In This
Issue:
TRANSGENIC
FIELD CROPS DEEMED MORE PROFITABLE
Michele
C. Marra, Philip G. Pardey, and Julian M. Alston recently conducted
a study to describe the farm-level evidence of the impacts of transgenic
field crops. The research, entitled "The Payoffs to Transgenic
Field Crops: An Assessment of the Evidence," showed that compared
to their conventional counterparts, transgenic crops have consistently
higher average profit and, in some cases, required lower pesticide
use.
Some
of the research highlights are as follows:
- Growing
transgenic cotton (Bt, RR, or the stacked-gene type) may reduce
pesticide use, and has the potential to be a relatively profitable
enterprise in most of the United States (US) Cotton Belt. An
average yield increase of 292 pounds per acre, and a $243 per
acre profit increase were observed.
- Bt
corn can provide a small, but significant yield increase, across
the US Corn Belt, although in some states (Illinois and Minnesota),
the increase might be substantial, resulting to significant increases
in profit.
- For
the RR soybean varieties, savings in pesticide costs can be substantial
enough to offset the possible losses in revenue. However, discrepancies
in yields seem to be negligible as the transgene is inserted
into more varieties within the various soybean maturity categories.
Overall,
Marra, Pardey and Alston concluded that "for every transgene
type, crop and state combination, the average profit is higher
for the transgenic crop than for the conventional counterpart." However,
the researchers reiterated that these results apply only in the
context of the United States, although they might be expected to
have parallels in other countries.
The
published article can be found online at AgBioForum, 5(2), 2002.
AATF PROMISES TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER TO AFRICA
The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) is set to give Africans
a chance to work with the biotechnology developments they need, according to
Gordon Conway of the Rockefeller Foundation. "It is a way of giving very
poor nations the tools to determine what new technologies exist in the public
and private sectors, including but not limited to biotech; which ones are most
relevant to their needs; how to obtain them and how to manage them; and how
to develop nationally appropriate regulatory and safety regimes within which
to introduce them," said Conway.
The
AATF is an African-based, African-led institution that will operate
by creating partnerships with existing organizations. It will offer
its partners access to advanced agricultural technologies that
are privately owned by companies and other research institutions
on a royalty-free basis.
In exchange
for access to these technologies, the AATF will identify partner
institutions that can use them to develop new crop varieties that
are needed by resource-poor farmers, conduct appropriate biosafety
testing, distribute seed to resource-poor farmers, and help create
local markets for excess production.
The
program will be launched in Africa in September. Eugene Terry is
to set up the AATF's operational headquarters in Kenya.
"The
AATF is an experiment," said Conway. "It is a novel approach
to some of Africa's problems and it has its risks. But we believe
the opportunities created by the amazing scientific progress of
recent years are too great not to try to find ways of bringing
the benefits of new science to African farmers and consumers.," he
added.
More on the Rockefeller Foundation at http://www.rockfound.org
THAI FARMERS VISIT
INDIA BT COTTON FARMS
A delegation
of cotton farmers and members of the Federal Cotton Association
in Thailand visited their counterparts in India where Bt cotton
is being grown. They exchanged experiences with farmers in Aurangabad,
Nagpur and Hyderabad who were about to harvest their crops.
The
farmers who were accompanied by Dr. Banpot Napompetch, advisor
of the National Biological Control Research Center of the Kasetsart
University, Thailand, observed that cotton growers, whether in
Thailand or India, face the same problems as insect pests like
the corn borer and the increasing need for insecticides to control
them. However, the Indian farmers narrated that since they had
the option to plant Bt cotton, they got higher yields, and reduced
the need to spray chemical insecticides. Those who planted Bt cotton
had also more time to take care of their families or engage in
other productive activities since they were able to save on time
otherwise spent in spraying.
Cotton
planting area in Thailand has declined from 160,000 acres to only
40,000 acres this growing season says Punya Chareonwong of Thairath.
The Thai government has imposed a moratorium on transgenic trials
but is considering a lifting of the ban.
The
Thai farmers signified their interest in Bt cotton and hoped that
they would have the opportunity to try it out on their farms in
the future and share the benefits that Indian growers are reaping
now.
