In This Issue:

	CropBiotech Update Feedback Form		UK Scientists React Over GM Debate
	Bt Corn Can Help Meet Global Food Demands		US$21M Initiative to Boost Biosciences in Africa
	Cheaper GM Seeds to Boosts Adoption and Profits		NEPAD Spearheads R&D Action Plan for Africa
	Ghana Boosts Biotech Potentials for Hunger Reduction		Accurate Mapping of Arabidopsis Reveals New Genes
	New Kenyan Biotech Law for Hi-Yielding GM Crops		Less Waiting Time to Determine if Apple Tree’s a Dwarf
	ICRISAT Develops GM Pigeonpea Resistant to Pod Borer		Announcement:
	Bt Cotton Reduces Pesticide Use in Argentina		FAO Releases Publications

BT CORN CAN HELP MEET GLOBAL FOOD DEMANDS

Wider global adoption of the first generation of biotech corn or maize could produce an additional 35 million metric tons of corn — more than a 5 percent increase globally. This increase can help developing countries meet the rising demand for corn which is seen to possibly surpass, by 2020, the demand for wheat and rice. A report from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) states that the rising incomes in the developing regions of Asia and Latin America are dictating a shift to more meat consumption, which will eventually cause an increase in demand for corn-based animal feeds. The report also noted that developing countries will consume 80 percent of the additional corn needed by 2020, with the lion’s share of this increased production being grown by developing world farmers, who make up 98 percent of the world’s 200 million corn farmers.

Clive James, ISAAA Chair and author of the report, said that average yield gains for Bt corn over traditional varieties were an average of 5 percent higher in the United States, 6 percent higher in Spain, and about 10 percent higher in Argentina and South Africa. In Spain, the only country in the European Union to grow a significant area of the biotech crop, growers realized gains of 170 euros per hectare due to increased productivity and insecticide savings. In field trials, Bt corn yields were 24 percent higher in Brazil, up to 41 percent higher in the Philippines, and between 9 and 23 percent higher in China. Second-generation biotech corn — such as the newly approved variety in Canada and the United States that wards off rootworm — will produce even more gains with $1 billion in annual benefits to the United States alone.

In addition to the yield gains, increased farmer incomes and reduced pesticide spraying, the report said, “There is now clear evidence that food and feed products from Bt corn are often safer than the corresponding products from conventional corn because of lower levels of the mycotoxin fumonisin.”

The press release can be downloaded at http://www.isaaa.org/kc. Translations in different languages (Chinese, French, French Canadian, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish) of the document are also available.

CHEAPER GM SEEDS TO BOOST ADOPTION AND PROFITS

A study of Argentinian farmers suggests that reducing the price of Bt cotton would increase the level of adoption and enhance overall profits for seed companies. A survey conducted at the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, University of California Berkeley by Matin Qaim and Alain De Janvry showed that farmers' average willingness to pay was approximately half the actual technology price. At the current price, evidence suggests the economic benefits experienced in Argentina are small in comparison to other countries growing Bt cotton. Reducing the price from $103/ha to $58/ha is predicted to increase company profits from around $1.7 m to $6.1 m, as adoption rises from 22,000 ha to 184,000 ha.

The research shows the possibility that a lower price might reduce the black market in GM seeds. “Farmers who started using illegal seeds once might continue to so also with lower official prices, unless the risk of being prosecuted increases," says Qaim.

The paper, "Genetically Modified Crops, Corporate Pricing Strategies, and Farmers' Adoption: The Case of Bt Cotton in Argentina" appears in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics 85 814-828.

Email Matin Qaim at mqaim@uni-bonn.de for more information.

GHANA BOOSTS BIOTECH POTENTIALS FOR HUNGER REDUCTION

Hunger and poverty that is currently experienced in Ghana can be reduced via the integration of modern agriculture, such as biotechnology, with the traditional food production system. This strategy could broaden the country’s food and agricultural product base, and reduce the importation of agricultural products. Foreign earnings can, thus, be saved to rebuild the country's school system, and provide children with the needed healthcare service. This view was raised by Albert Wireko Osei, a columnist for the Ghana Web.

According to Osei, Ghana’s ratification of the Cartagena protocol on biosafety should have a significant meaning to the food policy and poverty reduction programs in the country. It should be able to specifically deal with future population increases and their impact on land tenure and management.

Osei stressed that in a global economy that is slowly being dominated by genetic science, the Ghanaian government must now take the bold step of producing enough food to reduce hunger and poverty. Biotechnology has the potential to improve on already existing food and agricultural technologies to produce higher yields. Ghana's traditional fermentation and cross breeding programs can be improved via biotechnology. Likewise, the promotion of the science should include educational programs to inform farmers about the seriousness of land fragmentation in food production programs.

Email Albert Wireko Osei at awosei@yahoo.com. His article can also be downloaded at http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=46034.

