HEADS
OF STATE DISCUSS MDGS, AGRICULTURE
About
170 heads of state are in the United Nations Headquarters
in New York to discuss the future of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), among others. The MDGs set 8 goals, 18 targets,
and 48 performance indicators to reduce poverty and improve
people’s economic and social development in developing
countries. A side event to highlight the importance of
agriculture and agricultural research for achieving the
MDGs will be hosted by the Chair of the G-77, the Government
of Japan, and the Chair of the CGIAR.
The Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called on the international
community to honor its commitments to cut world hunger
in half by 2015. It urged governments and private sector
corporations to "adequately fund actions and initiatives
that reduce hunger through rural development and reduction
of rural poverty, while at the same time strengthening
direct access to food by the most vulnerable."
FAO prepared
a paper on “Eradication of poverty and hunger” for
the summit that outlines a concise strategy to meet the
first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on hunger and poverty
reduction.
Additional
information on the United Nations World Summit is available
at http://www.cgiar.org/monthlystory/
september2005.html and http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/
news/2005/107538/index.html.
INTEGRATING
SOCIO-ECON ISSUES IN BIOSAFETY DECISIONS
Environmental,
health, and socio-economic concerns need to be considered
in decisions regarding biotechnology. Governance mechanisms
and opportunities for stakeholder engagement that can assist
in minimizing risks while maximizing the potential benefits
of the technology are proposed in “Integrating socio-economic
considerations into biosafety decisions: The role of public
participation,” a White Paper prepared by the United
States-based World Resources Institute.
Lindsey
Fransen and colleagues provide information and analysis
on socio-economic issues related to agricultural biotechnology,
and make recommendations to stakeholders for designing
and implementing policies and mechanisms that incorporate
socio-economic considerations in decision-making. It forwards
the following aspects to integrate socio-economic issues:
- Policies that mandate integration of socio-economic considerations
into decision-making processes;
- A clear definition of socio-economic considerations and
explicit criteria to determine when socio-economic assessments
are required;
- Identification of the stages at which socio-economic assessments
should take place;
- Efficient
and cost effective regulatory processes; and
- Public
participation mechanisms to ensure credible assessments
and decisions
that are more widely accepted.
Visit
the World Resources Institute at http://pubs.wri.org/pubs_description.cfm?PubID=4033.
MYCOGEN
GETS PATENT GRANT ON TRANSGENIC BT IN PLANTS
The
United States Patent Office has granted patent rights to
transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in plants to Mycogen
Plant Seeds, Inc., an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC.
The newly granted patent for Bt in plants gives Dow broad
and exclusive U.S. rights to this technology.
The
patent was originally filed in 1988, but a decision by
the U.S. Patent Office was delayed by interference proceedings
by another company. The case was eventually resolved in
Dow's favor. Dow's patent on transgenic Bt in plants (United
States Patent Number 6,943,282) will be in effect until
2021.
For more information about Dow AgroSciences, visit http://www.dowagro.com or
email Garry Hamlin of Dow AgroSciences at garryhamlin@dow.com.
POSITIVE
RESULTS FOR SWISS GM WHEAT FIELD TRIALS
The
Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland
reports that a field experiment on genetically modified
wheat in Lindau near Zurich has yielded positive results.
Swissinfo said that the study conducted between March to
July 2004 tested wheat’s resistance to smut fungi.
The
experiment confirmed laboratory results that the KP4 gene
improved wheat's resistance to fungi by 10 per cent. Chistof
Sautter, project leader, said that safety tests on pollen
distribution and soil analysis also showed that the GM
wheat posed no increased risk to humans or the environment.
Additional
details from Swissinfo at http://www.swissinfo.org/
sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=107&sid=6072405
& cKey=1126188163000
SELANGOR
TO MODERNIZE AGRIC SECTOR
Selangor,
Malaysia is keen on making agriculture the nation’s
third economic growth engine with its Permanent Food Production
program. It established eight agrotechnology parks on 974
hectares of land, emphasizing research and development
to build up capability to produce high quality food products.
