In
This Issue:
UNIQUE
COALITION PROMOTES HIGH YIELD AGRICULTURE
Prominent personalities from different disciplines formed a coalition promoting
the "Declaration in Support of Protecting Nature With High-yield Farming and
Forestry" in Washington, DC last April 30. The coalition is composed of Norman
Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution and Nobel Peace Prize winner; Oscar
Arias, former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize winner; Dr. Patrick
Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace International and expert on sustainable forestry;
Eugene Lapointe, former Secretary-General of the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species, and President of the World Conservation Trust;
the Honorable George McGovern, former US Senator and UN "Ambassador to the
Hungry"; and James Lovelock, independent scientist and environmentalist and
founder of the Gaia Hypothesis.
The signatories declare that "additional high-yield practices, based on advances
in biology, ecology, chemistry, and technology, are critically needed in agriculture
and forestry not only to achieve the goal of improving the human condition
for all peoples but also the simultaneous preservation of the natural environment
and its biodiversity through the conservation of wild areas and natural habitat".
According to the coalition's website, agriculture poses one of the greatest
threats to biodiversity since clearing land for agricultural production destroys
habitats. This threat will continue unless the productivity of farmlands and
forests is doubled.
Borlaug said "growing more crops and trees per acre leaves more land for nature".
Moore on the other hand believes that managed forests and high yield trees
reduce pressure on the world's remaining natural forests.
To see the declaration, go to http://www.highyieldconservation.org
US
FARMERS' ADOPTION OF GE CROPS JUMPED DRAMATICALLY
"Driven by farmers' expectations of lower production costs, higher yields, and
reduced pesticide use, the rate at which US farmers adopt genetically engineered
(GE) crop varieties has jumped dramatically", said a brief released by the Economic
Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture (ERS/USDA). In 1999, 28.7
million hectares were planted to GM crops in the US. This increased to 30.3 million
hectares in 2000 and 35.7 million hectares by 2001.
The main reason given by farmers for using GM crops was "increased yield through
improved pest control" followed by their desire to decrease pesticide costs.
Other reasons included increased planting flexibility and environmental benefits.
These results confirmed other studies, which showed that farmers tend to use
agricultural innovations that may increase crop yield or reduce cost since
they expect their profits to increase. Therefore, there is a high incentive
to use pest management techniques since its objective is to reduce crop yield
losses.
The USDA report is available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/biotechnology/chapter1.htm
BIOTECHNOLOGY
CONSIDERED AS A KEY SECTOR TO NEW ZEALAND'S ECONOMIC GROWTH
New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark considered biotechnology as one of
the key sectors for economic growth alongside information technology and the
creative industries. The specific funding for biotech research and development
is expected to be announced this May. Identifying biotechnology as a key sector
is contrary to New Zealand's ban on the commercial release of GM crops for
two years, which has been in effect since October 2001. Prime Minister Clark
denies that the two are at odds and said that, "the need for a precautionary
approach with respect to one aspect of biotechnology should not blind us to
the opportunities which this fast-developing field represents."
Peter Lennox who heads the biotechnology division at Scottish Enterprise, has
been appointed as the director for New Zealand's Biotechnology sector. Lennox
sees his role as "pulling communities together and developing a common vision
among government, academia and industry".
Related article can be found at http://www.agbios.com/_NewsItem.asp?parm=
neIDXCode&data=2920
Bt
CORN HARVESTED IN PANGASINAN FIELD TRIAL SITE
Monsanto Philippines has harvested Bt corn in its field trial site in Sta.
Maria, Pangasinan last May 2, one of the 11 trials conducted in various parts
of the Philippines during the dry season cropping. The harvesting was strictly
supervised by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and was also witnessed by
representatives from other national and local government agencies. The members
of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) of the National Committee
on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) monitored the harvesting.
According to Ronald G. Cabangbang, Product Development Executive of Monsanto,
two Bt corn varieties were field tested in the area. These are Yieldgard 818
and YieldGard 838. These Bt corn varieties were specifically evaluated for
resistance to Asian corn borer and compared with commercial corn hybrids.
Results confimed the effectiveness of the Bt corn varieties in controlling
Asian corn borer infestation. Unlike traditional varieties of corn, Bt corn
exhibited healthier plants, undamaged stalks, and cleaner cobs. The benefit
of the Bt technology in protecting yield was clearly demonstrated. Data from
the Pangasinan field trial, including those in other 10 trial sites for dry
season evaluation of Bt corn, will be released soon by Monsanto.
GM
PARTHENOCARPIC EGGPLANT
A recent article published by BMC Biotechnology reveals the results of a collaborative
research between Poland's Research Institute for Vegetable Crops and the University
of Verona in Italy on a GM parthenocarpic eggplant. The greenhouse and field
trial results showed that the new crop is capable of producing by as much as
33% more fruit compared to the conventional eggplant. Other advantages noted
in this new GM crop are: a) good quality fruits during different types of cultivation;
b) seedless fruits with improved quality; and c) ability to produce fruits
in temperatures normally considered too cold for fruit production.
In its development, researchers have incorporated into the crop the DefH9-iaaM
gene. This gene enables the plant to produce seedless fruits without undergoing
fertilization. The iaaM portion of the gene encodes for the enzyme tryptophan
monoxygenase. This enzyme is involved in the production of indole acetic acid,
a hormone that triggers the production of a seedless fruit. The DefH9, on the
other hand, makes sure that the indole acetic acid is expressed only in the
flower buds of the plant.
To know more about the research, you can get the full article of the study
at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6750/2/4
GOLDEN
RICE IS
COST EFFECTIVE
Compared
to other methods of enhancing food nutrition, Golden Rice is more
cost effective in delivering Vitamin A to intended beneficiaries. This
was highlighted in the seminar entitled "Golden Rice: What role
could it play in alleviating Vitamin A deficiency?" by Dr. David
Dawe, an economist of the Social Sciences Division at the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baņos, Philippines. The
seminar was the second in a series about Golden Rice and was held
last May 2 in IRRI.
Dawe
made a comparative economic analysis between Vitamin A fortified
wheat flour and Golden Rice (GR). He
concluded that if GR is more widely adopted, it becomes cheaper than
alternative interventions in combating Vitamin A deficiency. He
added, however, that GR should be viewed as a complement to existing
interventions such as fortification and supplementation.
Vitamin
A deficiency, which causes deterioration in the immune system and blindness,
remains a major public health problem worldwide, more particularly in
developing countries. |