NEW KENYAN BIOTECH LAW FOR HI-YIELDING GM CROPS

Agriculture Assistant Minister George Khaniri stated recently that the Kenyan government is planning to introduce a new law for the effective governance of biotechnology in the country. He added that a new policy on biosafety issues is also currently in the offing. This was reported by The East African Standard which covered the biosafety framework workshop in Mombasa.

One of the primary uses of biotechnology in Kenya will be in the development of high-yielding crops such as soya beans, cotton and canola. Khaniri said research shows that Kenya has some of the best crops in the world. The new law is also expected to benefit the agriculture, health, and environment sectors, and alleviate hunger, poverty and disease-related problems within the country.

Khaniri further stressed that it is important that the new biotech law allow Kenyans to exploit new technologies. Kenyan scientists are qualified and should strive to develop improved crops – both for local consumption and for export. Among those present during the workshop were Bahari MP Joe Khamisi, Assistant Minister Andrew Ligale, and National Biosafety Framework Co-ordinator, Prof James Ochanda.

ICRISAT DEVELOPS GM PIGEONPEA RESISTANT TO POD BORER

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has launched field trials for genetically modified pigeonpea that is resistant to the legume pod borer or Helicoverpa armigera. The pod borer caused 50% of pest-induced losses for all crops in India during the 1997/98 cropping season. It is estimated that crop losses cost the country US$ 475 million, despite the use of insecticides worth $ 211 million.

ICRISAT Director General Dr William Dar says the successful genetic modification of pigeonpea addresses the specific needs of resource-poor farmers of the semi-arid tropics.

A group of ICRISAT scientists led by Dr KK Sharma, at the Genetic Transformation Laboratory developed the technology for genetically transforming pigeonpea, and introduced the synthetic Bt Cry1Ab gene that offers resistance against lepidopteran insect pests like Helicoverpa armigera.

According to Dr HC Sharma, an Entomologist at ICRISAT, more than 14,000 pigeonpea accessions were screened for resistance to Helicoverpa armigera by the Institute and collaborating national agricultural research centers. However, these genetypes have not been used widely. The level of tolerance provided in these genetypes is low, and some of the lines are susceptible to the major fungal diseases. After this contained field trial, the transgenic pigeonpea crop will go through a second season of contained trial at the ICRISAT campus to generate more data on biosafety.

Once successful, ICRISAT will collaborate with its national agricultural research partners to implement open field trials.

In 2002, ICRISAT announced the contained field trials of world's first transgenic groundnuts for resistance to the Indian peanut clump virus developed by Dr KK Sharma's group. After the success in the first season the transgenic groundnut trials are currently being repeated for the confirmation of the positive results.

For further information, contact Dr KK Sharma at k.sharma@cgiar.org.

BT COTTON REDUCES PESTICIDE USE IN ARGENTINA

A farm survey in Argentina reveals that using Bt cotton led to a considerable decline in pesticide application rates. The adopting farmers used 50% less insecticides on their Bt plots than they used on plots grown with conventional cotton. Farmers not only significantly reduced use of highly toxic chemicals but also benefited from concomitant positive effects on the environment and individual health. Moreover, Bt adopters benefited from significantly higher yields. Matin Qaim and Alain de Janvry of the University of Bonn and the University of California, respectively, gave these findings during the 7th International Conference of the International Consortium on Agricultural
Biotechnology Research (ICABR) in Ravello, Italy.

In an international comparison, the authors noted that Argentine cotton producers use relatively little amounts of pesticides, so the yield gains of Bt cotton are higher than in many other countries. Their econometric estimates demonstrate that average insecticide application rates in conventional cotton would need to be doubled, in order to achieve the same output per hectare as with Bt technology.

The full paper including others presented during the conference can be viewed online at http://www.economia.uniroma2.it/conferenze/icabr2003/papers/papers.htm
#DEVELOPING%20COUNTRIES

UK SCIENTISTS REACT OVER GM DEBATE

Over 100 hundred scientists wrote to the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, to express their disappointment at the handling of the national debate on genetically modified (GM) crops. The group noted that media reports about GM technology were misleading and not corrected. Large scale trials of GM crops recently concluded that two out of the three varieties tested could be more harmful to the environment than conventional varieties; however the scientists claim that the GM debate has not given them a fair chance to express their views.

Meanwhile, Prime Minster Tony Blair sent a response to the letter from the UK scientists. He said that “science and technology are vital to the country's future prosperity and that we need to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the top countries in the world for scientific research.” He noted that the reason why the government had not yet made a formal response to the results of the farm-scale evaluations is that they were still waiting to hear the assessment of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment.