This includes the production of fruits and vegetables,
livestock and aquaculture, as well as flowers of commercial
value.
About
6.59 million kg of food worth RM6.97M (approximately US2.18M)
has initially been produced from the agrotechnology parks.
Production is expected to increase in the next few months.
Summaries
of agriculture news in Malaysia are available monthly from
the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC)
by emailing BICalerts@bic.org.my or info@bic.org.my.
REPORT
LOOKS AT U.S. ASSISTANCE FOR SSA
Michael
R. Taylor and Julie A. Howard look at “Investing
In Africa’s Future: U.S. Agricultural Development
Assistance For Sub-Saharan Africa.” Their work appears
online. The report moves beyond the traditional understanding
of agricultural development assistance to encompass the
wide range of investments and activities that may contribute
to the ability of agriculture to help Africa. It tackles
natural resources management, policy making, as well as
market development for agricultural inputs and outputs.
The
research seeks to, among others, summarize the policy-level
commitments to African agriculture made by U.S., African,
and other world leaders and organizations; document levels
and trends in U.S. assistance to African agriculture; and
present conclusions and recommendations concerning U.S.
agricultural development assistance for sub-Saharan Africa.
Researchers
found that the total U.S. agricultural development assistance
for Africa has grown by only an estimated 2% in real terms
since 2000, and the apparent trend in U.S. assistance for
African agriculture is not promising. This stands in direct
contrast to increases in funding for health programs in
the continent.
The
report recommends, among others, that the U.S. should 1)
invest more in economic growth, making African agriculture
a real budget priority, 2) reduce political overhead, 3)
improve donor coordination and pooling of resources, 4)
foster local ownership of the development process, and
5) improve transparency, accountability, and focus on local
ownership and high-impact programs with longer time horizons.
Download
the complete report at http://www.africanhunger.org/uploads/
articles/2bf0674bd36a2d7ef43fdc439102ef07.pdf
CHANGES
IN BT COTTON INVESTIGATED Bt
cotton plants with the Cry1Ac protein have shown varying
efficacy against field populations of the insect Helicoverpa
armigera. This may cause H. armigera to evolve resistance
to the Cry1Ac toxin.
In “Changes
in Cry1Ac Bt Transgenic Cotton in Response to Two Environmental
Factors: Temperature and Insect Damage,” Olsen and
colleagues of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organization (CSIRO) of Australia study how changes
in temperature and degree of insect damage can contribute
to Bt cotton’s efficacy in the field. Their work
appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Economic
Entomology.
Researchers
used H. armigera, a chewing insect, and the aphid Aphis
gossypii, a sucking insect, to investigate how the insects
could affect the crop’s efficacy. They found lower
levels of Bt toxin in the cotton after infestation with
H. armigera, although attack by the aphid did not affect
the Bt toxin levels as dramatically. They also found that
cooler temperatures lowered the efficacy of Bt cotton,
while plant growth at high temperature increased it.
The
study could be a baseline for future research in pest resistance
management, and its techniques used to monitor changes
in the efficacy of biotech crops.
Subscribers
to the Journal of Economic Entomology can access the full
article at http://www.bioone.org/bioone/?request=
get-document&issn=0022-0493&volume=098&issue=
04&page=1382.
Other readers may take a look at the abstract at http://www.bioone.org/bioone/?request=
get-abstract&issn=0022-0493&volume=098&issue=
04&page=1382.
REVIEW
TACKLES MINIMIZING VARIATION OF TRANSGENE EXPRESSION
Although
gifted with the promise of rendering a plant immune to
disease or insect attack, transgenes can sometimes be unstable
and unpredictable. The sources of such variations include
inconsistency in the copy numbers of the introduced gene
or genes; somaclonal variation, or phenotypic differences
amongst the biotech plants created; the site of insertion
of the transgene; and RNA silencing in the host plant.
