Biotech Updates

A close relative of wheat, jointed goatgrass (Aegilops tauschii) has been worsening the problems of Chinese farmers. Mesosulfuron is the only wheat-registered foliar-applied herbicide that provides control of jointed goatgrass in China, but using it damages wheat crops. Non-transgenic wheat varieties tolerant to imidazolinone (IMI) herbicides can help solve these problems, but IMI herbicides remain in the soil and severely damage sensitive crops planted months and even years later.

Pakistan Announces National Coordinated Trials of 85 Bt Cotton Varieties

The Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) has announced that 93 new cotton varieties will undergo National Coordinated Varietal Trials (NCVT) in four provinces in Pakistan. The NCVT is the near-end stage of the performance evaluation process of any crop variety before Pakistani authorities make their decision to allow commercial cultivation.

China's GM Approval Process Could Cost Farmers Billions

The approval process of China for GM crops is affected by regulatory hurdles and delays that led to additional costs for US companies as well as added concern for farmers. According to researchers, some GM products have been waiting for approval for over six years, without any scientific basis for these prolonged delays. Thus, industry groups and some US policymakers have been proactive in pushing the Trump administration to press China to make more transparent and timely regulations for approval of GM crops.

VIB CRISPR Maize Field Trial Granted Permit

VIB has been granted a permit to proceed with its field trial with maize plants containing small surgical CRISPR-induced heritable changes. This permit allows VIB to continue the work that began in 2017.