For more on this, visit http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/
cm031110/text/31110w04.htm#31110w04.html_sbhd1

US$21M INITIATIVE TO BOOST BIOSCIENCES IN AFRICA

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya is the recipient of a US$21 million initiative for a state-of-the-art biosciences research facility for East and Central Africa. This new research facility is intended to pave the way for a network of African “centres of excellence” in science and technology. Researchers will use the ILRI facilities to work on researches that primarily address the problems in African agriculture. Nutrient-rich plants that are resistant to stress and diseases, and vaccines against livestock diseases, are some of the initial projects.

This initiative further aims to encourage African researchers to stay in the region and focus on their own agricultural problems. Also, aside from strengthening the research capacity in Africa, fellowship programs will be provided for African scientists. Collaboration between African researchers and leading public- and private- sector research institutes worldwide will, likewise, be promoted.

Supporting the initiative are the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). This news article was featured in SciDev. Net and can be downloaded at http://www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=1080&language=1.

NEPAD SPEARHEADS R&D ACTION PLAN FOR AFRICA

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Forum on Science and
Technology is spearheading a proposal urging countries in Africa to increase their spending on research and development (R&D) to at least one percent (1%) of their national gross domestic product (GDP) over the next seven years. The different Ministers of Science of the region are expected to vote on the proposal’s adoption later this week during the NEPAD-sponsored Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology in South Africa.

NEPAD is also targeting the creation, within one year, of a draft Comprehensive
Strategic Framework and Action Plan (CSFAP) which aims to persuade the 53 participating countries to increase their research funding. Likewise, the African Union (AU) member countries will possibly meet every two years to review NEPAD’s progress, while NEPAD's voluntary African Peer Review Mechanism will be tasked to monitor the different African countries’ compliance with the science funding targets.

The article featured by SciDev. Net can be viewed online at
http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=1082&language=1

ACCURATE MAPPING OF ARABIDOPSIS REVEALS NEW GENES

Researchers at the University of California and the Salk Institute have accurately mapped nearly 6,000 genes in Arabidopsis and in the process discovered 3300 new genes. The achievement should assist the development of genetically modified crops that can grow faster, produce more food and resist disease.

The project revealed some shortcomings of computer-based gene prediction programs, including those that have been used to sequence the human genome and Arabidopsis. The researchers said that computer algorithms could not always distinguish whether a piece of code corresponds to a single gene or two overlapping genes. In addition, while the programs have become increasingly accurate in recent years, the computer programs may still put genes' parts in the wrong places, find genes that aren't really there, or miss genes altogether. As such an initial sequence of a genome is a "best-estimate" line-up of transcription units.

The study, which appears in the Oct. 31 issue of Science reveals the existence of nearly 6,000 genes, about one-third of the genes that exist in Arabidopsis. "Arabidopsis has all the genes a plant needs," said Joe Ecker, Salk professor of plant biology. "All flowering plants are closely related, and so the genes that encode various traits are also shared. It's possible, then, to take a gene for flowering from Arabidopsis and insert it into rice or poplar, and have that gene function."

Ecker and Athanasios Theologis of the University of California are the principal project investigators which includes a team of 72 scientists from nine institutions in the United States and Japan.

Contact Joe Ecker at ecker@salk.edu.

LESS WAITING TIME TO DETERMINE IF APPLE TREE'S A DWARF

Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture have significantly reduced the time to determine if an apple tree will grow to be a dwarf and resist diseases. Through gene mapping, Genarro Fazio and H. Todd Holleran of the ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit in New York, have discovered the genetic inheritance of the dwarfing characteristic in apple tree roots, also known as rootstocks.

The discovery can help researchers find molecular markers that can help identify dwarf varieties, as well as positive and negative traits within those varieties, early in their development. Currently, a tree must grow for about 12 years before growers can tell whether it's a dwarf.

Fazio says the ability to read genetic markers may cut these evaluation times in half. In addition, further understanding of the workings of the genetic inheritance gene may make it possible to transfer the knowledge to other tree fruit systems.

More on this research in the November issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/nov03/apple1103.htm

ANNOUNCEMENT:

FAO RELEASES PUBLICATIONS

The Food and Agriculture Organization has released the following publications which are available online:

1. Proceedings of the workshop on marker assisted selection organized by the
   Fondazione per le Biotecnologie, the University of Turin and FAO in Turin, Italy, The proceedings of the workshop includes 11 papers covering crops, livestock, fruit trees and farmed fish. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/Torino.htm or contact mail@fobiotech.org to request the proceedings by e-mail.
2. “Animal biotechnology: State of the art, risks and perspectives", a 40-page background document (available in English and French), describes technical, environmental, animal health and welfare, food safety, regulatory and societal aspects of GM animals. See http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/food/risk_biotech_animal_en.stm or contact food-quality@fao.org for more information.
3. Multi-lingual biosafety training materials categorized as manuals, guidelines, reports, toolkits, CD-ROMS or websites are available at http://www.fao.org/sd/2003/biosafety/index.htm. For comments or to propose additional materials, contact FAO-BioDeC@fao.org.