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UK ROYAL SOCIETY
TO RELEASE FARM SCALE EVALUATIONS
The results of the Farm Scale Evaluations (FSEs) will be published today in
Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, a journal of the Royal
Society in the United Kingdom. According to the Royal Society, results
reveal significant differences in the effect on biodiversity when managing
genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops as compared to conventional
varieties. The study emphasizes the importance of weeds within crops in
sustaining natural communities within and adjacent to farmer's fields.
A total
of eight papers were published. They looked at the effects on:
weeds in the fields, weeds on invertebrates in the fields, weeds
and invertebrates in the field margins, and on the effect of contrasting
herbicide regimes on both weeds and invertebrates as a whole.
Some
of the major highlights of the study according to the Royal Society
include:
- Significant
and variable impacts of GMHT cropping in beet, corn and spring
oilseed rape on the arable weeds when compared to current commercial
practices. In GMHT beet and oilseed rape crops, more effective
weed control lead to the decline in the number of weed seeds
left in the soil at the end of each growing season.
- Differences
in GMHT and conventional crop herbicide regimes had a significant
effect on the capture of most surface-active invertebrate species
and larger groupings in at least one crop, with most increases
occurring in GMHT maize and most decreases occurring in GMHT
beet and oilseed rape.
- The
effect of GMHT cropping on the interaction between invertebrates
with different feeding habits was studied by examining the relations
between plants and the abundance of insects grouped according
to their feeding preferences. The negative effect of GMHT cropping
on weeds in beet and spring oilseed rape, and the positive effect
in maize, resulted in similar changes higher up the food chain.
For
more information visit http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/phil_bio/news/fse_toc.html
NZ PARLIAMENT
APPROVES LIFTING OF GM MORATORIUM
The New Organisms and Other Matters Act was passed by New Zealand's parliament
which will soon lift the moratorium on the commercial release of genetically
modified organisms (GMOs). It only needs Royal Assent or the signature of the
Governor-General to become law. It will come into force on 30 October 2003.
Marion
Hobbs, Environment Minister said "New Zealanders will not
be forced to eat GM food. They will have choice, when and if GM
fresh food is ever offered for sale in New Zealand." In her
speech introducing the third reading of the bill she said "Like
the Royal Commission this Government believes that we can allow
organic crops, conventional crops and GM plants/animals to co-exist.
No one's rights have to be curtailed."
For
more information email ERMA New Zealand at info@ermanz.govt.nz or
visit their website at http://www.ermanz.govt.nz.
AMERICANS GENERALLY
UNAWARE OF GM FOOD
After
two years, most Americans are generally unaware and still undecided
about genetically modified (GM) food. However, the American public’s
opinion can only be strengthened if measures are adopted to significantly
increase their awareness and knowledge of GM food. This was according
to William K. Hallman and his colleagues at the Food Policy Institute
in Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, USA.
In the
report entitled “Public Perceptions of Genetically Modified
Foods: A National Study of American Knowledge and Opinion,” Hallman
and colleagues focused on the American public’s knowledge
and feelings about agricultural biotechnology, and how their perceptions
have changed over time.
Highlights
of the study are as follows:
- Only
half of Americans are aware that food products containing GM
ingredients are actually sold in stores, and only one-quarter
of them believe that they have actually eaten GM food.
- Majority
of the respondents are generally uninformed about biotechnology
and food production. Self-reported knowledge of biotechnology
is apparently low.
- Regarding
the acceptability of GM food, 49% of Americans approve of plant-based
GM food, while 27% approve of animal-based GM food. However,
10% of Americans are still unsure about their opinions about
GM food.
- Approval
increases when specific benefits of GM food are cited. Also,
certain reactions are evoked depending on how the technology
is called. The term “biotechnology” is perceived
positively, “genetic modification” is seen as negative,
and “genetic engineering” is often associated with
cloning.
- Socio-demographics
and food choices are related to acceptance of GM food. Women,
people over 64, and people with low levels of education are less
likely to approve GM food. Also, people who value naturalness
and healthfulness in their foods, and those who have purchased
organic foods in the past, are less likely to approve of GM food.
- Majority
of Americans (94%) agree that GM ingredients should be labeled
as such, but less than 1% of the respondents mentioned GM ingredients
as one of the things they would like to see on food labels.
A copy
of this report is available at http://www.foodpolicyinstitute.org/docs/
reports/NationalStudy2003.pdf.
GM AND NON-GM CORN, THE SAME TO ANIMALS
The
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has recently noted that
studies continue to show that animals fed with GM corn produce
meat, milk and eggs of the same quality as their non-GM corn fed
counterparts. Two studies published in the Journal of Animal Science,
volume 81, seem to support the NCGA’s observations.
The
first study is a joint research project by the University of Nebraska
and the University of Illinois. Results of the study showed that
the insertion of glyphosate-tolerant genes had no significant effect
on the nutritive quality of corn fed to cattle. Performance and
carcass characteristics of the beef steers fed with GM corn (Roundup
Ready corn) and non-GM corn were practically the same.
On the
other hand, the second study was a joint research by the Japanese
National Institute of Animal Health, the National Food Research
Institute, and the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland
Science. Results of the study suggest that the general health and
growth rate of pigs fed with GM corn and non-GM corn are also the
same.
Further,
the intrinsic genes, or recombinant sequence corn-derived DNA were
found to be degraded in the pig’s gastrointestinal tract.
Scant amounts of the detectable fragmented corn DNA, that were
not initially degraded, could, however, still be excreted. Environmental
effects of such excretions were also found to be negligible.