BT COTTON INCREASES
YIELD OF SOUTH AFRICAN FARMERS
Compared
to conventional varieties, Bt cotton was observed to increase the
yield of South African farmers in KwaZulu-Natal province by 50
to 89 percent, states Stephen Morse and colleagues from the University
of Reading in the United Kingdom. Morse added that the yield per
kilogram of seed was even higher (maximum of 129 percent).
Aside
from yield increases, the Bt cotton also reduced the need for pesticide
spraying, thus saving substantial labor. Morse and colleagues observed
that the number of pesticide poisonings also fell when compared
to the 1997-98 planting season data, where 51 cases of pesticide
poisonings were reported. The researchers foresee that if all farmers
in South Africa use Bt cotton, the number of pesticide poisonings
may be further lessened to two per season. Overall, the researchers
observed that the use of the GM variety in South Africa grew from
only 0.1 percent of farmers in 1997-98 to over 90 percent of farmers
by 2001-02.
The
research was conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa using actual farm
data. Morse and colleagues studied the records of 1300 farmers
in the Makhathini region, and also conducted individual interviews.
The farmer respondents, 60 percent of whom were women, typically
have between one to three hectares.
For
more details about the research, email Stephen Morse at S.Morse@reading.ac.uk.
PHILIPPINE GOVT MULLS
CREDIT FOR BIOTECH CORN
The
Philippine government through its Million Jobs Program said it
is considering plans to provide credit assistance to farmers who
will plant Bt corn in order to accelerate farm productivity in
corn growing areas. "The need to secure food supply is imperative
as the country and the Asian region in general is threatened by
the crisis in the Middle East," Million Jobs Program Undersecretary
Tetchi Capellan said during a recent meeting with Filipino and
Thai farmers at the Asian Institute of Management in Manila.
In 2001,
the Philippines imported 171,770 metric tons of corn valued at
US$25.6M, an improvement when compared to year 2000 when the Philippines
imported 446,430 metric tons. These are mostly used by feedmilling
sector which links the feedcrop and the livestock industry.
Agricultural
farm technologies that can help improve production and increase
efficiency must be used in a sustainable manner. "Safe and
responsible use of biotechnology is an option that the government
supports towards our goal in agricultural modernization," Capellan
stressed.
With
the Philippines as the first country in Southeast Asia to allow
commercial propagation of Bt corn, Capellan encouraged Thai farmers
to study the Philippine experience so that they can meaningfully
participate in agriculture policies regarding GMOs. Noting that
though Thai farmers have higher corn yields per hectare than Filipino
counterparts, Thailand still imports corn for its fast growing
livestock and poultry sectors. Food security in the region is an
important concern in ASEAN, thus, new technologies should be harnessed
including biotechnology. Should Thais plant Bt corn, an opportunity
for a common experience and cooperation exist for the region.
The
Los Banos-based SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center facilitated
the visit of Thai farmers in order to observe first hand the first
SEA experience on commercial propagation of BT corn. /SEARCA BIC
SPAIN APPROVES FIVE
NEW GM CORN
Five
new varieties of GM corn were authorized for non-human consumption
by the Ministry of Agriculture of Spain, reports the Antama Foundation.
The announcement of the authorization was made by Isabel Garcia
Tejerina, Secretary General of Agriculture, at the closing of Biospain
2003.
The
new GM corn varieties were similar to the two GM corn which contain
Bt strain resistant to corn borer that were approved by the EU
in 1997 and 1998. The basis for the approval of these new GM corn
varieties was the five-year successful planting of Bt corn and
that no detrimental effects have been detected, said Tejerina.
The new GM corn varieties were produced by Syngenta, Pioneer, Monsanto,
Nickerson, and Limagrain.
Spain
is one of the few EU countries to commercially grow a GM crop.
Last year, Bt corn was planted to 20,000 hectares out of the total
485,000 hectares corn area. Bt corn was reported to generate additional
profit of 150 euros per hectare and an average pesticide cost savings
of 20 euros per hectare.
The
approval of the new GM corn varieties will give Spanish farmers
the opportunity to compete in the global market, says Tejerina.
