| GM RICE IN CHINA ASSESSED
Jikun Huang, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues
recently studied “Insect-Resistant GM Rice in Farmers'
Fields: Assessing Productivity and Health Effects in China” in
the journal Science. Their findings show that genetically
modified (GM) rice has not only led to relatively higher
crop yields and reduced use of pesticides in China, but has
also contributed to improved farmer health.
Using farm surveys conducted for work on two of the four
GM varieties currently in farm-level pre-production trials,
researchers found that GM rice farmers apply pesticide less
than once per planting season, compared with 3.7 times for
non-GM rice farmers; the mean of insect-resistant GM rice
yields (6364 kg/ha) is higher than those of non-GM varieties
(6151), although only by 3.5%; and that there were no reports
of adverse health effects due to pesticide use from farmers
working on sample GM plots.
There were no differences noted between GM and non-GM growers
in terms of farm or plot sizes, the share of rice in the
households’ cropping patterns, or the household head's
age or education.
The GM rice varieties used were created to be resistant
to rice stem borer and leaf roller by insertion of a Chinese-created
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene; or by introducing a modified
cowpea trypsin inhibitor (CpTI) gene into rice.
Download the article at http://www.sciencemag.org/
cgi/reprint/308/5722/688
RESEARCH SHOWS GM USE GOOD FOR POLAND
With
data gathered from genetically modified oilseed rape, sugar
beet, and maize with herbicide tolerance and/or insect
resistance traits, Graham Brookes of Brookes West, UK, and
Professor Andrzej Aniol of the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization
Institute, Poland assess “The farm level impact of
using GM agronomic traits in Polish arable crops.” Their
work on the socio-economic benefits of the abovementioned
genetically modified (GM) crops appear in the journal Biotechnologica.
The research shows that GM technology can offer benefits
to farms of all sizes, and that small farms in Poland have
been the most enthusiastic adopters of it, given the simplicity
and low capital costs of GM technology. The technology also
carries with it additional intangible benefits, such as increased
management flexibility and simplicity, since finding outlets
for GM derived crops is likely to be fairly straightforward,
especially in the feed sector.
Key findings
also include a projected 10-90% increase in crop output
for both GM oilseed rape and sugar beet; an increase
of €55-116 million in annual added value for production
of the three crops; an increase in farm (gross margin) income
of between €67 million and €123 million; and a
decrease of 38-67% in the volume of herbicides applied.
For
more information, contact the author at graham.brookes@brookeswest.co.uk,
or download the report at http://www.pgeconomics.co.uk/pdf/Possible_farm_level
_impact_GM_crops_Poland.pdf.
PORTUGAL OPENS DOORS TO GM MAIZE
Farmers in Portugal may soon have access to 17 new varieties
of genetically engineered maize from different seed providers,
as the Portuguese Council of Ministers approved the planting
of transgenic maize in the country.
New legislation guarantees that genetically modified varieties
will be able to coexist with conventional crops. Current
regulation also specifies that the distances from transgenic
to conventional fields must be 200 meters, and from transgenic
to organic, 300.
With news from http://www.checkbiotech.org, http://www.bbc.co.uk,
and http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int.
ICRISAT RELEASES VIRUS-RESISTANT PIGONPEA
Pigeonpea
is a major crop in India, and is an important protein supplement
in the vegetarian diet. It is, however,
also susceptible to a number of diseases, including the pigeonpea
sterility mosaic virus (PPSMV), or “green plague.” PPSMV-infected
plants no longer produce flowers and pods, leading to losses
amounting to about $300 million annually in India and Nepal.
The International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid
Tropics (ICRISAT) has recommended the release of pigeonpea
variety ICP 7035, a landrace cultivar highly resistant to
PPSMV. The release is a joint effort of the research led
by ICRISAT and University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore,
and is supported by the Department for International Development
(DFID) of the UK Government.
ICP 7035 has excellent resistance to PPSMV and tolerance
to wilt, two major pigeonpea diseases in India. It is also
8.8 % sugar, so that it can be as sweet as garden peas; and
has high amounts of anthocyanins, making it a potential antioxidant.
For further information, contact Dr KB Saxena at k.saxena@cgiar.org or Dr P Lavakumar at p.lavakumar@cgiar.org.
CIMMYT INTRODUCES IMPROVED MAIZE IN NW INDIA
A new
maize hybrid promising early maturity and more protein
could prove beneficial to India’s small farmers,
through increased harvests and improved nutritional quality.
This
hybrid was developed by the Indian Council for Agricultural
Resources (ICAR), with the aid of the International Center
for Wheat and Maize Research (CIMMYT).
According
to ICAR plant breeder Raman Babu, this new hybrid can help
those living in northwestern India, where most are
dependent on maize for food. It is a cross between CIMMYT’s
quality protein maize developed in the 1980s and Vivek Hybrid-9,
a popular hybrid grown in nine Indian states.
CIMMYT contributed the donor lines, methodology, molecular
markers, and technical guidance while Babu performed the
research.
See the full news report on http://www.cimmyt.org/english/wps/news/
2005/apr/qpmIndia.htm
For inquiries, contact Raman Babu
(rbabu_icar@rediffmail.com)
or Ganesan Srinivasan (g.srinivasan@cgiar.org).
BIOTECH CORPORATION CREATED FOR MALAYSIA
Datuk
Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia,
recently announced the creation of the Malaysian Biotechnology
Corporation (MBC), geared to develop the country’s
biotechnology sector.
