dr. Clive James is now available
(pdf). |
