PHILIPPINES
TO DEVELOP MULTI-NUTRIENT RICE
The
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), based
in Maligaya, Nueva Ecija, is gearing up efforts to develop
rice with higher amounts of beta-carotene, vitamin E,
iron, and even protein through a grant from the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global
Health Program.
PhilRice
scientist Rhodora R. Aldemita, who is currently doing
postdoctoral research at the University of Freiburg in
Germany, said the grant was acquired through a collaborative
effort with Germany-based scientists who are working
on improving the nutritional quality of rice.
A
PhilRice research team headed by Antonio Alfonso will
introduce some of the micronutrient traits to popular
rice varieties through conventional breeding. Aldemita,
on the other hand, will introduce other traits through
genetic transformation.
Aside
from the University of Freiburg and PhilRice, other beneficiaries
of the grant are Michigan State University, Baylor College
of Medicine in Texas, the International Rice Research
Institute, and the Cuo Long Delta Rice Research Institute
in Vietnam.
For
additional information, visit http://www.philrice.gov.ph.
MALAYSIAN BIOTECH GETS BOOST
The
Malaysian Biotechnology sector was given yet another
boost by the government when Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi announced the Budget for the year 2006.
Under this budget, the Malaysian Life Sciences Capital
Fund will be established, which will pool investments
from various institutions to give biotechnology a head
start. The Government has allocated an initial fund of
RM100 million (USD26.4 million) for this and is expected
to work on biotechnology application in agriculture,
health, and industry.
Entrepreneurs
involved in biotechnology can now apply grants from Commercialization
of Research and Development Fund (CRDF) and Technology
Acquisition Fund (TAF), besides banks and venture capitals.
Another avenue is the Malaysian Technology Development
Corporation (MTDC), which has been given RM1 billion
in funding to support projects in biotechnology and life
sciences.
With
all these strong commitments from the Government, it
is hoped that biotechnology will generate significant
revenue for the nation.
For
more information, contact Mahaletchumy Arujanan, director
of the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC),
at maha@bic.org.my.
AFRICAN
MINISTERS MOVE TO ADVANCE SCIENCE, RESEARCH
Dakar,
Senegal was the site of a recent conference of African
Ministers for Science and Technology. The conference
was organized by the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership
for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and brought the ministers
together to discuss Africa's Science and Technology Consolidated
Plan of Action.
The
ministers declared their commitment to support science
and technology, and the integration of these into national
development plans. They likewise noted that science,
technology, and innovation were critical to the realization
of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The ministers also plan to mobilize financial resources
and increase expenditure on national research and development.
Ghana's
Ms. Christine Churcher spoke at the conference, and said
that Ghana would forge partnerships with the rest of
the member states to fully use and gain scientific and
technical knowledge to improve the standard of living
in Africa. Also present was Nigeria's Turner T. Isoun,
who called for African researchers to concentrate on
research areas which would best serve the needs of Africa.
News
feed from Linda Asante Agyei of the Ghana News Agency.
For more news on Ghana, visit http://www.ghananewsagency.com.
AFRICAN COUNTRIES REJECT
GM FOOD AID
Zimbabwe
and Zambia have rejected genetically modified food donations
intended to avert drought-induced food shortages. Wisdom
Mdzungairi reports for Harare that participants to an
international conference on genetic engineering and sustainable
agriculture in Lusaka, Zambia commended the countries'
decision to mill some of the donated food instead.
Dr.
Luke Mumba, chairman of the Biosafety Council of Zambia
and research of the University of Zambia, commented that
while there was respect for the two countries' decision,
there was need to adopt safe biotechnological advances,
and that the use of GM technology could contribute to
the complex problems of alleviating poverty and malnutrition.
Meanwhile, Zambian Minister of Science and Technology
Judith Kapijimpanga said the problem of food insecurity
in Africa was a result of complex issues that required
an integrated approach for sustainability.
See
the article in http://allafrica.com/stories/200510110710.html.
EU TO DEVELOP BIOTECH RESEARCH PROGRAM
The
European Commission has proposed a new biotechnology
research and development program for 2007 to 2013.The
program will be discussed with the European Parliament
before being decided on by the Council. EuropaBio, the
association of European bioindustries, says that the
four major specific proposed areas are:
- Cooperation: Interfaces with universities, industry,
research centers, and public authorities designed to
gain leadership in key scientific and technological areas
- Ideas: Establishment of an European Research Council,
a pan-European mechanism to support creative scientists,
engineers, and scholars
- People: Strengthening of human resources to stimulate
research in Europe
- Capacities: Enhancement of research and innovation capacity
through new research infrastructure, support for small
and medium-sized companies, developing 'regions of knowledge',
and improving the position of Science and Society.
Online
access to the program may be obtained by visiting: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/future/pdf/
specifc_programmes/fp7sp_cooperation_en.pdf
AGRIC WORKERS SUFFER FROM HUNGER AND POVERTY SAYS FAO
Waged
agricultural workers who account for the largest labor
force in the world suffer from the highest incidences
of poverty and hunger. This was the gist of a joint report
of the Food and Agriculture Organization, International
Labor Organization, and the International Union of Food,
Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco, and
Allied Workers' Associations.
Entitled “Agricultural workers and their contribution to sustainable
agriculture and rural development”, the report says that “Agriculture
cannot be sustainable whilst over 40 percent of the workforce suffer precarious
employment and poor working conditions, and live in poverty.” In addition
to economic pressures, workers have to contend with low wage levels, job security,
health, safety and environmental standards and social protection.
The
report likewise noted a rapidly increasing number of
waged women workers who receive consistently lower wages
than male workers. Child labor was also cited as a major
concern. To address problems of agricultural workers
in general, the report calls for the development and
promotion of an agenda for fair and decent work conditions
in agriculture.