Read
the full story at http://www.ncga.com/news/notd/2003/october/100903.htm.
INDIAN SEED
COMPANIES COMBINE TO BUY INDIAN BT COTTON
Swarna
Bharat Biotechnics Private Ltd (SBBPL), a consortium of seven Indian
seed manufacturing companies, has signed an agreement with the
National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) over access to Bt
cotton technology.
SBBPL
comprises Nuziveedu Seeds, Ganga Kaveri Seeds, Pravardhan Seeds,
Prabhat Agri Biotech, Kaveri Seeds, Nandi Seeds and Vikki's Agro
Tech. According to P. Sateesh Kumar of Prabhat Agri Biotech, the
deal could give farmers more than a 50% cut in the price of Bt
cotton seed, when compared to Bt cotton produced by multinational
companies. NBRI's cotton should be commercialized in the next three
years.
In an
article in Current Science, Rakesh Tuli of India’s National
Botanical Research Institute and colleagues say that agriculture
in India can benefit substantially by adopting transgenic insecticidal
cultivars since, in contrast to the world average of 30%, of the
total chemical pesticides used in India, 75% are employed against
insects. "No other biological approach, as safe as and yet
as effective as the Bt technology is presently known to control
agricultural pests," they said.
Contact
Rakesh Tuli at r.tuli@nbri.res.in.
GATES FOUNDATION
GIVES GRANT TO COMBAT MALNUTRITION
The
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving a $25 million grant
to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to
improve the nutritional quality of staple foods in developing countries.
The
grant will support HarvestPlus, a global research initiative to
breed and disseminate crops for better nutrition, which is being
spearheaded by the International Center for Tropical Agricultural
Research (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI). Using an innovative approach called “biofortification,” agricultural
and nutrition scientists will work together to breed crops that
provide higher levels of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and
vitamin A.
HarvestPlus
has an alliance of international and national agricultural research
institutes, university nutrition and food crop programs, the private
sector, and non-governmental organizations in the developing and
developed world.
For
more information on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation go to http://www.harvestplus.org/noteworthy_2.html.
More
details on the HarvestPlus initiative at http://www.harvestplus.org
MONSANTO HELPS
DEVELOP ENHANCED CORN FOR AFRICA
Monsanto donated critical information to aid in developing one of HarvestPlus'
newly announced projects, a nutritionally improved African variety of corn
with increased levels of provitamin A. Corn is a primary crop in Africa where
vitamin A deficiency is prevalent. HarvestPlus is a biofortification project
coordinated by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
HarvestPlus
is investigating a variety of approaches to nutritionally enhance
the content of corn, wheat, rice, sweet potato, cassava and common
beans. These approaches include conventional breeding and plant
biotechnology. In addition to provitamin A enhancement, researchers
are also examining ways to boost the iron and zinc content of these
crops, which could further increase their nutritional value.
A major
component of the project will focus on training scientists from
Africa on plant science, biotechnology, and nutrition, to build
local expertise in these areas. Safety testing, efficacy studies,
education, and analysis of delivery systems will precede the development
and introduction of the enhanced corn.
Visit
the Monsanto website at http://www.monsanto.com.
GENE FLOW EVIDENT
IN RAPESEED
According
to Mike Wilkinson of the University of Reading in the United Kingdom
(UK), genes from genetically modified (GM) rapeseed could possibly
mix with its wild plant relatives. Wilkinson made this statement
after conducting a research on the yellow-flowered oil plant rapeseed
(Brassica napus), and its potential to pollinate its wild plant
relatives such as bargeman’s cabbage (Brassica rapa).
Wilkinson
and his colleagues surveyed wild populations of bargeman’s
cabbage along 316 kilometers of rivers and canals in an attempt
to determine the possible impact of GM plants on the UK environment.
The researchers observed that, on the average, less than 1 in 10,000
plants had crossed with the rapeseed. However, when wild plants
grew as weeds in rapeseed fields, 2% would likely cross, on rare
instances, with its cultivated relatives.
Comments
Rosie Hails, an ecologist from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
in Oxford, UK “the study is only a measure of hybridization
levels between two unmodified plants. How human-inserted genes
move, and whether they persist in the environment, are the ultimate
questions.”
The
study is featured in Nature Science Update. It can also be viewed
at
http://www.nature.com/nsu/031006/031006-13.html.
GENETIC BREEDING
OF MANGOES IN PAKISTAN
Pakistan
sees the need to go into the genetic breeding and selection of
mangoes. Breeding objectives would include developing superior
cultivars that would have better fruit quality, higher production
per tree, longer shelf life, and resistance to pests and diseases.
Farzana
Panhwar, president of the Sindh Rural Women’s Up-lift Group
in Hyderabad, Pakistan, says that biotechnology can improve mango
production particularly in the development of new varieties. She
adds that there are 40 species of mango that are found in South
Asia and 13 of them are cultivated for edible fruits.
Other
breeding criteria, Panhwar notes, are new cultivars that retain
the characteristic flavor, enhanced skin color, fruit of large
size, large pulp percentage as compared to skin and stone, good
sugar-acid blend, pleasing aroma, and suitability of fresh fruit
for canning.
Contact
Farzana Panhwar at this email address: farzanapanhwar@hotmail.com.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
GM
CONFERENCE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
The
first meeting of the Conference entitled “Ecological Impact
of Genetically Modified Organisms” will take place in Prague,
Czech Republic on November 26 to 29, 2003. For more details, please
refer to http://www.entu.cas.cz.
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