The
full report can be viewed at http://www.fundacion-antama.org
MARKER-FREE PLANTS
A research
team from the Netherlands has developed a transformation method
for obtaining marker-free plants of a cross-pollinating and vegetatively
propagated crop. Nick de Vetten and colleagues note that consumer
and environmental groups have expressed concern about the use of
antibiotic- and herbicide-resistance genes in plant transformation.
Although there is no scientific basis for these ecological and
food safety concerns, the team felt that generating marker-free
plants would contribute to public acceptance of transgenic crops.
The
strategy developed relies on the transformation of tissue explants
or cells with a virulent A. tumefaciens strain and selection of
transformed cells or shorts after PCR analysis. The team found
out that incubation for potato explants with A. tumefaciens strain
AGL0 resulted in transformed shoots and an efficiency of 1-5% of
the harvested shoots. This system does not require genetic segregation
or site-specific DNA-deletion systems to remove marker genes. Hence,
the team claims it "may provide a reliable and efficient tool
for generating transgenic plants for commercial use, especially
in vegetatively propagated species like potato and cassava."
The
paper is published online (10 March 2003) at http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/
nbt/journal/v21/n3/full/nbt0303-227.html
SPINACH IN ANTHRAX VACCINE PRODUCTION
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have developed a strategy for making
a safer anthrax vaccine by enlisting the help of spinach plants to manufacture
a key component. They reported their findings at the American Society for Microbiology's
Biodefence Research Meeting.
"Protective
antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis is one of the three components
of the anthrax toxin," says Alexander Karasev, a lead researcher
on the study. "Purified PA is currently used as a vaccine
against anthrax. However, the licensed vaccine derived from apathogenic
B. anthracis has side effects and a more efficacious and safer
vaccine is needed."
Karasev
and his colleagues have genetically engineered a tobacco mosaic
virus that when inserted into spinach plants, instructs the plants
to manufacture fragments of PA. The fragments can then easily be
purified and used in a vaccine. They are already being used in
the production of PA specific antibodies in laboratory animals.
"Plants
can be an excellent vehicle for production of a subunit vaccine
against anthrax based on protective antigen," says Karasev.
The potential advantages of using plant vaccines include reduced
cost and increased safety. Plant vaccines are inexpensive to produce
when compared to the cost of traditional vaccines. The use of plants
for the production of biomedical materials also eliminates the
possibility of cross-contamination with animal or human pathogens.
In addition, the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories at Thomas
Jefferson University anticipate that plant vaccines will have fewer
side effects.
Email info@www.greenvaccines.org for
more information.
PIONEER RELEASES GM
CORN HYBRIDS
Pioneer
Hi-bred International, Inc. will come out with its new corn hybrids
in time for the 2003 planting. According to Bob Heimbaugh, corn
business director at Pioneer, the hybrids contain insect-resistance
and herbicide-resistance technologies. Growers will have the option
of Roundup Ready weed control in corn, as well as insect protection
against black cutworm, fall army worm, corn earworm and European
and southwestern corn borer.
For
more information visit http://www1.dupont.com/NASApp/dupontglobal/corp/index.jsp?page=
/news/product/2003/pn01_15_03.html
CANADA APPROVES MONSANTO'S GM CORN
The
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada have completed
their safety reviews and granted regulatory approval for Monsanto's
YieldGard(R) Rootworm corn in Canada - the first transgenic product
designed to control the corn rootworm pest. The product was approved
a few weeks ago in the USA.
Very
limited seed supplies of YieldGard Rootworm corn will be available
to growers in Eastern Canada from DEKALB for 2003 planting. The
limited supply for 2003 planting will be used mostly for research
and on-farm trials designed to evaluate the benefits of the technology.
Monsanto
claims that YieldGard Rootworm corn provides superior season-long
corn rootworm control and better consistency compared to corn rootworm
insecticides and seed treatments.
"YieldGard
Rootworm technology works better regardless of weather, time of
planting or field conditions. It's easy to use, requiring no extra
equipment, no application handling hassles and it also reduces
exposure to corn rootworm insecticides," says Monsanto technology
development representative Graham McGregor.
More
on Monsanto at http://www.monsanto.com
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The
documented experiences of Bt cotton farmers in China are synthesized
in a brochure produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology
of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications. An updated version is available online at http://www.isaaa.org/kc | 
