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In This
Issue:
SCHEME TO MINE GENOMIC DATABASES
A new scheme has been set up to use the wealth of agricultural genomic data
stored in databases across the world and identify genes associated with crop
improvement traits. It also seeks to develop a public bioinformatic platform
to store this data and facilitate easy access.
The
Challenge Programme for Unlocking Genetic Diversity in Crops for the Resource
Poor is based at the headquarters of the International
Maize and Wheat Improvement
Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico. It was conceived as “a means of going in and
first identifying the genetic wealth held within these banks, developing the
tools and techniques to discover the genes, and then moving these genes into
crop improvement programs that target poor farmers and consumers in developing
countries," explained Robert Zeigler, the scheme’s director. Zeigler said that the Challenge Programme has already initiated efforts at
gathering preliminary data and developing a bioinformatics platform. The next
step will be to seek proposals that will contribute to the discovery of new
genes associated with improved cereals, rice, and wheat.
Contact Robert Zeigler at rzeigler@ksu.edu.
TANZANIA TO DRAFT GM GUIDELINES
A multi-sector group of Tanzanian experts will draft the policy
guidelines and regulations on genetically modified (GM) crops for the country.
The EastAfrican
newspaper quotes Tanzania's Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Charles
Keenja, as saying that the country had taken "no clear position" on
GM products but that it was important to “put in place mechanisms and
guidelines on how it would be introduced, including preparing a Cabinet paper
for the purpose.”
Keenja said Tanzania was having discussions with the South
African government over how to adopt GM technology. He noted that the two
countries have a similar
environment and have laboratories for research on GM organisms. Likewise, he
added that "As of now we are self-reliant for over 90 per cent of our
food, but by going about this issue systematically and critically, we would
in future reach a point where we will decide on how to adopt GMOs."
View the EastAfrican newspaper at this link:
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/EastAfrican/current/index.html.
ISNAR-IFPRI REPORT ON GM RESEARCH PROGRAMS
A new report from the International Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI) in collaboration with the International Service for National Agricultural
Research
(ISNAR) analyzed recently the public "research pipelines" for genetically
modified (GM) crop development in China, South Africa, Indonesia, Argentina,
India, Philippines, Egypt, Brazil, Bulgaria, Thailand, Zimbabwe, Pakistan,
Costa Rica, Malaysia, Kenya, and Mexico.
Of these 16 developing and transition countries, the authors stated that research
programs have developed 209 GM events, and 20 percent of these are currently
undergoing various stages of confined testing. With regards to field testing,
frequent delays were observed which could increase the possibility for a trait
or germplasm to lose its effectiveness due to disease pressures change, and
more productive varieties that will be released over time.
The authors added that regulatory systems and policies in these countries
have been under development for over 12 years. Some countries have already
conducted biosafety assessments, and have determined which crops are acceptable
for trials and use. However, despite this progress, regulatory decision-making
processes remain complicated, and are affected by conforming to the Cartagena
Protocol for Biosafety.
To expedite the development process, collaboration with farmers and engagement
in more public/private partnerships and South-to-South collaboration was encouraged.
The authors also discussed policy, political and institute changes that could
ensure the safety and efficacy of GM crops. A combination of these changes
and farmer testing of products from public research could result in the rapid
assessment of success or failure of GM crop development.
The full report entitled “To Reach the Poor - Results from the ISNAR-IFPRI
Next Harvest Study on Genetically Modified Crops, Public Research, and Policy
Implications” is available online at http://www.ifpri.org/
IOWA STATE SETS UP CENTER FOR GM RISK ASSESSMENT
Iowa State University in the U.S. has set-up a Biosafety Institute for Genetically
Modified Agricultural Products (BIGMAP) to develop tools and methodologies
for independent and science-based risk/benefit assessment of genetically modified
(GM) agricultural products. BIGMAP researchers will also develop strategies
for mitigating the risks and communicate the results of these activities to
key regulatory agencies and public policymakers to safeguard consumers and
the environment.
"Science-based risk assessment is the key for safe use of agriculture
biotechnology," said Manjit Misra, director of BIGMAP. "Plant and
animal biotechnology have the potential to feed and heal the world, but must
be managed to safeguard the food supply and the environment."
