Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2009

ISAAA Briefs 41-2009

ISAAA predicted in the 2008 Annual Report that biotech crops were poised for a new wave of growth. Substantial gains have already been made in 2009 that are starting to bring that prediction to fruition. With 14 years of regulatory experience, growth can be accelerated moving forward.

Communicating Crop Biotechnology: Stories from Stakeholders

ISAAA Briefs 40-2009

Brief 40 Communicating Crop Biotechnology: Stories from Stakeholders documents how various stakeholders have benefited from science communication efforts and how in turn, they are now part of the process of realizing a collective voice on crop biotechnology. Stories from stakeholders in 14 countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda) and Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) as well as the global community show that despite the differences in culture, language, and geographical locations, they have similar experiences, face common problems, and share a hope for themselves and their family.

Communicating Crop Biotechnology: Stories from Stakeholders

Index | Video Highlights

The Development and Regulation of Bt Brinjal in India

ISAAA Briefs 38-2009

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) has released Brief 38 on “The Development and Regulation of Bt Brinjal in India (Eggplant/Aubergine)”. More specifically, Brief 38 is a comprehensive review of all aspects of the cultivation in India of the important vegetable brinjal, also known as eggplant or aubergine. Importantly, the Brief summarizes the development, status and content of the extensive regulatory dossier in India for biotech Bt brinjal, which confers resistance to the most important insect-pest of brinjal, fruit and shoot borer (FSB).

The Development and Regulation of Bt Brinjal in India

Note from Chairman | Executive Summary | Index | Full Report | Order Online

“Those who doubt the safety and benefits of Bt brinjal should go through this book to seek scientific clarifications. The authors need to be congratulated on their efforts in writing this useful and timely book. The book provides a comprehensive review on all aspects of brinjal (eggplant, Solanum melongena) cultivation and also describes the efforts made in developing Bt brinjal to control its major lepidopteran pest, the fruit and shoot borer (FSB) – Leucinodes arbonalis”.

Dr. T.M. Manjunath
Current Science
Vol. 96, No. 7 in 10th April 2009 issue

“On the whole the book gives an in-depth account of technical and scientific clarifications regarding the biosafety and benefits of the Bt brinjal. It is a great source of information for the scientists, researchers, civil societies, students and the stakeholders about the implications and prospects of Bt brinjal. This book should serve as an important source as it provides a wealth of information about existing rigorous scientific regulatory approval process in India”.

Dr. Beena Pandey
Asian Biotechnology and Development Review
Vol. 11, No. 3, July 2009
http://www.ris.org.in/abdr_july2009.htm

Crop Biotech Update | Biofuels Supplement

What is the latest on crop biotechnology? Find out the latest world developments in crop biotechnology that are of relevance to developing countries. The Crop Biotech Update features concise news every week and is also available through the KC subscription service.

See contents of latest Crop Biotech Update Issue

September 3, 2010

Global
• World Food Prize Foundation Honors Kofi Annan with Norman E. Borlaug Medallion

Africa
• Ghana Should Embrace Biotech Says SABIMA Coordinator
• New Maize Disease Threatens Food Security of Africa

Americas
• NSF Funds Rice Project of UA-Led Group
• USDA Announces Next Steps on Sugar Beets
• Lima Beans Domesticated Twice
• ARS Corn Lines Resist Fungal Toxins
• USDA and DOE Release Grants to Breed Better Bioenergy Plants
• SEMBIOSYS Issued Key U.S. Patent for the Production of Apolipoproteins in Plants
• Dow AgroSciences Showcases New Refuge-in-the-Bag Concept

Asia and the Pacific
• Grain Growers Reminded to be Ready for Rust this Spring
• Chinese Scientists Complete Genome Framework Map of Common Wild Rice
• NIBGE Identifies New Cotton Leaf Curl Disease Virus
• University of the Philippines Readies Borer-Free Eggplant
• Victoria to Host Plant Biotechnology and Aquaculture Events

Europe
• Scientists Crack the Apple Genome
• Launch of European Project DROPS - Development of Drought Tolerant Plants
• First Harvest of Amflora in Germany

Research
• Degradation of Cry1Ab Protein from GM Maize in the Digesta of Dairy Cows
• Detection and Identification of Rice Cultivars in Wheat/Rice Bread through PCR
• Geneticists Analyze Vertical Root Pulling Resistance in Maize Using Two Genetic Populations

Announcements
• 2010 BioSpain in Pamplona, Spain
• ILSI Workshops on GM Stacked Traits

Document Reminders
• Pocket K 38 on Biotech Wheat Now Available
• The Role of Trust Building in the Development of Biosafety Regulations in Kenya
• GAIN Reports: Jordan and Pakistan

See contents of latest Biofuels Supplement Issue

August 27, 2010

News and Trends
• Nanobiotechnology Puts More Light on Algae, May Help Boost Biofuel Production
• Enzymes in Termite Salivary Tissues Have Potential Lignin-degrading Ability

Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
• Analysis of Land-Use Impacts from Increased Biofuels Production in the EU
• Complete Sequence of Jatropha Genome Announced

Biofuels Processing
• Alpha-cellulose as a Substrate for Characterization of Cellulases for Bioethanol Production

Biofuels Policy and Economics
• USDA-GAIN Annual Biofuels Report for Philippines

Biotechnology Videos

Videos on "Biotech Agriculture"

Highlights of the Global Status of Biotech Crops

Knowledge, Technology & Alleviation of Poverty

Restoring Lost Cover

Videos on "Biotech Agriculture"

14 years of Biotech Agriculture is an information capsule on the commercialization of biotech crops between 1996 to 2009. Global Biotech Crops Report 2009 video is comprehensive review of the global status of biotech crops including an expert commentary on recent developments on Bt rice and phytase maize in China, a perspective on the development of biotech wheat and spread of biotech crops in the world

Highlights of the Global Status of Biotech Crops

A six-part series:

Knowledge, Technology & Alleviation of Poverty

This ISAAA video presents the major findings of the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2008 and addresses the growing interest biotech crops have experienced in the past years, including substantial advances in Africa. The Video discusses in detail the three questions global society has begun to ask about biotech crops.

Restoring Lost Cover

The video documents efforts of the Tree Biotechnology Programme-Trust (TBP-Trust) to meet the growing demand for quality trees and tree products in the Eastern & Central Africa region through a South-to-South, public-private technology transfer of the proven clonal eucalyptus from South Africa.

See All Biotechnology Videos

Feeds

Communication Products

Pocket K No. 38: Biotech Wheat

This Pocket K contains an easy to read account of the development of herbicide tolerant, pest resistant, salt tolerant, biofortified, and drought tolerant wheat which are made possible through genetic engineering.

Agricultural Biotechnology (A Lot More than Just GM Crops)

The booklet discusses in detail and in simple language agricultural biotechnology as it compares with conventional breeding, the agricultural biotechnology tools used in crops such as tissue culture and micropropagation, molecular breeding and marker-assisted selection, and genetic engineering and GM crops.

Biotech Crop Profiles

ISAAA Series of Biotech Crop Profiles featuring a comprehensive overview of the adoption, impact and future prospects of biotech crops in developing countries:
1) Bt Cotton in India: A Country Profile