The corporation’s
thrusts include the aim to add value to the agriculture
sector; capitalize on Malaysia's biodiversity
to commercialize discoveries in natural products and bio-generics;
establish a network of biotechnology centers of excellence
at existing institutions around the country; give enough
incentives and financial backing to encourage the private
sector and academe to get involved; and build international
recognition for Malaysian biotechnology.
Specific government initiatives in biotechnology will include
government grants for biotechnology research and development,
a fund for training biotechnology professionals, and ten-year
tax-free status for biotechnology companies in Malaysia.
The MBC will be chaired by the Prime Minister.
For more information, log on to http://bic.org.my.
NEW RICE AND CORN VARIETIES ON PHILIPPINE MARKET
The National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) of the Philippines
has recently approved the release of 8 new rice and 16 new
corn varieties for commercial planting in the country. This
is reported by Dr. Sosimo Ma Pablico in The Philippine Agriculture
Magazine.
Of the
8 new rice varieties, three are hybrids and five are inbreds.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)
was responsible for four of the new inbreds, while the University
of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) bred one glutinous
rice variety. Private companies bred the hybrids. Of the
16 new varieties of corn, a good number are hybrids, and
some are of the glutinous white or of the yellow variety.
Farmers are invited to send their feedback and experiences
on growing the new varieties to spablico@yahoo.com.
‘
POTATO PARK’ TO PROTECT NATIVE KNOWLEDGE ON POTATO
The Centro
Internacional de la Papa (CIP) or International Potato
Center has signed an agreement with local farmers
from Cusco, Peru to start a ‘potato park’ to
house CIP’s germplasm collection, which includes domesticated
and wild potato varieties. This agreement is the first of
its kind to be signed by Peru and the Consultative Group
on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
The document
intends to preserve Peruvian farmers’ local
knowledge on cultivating more than 2,000 varieties of native
potatoes. These practices are selected and domesticated ancient
technologies from as far back as the pre-Inca times.
The Association
for Nature and Sustainable Development stands for the six
rural communities comprising the park. According
to Alejandro Argumedo, its associate director, “Biological
diversity is best rooted in its natural environment and managed
by indigenous peoples who know it best.” He sees the
concept of the park fit to be followed by other indigenous
communities.
For more information, visit http://www.cipotato.org/news_more.asp?cod=4
MORE BT COTTON VARIETIES APPROVED
India's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has
approved more Bt cotton hybrids for renewed planting, as
well as new varieties for first-time cultivation in the country.
The Mahyco Company's varieties MECH 162 and MECH 184 have
been renewed for planting in the Central and Southern Zones;
MRC 6918 and MRC 6322 have been newly approved for the Southern
Zone; while MECH 12 and MRC 6301 have been approved for the
Central Zone. Rasi's RCH 144 and RCH 118 may be planted in
the Central Zone, and RCH 20 and RCH 368 are allowed for
the Southern Zone. Ankur's Ankur 615 and Ankur 09 are also
newly approved for planting in Central Zone. Renewal of the
approval period for the MECH varieties will last for only
two years as per existing guidelines.
A few of the hybrids, however, did not pass approval for
planting in other regions of India. Mahyco's MECH 162 and
MECH 184 will be discontinued for Andhra Pradesh (AP), and
MECH 12 will not longer be planted in the Southern Zone.
Farmers in AP will have the choice of 6 Bt cotton hybrids
to grow, compared with only 3 in previous years. GEAC also
deferred its decision on commercial cultivation of new varieties
Bunny Bt and Mallika Bt, and has asked developer Nuziveedu
Seeds for DNA fingerprinting records. The decision on both
varieties may again be discussed in the next GEAC meeting,
scheduled for the 8th of June.
Find
out more from http://www.indianexpress.com/
full_story.php?content_id=69708, http://www.thehindubusinessline.
com/2005/05/04/stories/2005050402380100.htm,
http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/
2005/05/02/daily24.html,
and http://www.financialexpress.
com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=89912. The
story is also available in Hindi at http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/
2031_1348480,0065000600000008.htm
RNA FAMILIES IN RICE CHARACTERIZED, IDENTIFIED
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that
regulate gene expression. The genes which code for these
represent 1% of the expressed genome in complex organisms
such as worms, flies, and humans. Identifying an entire set
of miRNAs, as well as their target genes in an organism,
is important for researchers who want to understand how genes
are regulated, and how they may be silenced.
In “Cloning and Characterization of MicroRNAs from
Rice,” a research article that appears in the latest
issue of Plant Cell Online, Ramanjulu Sunkar of the University
of California, Riverside and colleagues used computational
methods to predict families of miRNAs in rice; and sequencing
methods to identify new families unique to the crop.
Using rice genome sequence data, and comparing this data
to miRNAs found in Arabidopsis, researchers predicted that
20 families of miRNAs exist in rice. With further experimentation,
they also found new families of the molecule which are not
conserved in Arabidopsis, suggesting that these may have
evolved after the divergence of monocots (represented by
rice) and dicots (represented by Arabidopsis). Researchers
were also able to predict the genes which the miRNAs regulate.
Download the complete article at http://www.plantcell.org/cgi/
reprint/17/5/1397
ANNOUNCEMENT:
BIOSAFETY CONGRESS TO BE HELD IN BRAZIL The 4th Biosafety Congress and Latin American Symposium
on Transgenic Products will be held from Sept. 26-29, 2005
in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Talks will focus on biosafety, co-existence,
dealing with biomedical waste, and working with genetically
modified foods and organisms, among others.
For more information, visit http://www.anbio.org.br. |