As a result, researchers are spending more time and money
to both achieve stable transgene expression, as well as
to produce biotech crops with the expected level of expression.
Katleen
M.J. Butaye and colleagues of the Katholieke Universiteit
Leuven, Belgium review these techniques in “Approaches
to minimize variation of transgene expression in plants.” The
article is published in the latest issue of Molecular Breeding.
The
review expounds on such techniques as Cre-Lox co-transformation,
where the introduced gene is flanked by DNA sequences which
will allow the gene to be stably integrated into the host
genome. This technique has proven to be successful in mammalian
cells, but is still inefficient for plants.
Other
techniques include the use of new gene cassettes, viral
suppressor genes, and, according to the researchers, the
ultimate genetic engineering tool: plant artificial chromosomes.
Read
the abstract at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11032-005-4929-9.
Subscribers to Molecular Breeding can access the full article
through the same page.
NOVEL
ARABIDOPSIS HAS ENHANCED ETHYLENE RESPONSE Ethylene is a gaseous hormone involved in many aspects of the growth
and development of plants. Annelies De Paepe and colleagues
from Ghent University find that “The Arabidopsis mutant eer2 has enhanced ethylene responses in the light.” They
describe a new member of the class of enhanced ethylene
response mutants, which may aid scientists in understanding
the process of development and senescence in plants. Their
research is published in the latest issue of the Journal
of Experimental Botany.
Using
ethylene treatments on Arabidopsis plants, as well as studies
of plant RNA, chlorophyll levels, and gene linkage, researchers
found that the mutant phenotype is hypersensitive to ethylene
applications. It does not senesce faster than the wild
type, and can grow even on a low nutrient medium.
Subscribers
to the Journal of Experimental Botany can read the article
at http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/
content/full/56/419/2409.
Other readers can take a look at the abstract at http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/
abstract/56/419/2409.
EUROPEAN
CONFERENCES Lille,
France is the site of European Biotech Crossroads on November
28-30, 2005. This will be an opportunity to share new scientific
knowledge, foster innovation, and seize new market opportunities.
More details at http://www.europeanbiotechcrossroads.com
The
10th Biotech and Finance Forum will be held in Barcelona,
Spain on December 1, 2005. This is a pan-European initiative
for scientists and biotech investors. Read more on the conference
at http://www.europabio.org/events/December1_2005.htm. This
will be followed by an Industrial Biotech Forum on December
2, 2005 to allow business venturing and entrepreneurship
on biotechnology. See http://www.europabio.org/events/
December2_2005.htm for additional information.
SYMPOSIUM TO BE HELD IN JORDAN The
International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and
National Center For Agricultural Research and Technology
Transfer (NCARTT) will hold a symposium on Fresh Food Quality
Standards: “Better Food by Quality and Assurance.” This
will be held on May 7th-11th, 2006, in Amman, Jordan. To
apply, visit http://www.ncartt.gov.jo; or contact Mouien
ElQaryouti at qaryouti@ncartt.gov.jo, Jamal Alrusheidat at
jmoa44@hotmail.com, and Nisreen AlShawahneh at nisreen@ncartt.gov.jo.
NEW DELHI HOSTS NATIONAL GM CONFERENCE The
South Asia Biosafety Programme (SABP) and the Indian Council
of Medical Research (ICMR), in association with Biotechnology
Consortium India Limited (BCIL), is hosting a national conference
on the regulation and safety assessment of genetically modified
(GM) foods. This will be held on Sept. 26-27, 2005 at the
Nikko Metropolitan Hotel in New Delhi, India. The themes
of the conference are the Regulation and Safety Assessment
of GM Foods on Day 1, and Public Participation and the Consumer
on Day 2.
You may get more information on the Provisional Agenda, and download the Registration
form from http://www.agbios.com/
sabp_main.php?action=ActivitiesPage.
You
may also contact Dr. Vibha Ahuja at biotechdelhi@vsnl.com |