FAO's
release on this report can be accessed through http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/107955/index.html.
The full report can also be viewed at the FAO website.
RESISTANCE
GENE FOR POTATO LATE BLIGHT MAPPED Late
blight is a disease which affects potatoes. It is caused
by Phytophthora infestans, and is controlled by chemical
applications on the crop. P. infestans, however, evolves
rapidly, so that most control methods are providing to
be ineffective.
An
alternative would be to incorporate the gene for late
blight resistance into potato. But where can this gene
be found? Tae-Ho Park of Wageningen University, the Netherlands,
and colleagues take the first step in identifying the
gene by undertaking "High resolution mapping and
analysis of the resistance locus Rpi-abpt against Phytophthora
infestans in potato." Their findings are published
in Molecular Breeding.
Scientists
were able to narrow their search down to Rpi-abpt, a
resistance locus originating from Solanum bulbocastanum.
They then mapped and completely sequenced the locus,
and found that it was similar to a like locus in tomato.
Its protein product was also found to be similar to several
disease resistance related proteins from other plants.
Molecular
Breeding subscribers can read more at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11032-005-1925-z.
Other readers can view the abstract at the same site.
PAPER RECOUNTS EFFORTS FOR BETTER DISEASE RESISTANCE IN PLANTS
Plants
are ravaged by hundreds of diseases causes by fungi,
bacteria, and viruses. Such diseases can wipe out entire
harvests of important crops - in fact, it has been estimated
that about 40% of all crop destruction can be directly
attributed to plant diseases. The reliance on chemical
solutions to such diseases has also resulted in resistant
microorganisms.
Genetic
enhancement of agriculturally important crops is one
of the tools which may be used in protecting plants from
these dangerous diseases. Scientists are currently in
the process of looking for broad-spectrum disease resistance,
where a single plant can be engineered to be resistant
to a good number of bacterial and fungal pathogens.
Santosh
Misra documents these efforts in “Engineering Broad-Spectrum
Disease Resistance,” published in the latest issue
of Information Systems for Biotechnology. The technologies
developed by Misra and her colleagues are based on engineering
antimicrobial peptides into plants.
Such
peptides include a class of potent, natural antibiotics
which Misra's colleagues have used to engineer broad-spectrum
disease resistance in potato, protecting it from late
blight and pink rot, as well as some post harvest pests.
These engineered potatoes could be stored for over 27
months and still remain fresh.
Researchers
are now working on probiotic-enhanced wheat and barley.
Both crops should be resistant to Fusarium Head Blight,
whose pathogen, a fungus, is toxic even to humans. The
mycotoxin is one among many which contaminate staple
crops such as corn, tree nuts, peanuts, and sorghum.
For
more information, read the article at http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2005/news05.Oct.htm.
BT COTTON PERCEPTIONS, IMPACTS DOCUMENTED
India
accounts for 25% of the world's total cotton area, and
16% of global cotton production. A limiting factor to
the growth of its industry, however, is damage due to
insect pests, the most important of which are bollworms.
Before the arrival of Bt cotton, these pests were controlled
primarily through multiple applications of insecticides.
To
assess the impact of Bt cotton on the industry and farmers,
Uma Kambhampati, and colleagues of the University of
Reading, the United Kingdom (UK), conducted a survey
in late 2004 in the Western Indian state of Gujarat.
They looked at the impact of Bt cotton adoption on markets,
businesses, and institutional arrangements in India.
“ Perceptions of the Impacts of Genetically Modified Cotton Varieties:
A Case Study of the Cotton Industry in Gujarat, India,” published in the
latest issue of AgBioForum, shows that the greatest impacts are felt by the input
and seed suppliers. Both groups said that the demand for Bt varieties was increasing,
while the demand for insecticides was decreasing.
All
respondents mentioned an increase in cotton quality,
although they suggested that the government should purchase
the Bt gene and insert it into a finer cotton hybrid.
For
more information, read the complete article at http://www.agbioforum.missouri.edu/v8n23/
v8n23a13-morse.htm.
TEN
YEARS OF GM CONFERENCE
“GM
Crops: 10 years on,” a conference, will be held on
the 14th-16th of December 2005 at Homerton College, Cambridge,
United Kingdom. Organized by Nigel Halford and Martin Parry
of Rothamsted Research, the conference will cover topics
such as the global status of genetically modified (GM)
crops and their current and potential impact in different
parts of the world, from the USA to Africa; GM traits currently
in use in commercial agriculture; the next ten years -
from edible vaccines to pharmaceutical oils, and advances
in the laboratory that could lead to the next generation
of GM crops; and gene flow, co-existence, and safety and
regulation of GM crops. To register for the conference,
visit http://www.aab.org.uk/page.php?
start=184&conf=12.
PEW ANNOUNCES POLICY DIALOGUE
The
Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology is sponsoring
a policy dialogue exploring “GM Imports: Implications
for U.S. Biotechnology Policy,” to be held on November
2, 2005 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at the Holeman Lounge,
National Press Club, Washington, D.C. Participants include:
Joel Cohen, of the International Food Policy Research Institute;
Mark Mansour, of Morgan Lewis; Greg Jaffe, of the Center
for Science in the Public Interest; and David Coia, of
the USA Rice Federation.
If
you are interested in attending this event, please go to
http://pewagbiotech.org/events/1102/ or send an e-mail
to Kara Flynn at kflynn@pewagbiotech.org.
BIOSQUARE 2006
BIO
Square 2006 will take place March 8-10, 2006 at the International
Conference Center, Geneva, Switzerland. It is a platform
for the top management of biotechnology companies to meet
with key research and business development executives from
the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, agriculture, food, and
finance industries. For more information, visit http://www.ebdgroup.com/biosquare.
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