For its inaugural public event, it will sponsor a symposium
on "Corn-Produced
Pharmaceuticals and Industrials" on April 22 at the Comfort Suites Hotel,
Ames, Iowa. Among the topics to be tackled include the role of transgenic technology
in the biosynthesis of biopharmaceuticals and industrial protein; production
of recombinant proteins in transgenic corn; and concepts for human and ecological
risk assessment.
Registration can be made online at http://www.bigmap.iastate.edu/, or by contacting
the University Conference Services at (515) 294-3597 or confreg@iastate.edu.
CONSUMER ATTITUDES: KEY TO AGRI-BIOTECH SUCCESS
“The fate of agricultural biotechnology hinges on consumers.” This
was the key finding of a research that was recently conducted by Konstantinos
Giannakas, assistant professor, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources,
University of Nebraska, United States.
Says Giannakas, “consumer acceptance and demand depend largely on whether
people think this technology benefits them and whether they believe foods made
from genetically modified, or GM, crops differ from traditional products.” According
to him, this perception affects the decisions made by farmers on which crops
to grow, and the life science companies' decisions on the development and pricing
of GM technologies.
In his research, the author explored the economic ramifications of agricultural
biotechnology for consumers, producers and biotech companies. He also studied
closely the market and welfare effects of introducing GM products into the
food system, specifically providing an economic picture of what would happen
if GM products were placed in different markets and subjected under different
regulatory and labeling scenarios.
The news release
from the University of Nebraska is available at http://ianrnews.unl.edu/static/0404081.shtml.
PHILIPPINES APPROVES 17 GM TRANSFORMATION EVENTS
Last February 4, 2004, the Philippine Department of Agriculture's
Bureau of Plant Industry has approved 17 transformation events (TEs) for
GM crops intended
for use as food, feed or processing material. One TE was also approved for
commercial planting in the Philippines. This was according to a report from
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service’s
Global Agriculture Information Network (GAIN).
Corn, soybeans, canola, potato and cotton were the agricultural crops covered
by the 17 TEs. Based on the official registry, importers can now bring in shipments
of these agricultural commodities for use within the Philippines as long as
they contain amounts as stipulated in the approved TEs. At present, the approval
covers most of the corn and soybeans currently shipped from the United States
to the Philippines.
Specific details
of the approval are provided at http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200403/146105878.pdf
ASPB OFFERS ACCESS TO PLANT SCIENCE JOURNALS
The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) announced recently that it
is offering scientists in almost 70 developing countries free access to its
plant science journals, namely: Plant Physiology, and The Plant Cell. These
two journals are two of the three most frequently cited plant science journals
worldwide.
This activity is in line with ASPB’s participation in
the Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) - an initiative
led by the Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to provide free access to over 400 major
agricultural scientific journals worldwide. Topics about the latest developments
in the biological, environmental, and social sciences are also provided in
the journals.
Says Mary Lou
Guerinot, president, ASPB "many agricultural
libraries in (the) developing countries had not received science journals
for a number
of years. By providing scientists in poor nations access to current scientific
information, we believe scientists in these nations will be better able to
help address local problems in agricultural production."
For more information
about this service, contact Brian Hyps at bhyps@aspb.org.
GM FUNGUS WITH LYCOPENE
Scientists from the United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have
added genes for making lycopene and other carotenoids to the fungus Fusarium
sporotrichioides which grows on corn. Lycopene, a pigment that makes tomatoes
red, is believed to have health benefits, particularly in preventing certain
cancers.
Timothy Leathers of the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research
in Peoria, Illinois said there is potential to use the modified fungus to mass-produce
lycopene from ethanol byproducts like corn fiber rather than obtaining the
carotenoid from tomatoes. Corn fiber is ideal because it is abundant and cheap.
The U.S. ethanol industry generates four million tons of the fiber annually,
and sells it as livestock feed to avoid disposal fees.
Preliminary results showed that the modified fungus could produce 0.5 mg of
lycopene per gram dry weight within six days in laboratory culture. The next
step will be to scale up the studies by culturing the fungus in fermenters
on a growth medium containing the corn fiber.
Contact Timothy Leathers at his email address: leathetd@ncaur.usda.gov.
SALT-TOLERANT RICE NEEDS CAREFUL SELECTION
Under sub-optimal conditions, the best way for rice breeders to improve the
rice harvest is to produce varieties which are not fertilizer dependent. However,
specifically modified varieties need to be developed for rice growing under
saline conditions said the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
This has implications for many rice planting countries in Asia and Africa where
salinity is a major problem.
Gambian researcher
Baboucarr Manneh investigated variations in the rice yield and the possibilities
for increasing this under a variety of environmental
circumstances by means of plant breeding. He could accurately predict the rice
yield with the help of DNA markers. Manneh also found that the crop growth
model ORYZA1 accurately predicted the biomass and grain yield of the rice.
Using this model he could also assess the possibilities for increasing the
yield by manipulating the physiological characteristics of the rice plant.
The research was
funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. For more
information contact Baboucarr Manneh of the Department of Plant Sciences
Wageningen University and Research Centre at Baboucarr.manneh@wur.nl or baboucarrmanneh@yahoo.com. View the full press release from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific
Research at http://www.nwo.nl/nwohome.nsf/pages/nwop_5x5bvh_eng.
SWEDEN APPROVES THE PLANTING OF GM POTATO
Sweden has recently approved the planting of the first genetically modified
(GM) potato in the country. This crop, however, will be used solely for the
production of starch for paper. According to Gabriella Cahlin, spokeswoman,
Swedish Board of Agriculture, as quoted by The Guardian, the new potato contains
high amounts of starch that can be used in paper production. Cahlin, however,
conceded that by-products from the starch extraction will also be used for
animal fodder and fertilizer.
This decision was met by public resistance within the country despite the
fact that no scientific evidence has yet been found to prove that animals fed
GM crops suffer any harm or pass on any antibiotic resistance or other traits
further up the food chain. The move is also seen to stir a controversy within
the European Union (EU), which is still to ratify the Swedish decision.
Read the full story at http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,1188926,00.html.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
GLOBAL CHALLENGE SURVEY
The National Academies, a U.S. based scientific advisory organization, is
conducting a survey to gather insights from people in the developing world
on global challenges and whether agricultural biotechnology can help address
any of these challenges. Be part of this survey by visiting http://dels.nas.edu/global_challenges or emailing Michael Kisielewski of The National Academies at mkisiele@nas.edu.
ISAAA CHAIR TO GIVE TALK AT EUROPABIO
EuropaBio, an association of bioindustries in Europe, is extending an invitation
to meet Dr Clive James, Chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition
of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), who will make a presentation on the future
prospects for GM technology. His presentation will take place during lunch
on April 20, 2004 at the Dorint Hotel in Boulevard de Charlemagne,Brussels.
Dr. James founded ISAAA, a not-for-profit charitable organization, established
to facilitate the acquisition and transfer of agricultural biotechnology applications
from the industrial countries, for the benefit of resource-poor farmers in
the developing world.
For more information,
email Adeline Farrelly of EuropaBio by April 16 at a.farrelly@europabio.org.
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUMS
China:
International Symposium on Science & Technology in Agriculture The “International Symposium on Science & Technology in Agriculture:
Current and Future” will be held jointly by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural
Sciences (CAAS) and World Food Prize Foundation (WFPF) on July 10-12, 2004.
The symposium aims to promote the academic exchange and cooperation among the
agricultural communities between China and other countries.The topics of the
symposium will be: China and world agriculture in the 21st century; agricultural
policy; international agricultural science and technology development and cooperation;
issues of agricultural biotechnology; and hybrid rice. More information is
available at http://www.worldfoodprize.org/chinaconference.htm.
Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on Agricultural Biotechnology (REDBIO
2004)
Taking place in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic on June 21 to 25, 2004, this
event will cover topics including: nutrition genomics, molecular farming, marker
assisted selection, and biosafety and its applications. One special plenary
session, associated symposium and workshop will be devoted to rice biotechnology
in celebration of the UN International Year of Rice. For more information,
email redbio2004@redbio.org
UNCTAD XI in Brazil
A June 13-18,
2004 meeting of the UN Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will
be held in São Paulo, Brazil. This meeting will present new
opportunities to debate alternative policies for agriculture and world development,
and set the organization's priorities for the next four years. A symposium
on fair trade and sustainable development is also part of the agenda. For more
information, visit http://www.unctadxi.org/. | 
