* GLOBAL * INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO BOOST RICE PRODUCTION
A major international scientific effort has
been launched to develop a new approach to boost rice production
and avoid
rice shortages or famine. Scientists are looking at enhancing
the rice plant’s photosynthetic efficiency as alternative
strategies are needed to increase rice production under global
realities of less land, labor, and water. The International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines reports
that new knowledge generated by the sequencing of the rice
genome now allows more collaborative work to completely reconfigure
the rice plant’s photosynthetic system, the engine
of rice production.
IRRI crop ecologist John Sheehy, convener
at a workshop on “C4 Rice – Supercharging the Rice Engine” held
at IRRI, explains that, “The photosynthetic process
is the engine of growth for the rice plant, so, if we can
improve that, then the whole plant benefits.” This
involves converting rice from a C3 plant to a C4 plant, where
the “C” refers to the carbon captured by photosynthesis
for growth. To do this, C4 plants—such as maize—use
solar energy more effectively for growth.
For more information, email Duncan Macintosh of IRRI at
d.macintosh@cgiar.org.
CAST PAPER SAYS BIOTECH-DERIVED CROP AS SAFE AS CONVENTIONAL
CROP
Is the biotechnology-derived crop as safe
as a conventional crop? There is evidence to support a
strong affirmative response,
says “Safety of Meat, Milk, and Eggs from Animals Fed
Crops Derived from Modern Biotechnology”, an issue
paper released by the Council for Agricultural Science and
Technology (CAST). It notes that “meat, milk, and eggs
produced by farm animals fed biotechnology-derived crops
are as wholesome, safe, and nutritious as similar products
produced by animals fed conventional crops.”
Written and evaluated by a Task Force of international scientists
from the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and
Brazil, the paper provides an overview of regulatory assessments
of biotechnology-derived crops; and summarizes the empirical
data generated for assessing the safety of meat, milk, and
eggs from animals fed biotechnology-derived crops that express
agronomic input traits.
Among CAST’s recommendations to ensure
continued safety and nutritive value of feeds in current
and future crops
derived from modern biotechnology are:
- Continue
using a case-by-case safety assessment approach
- Assess
risks, as opposed to hazards
- Provide
adequate funding to regulatory groups
- Provide
resources to increase public outreach and dialogue.
Read the full Issue Paper No. 34 at http://www.cast-science.org/
cast/src/cast_publications.php?jump=83.
Read the press release at http://www.cast-science.org/cast/news/feedsafety_nr.htm.
BIOTECH APPLICATIONS FOR MANURE NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
Manipulating nutritional content, quality,
and availability in plants has the potential to provide “designer feeds” for
decreasing manure nutrient output. Enhancing the nutritional
quality of feeds in diets in the light of industry efforts
to lower the cost of animal production, while minimizing
the extent of environmental impact, thus becomes a possibility
for the biotechnological management of manure nutrients.
This scenario is forwarded by “Biotechnological Approaches
to Manure Nutrient Management”, an Issue Paper published
by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST).
Dr. Xingen Lei, Department of Animal Science,
Cornell University, and Task Force Chair, notes that “Because
of population growth and the increasing demand for animal
foods, global
livestock production will continue to evolve from smaller
family support systems to larger, more market-oriented, integrated
production systems. Through this progression, issues involving
environmental contamination, air quality, and animal welfare
will be more commonplace, resulting in more complex relationships
among the animal industry, society, and governmental agencies.
Because biotechnology potentially can provide important solutions
to these problems, it is critical that we understand and
address the associated issues.”
The paper explains that managing nutrients by controlling
animal diets is easier than intervening after release of
these potential pollutants into the environment. Future research
will target improved seed stock development and dietary enzyme
use as economical and practical methods of treatment.
Read the full paper at http://www.cast-science.org/
cast/src/cast_publications.php?jump=165.
Access the press release at http://www.cast-science.org/cast/news/
manuremanagement_nr.htm.
BBSRC, DFID LINK FOR RESEARCH ON SUSTAINABLE AGRI IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(BBSRC) and the Department for International Development
(DFID) have announced a new scheme to promote biotechnology
and biological sciences research that addresses the challenges
of agriculture in developing countries. This scheme will
strengthen collaboration between both agencies to support
research that will address problems in agricultural productivity
and food security, and how these can be solved in Africa
and Asia.
This scheme is one of the new initiatives
being implemented under DFID's Strategy for Research on
Sustainable Agriculture,
and has a total budget of £6 million that will cover
research grants in the next four years. The scheme’s
first research call will focus on crop sciences.
For more information, email Matt Goode of the BBSRC at matt.goode@bbsrc.ac.uk.
Read about the new scheme at http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/news/welcome.html.
* AFRICA *
LEADERS RESOLVE TO HARNESS BIOTECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOP AFRICA
African governments have resolved to harness
biotechnology in order to develop Africa’s rich biodiversity, improve
agricultural productivity, and develop pharmaceutical products
within the framework of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD). The African Union-appointed High-Level
African Panel on Modern Biotechnology, headed by Prof. Calestous
Juma of Cambridge University, USA, made this announcement
during a recent series of consultative meetings with various
stakeholders in Nairobi, Kenya.
The panelists unveiled a preliminary report on the role
of modern biotechnology in the transformation of African
economies, which examines how benefits of biotechnology
can be tapped by African countries. The report focuses
on how best to build the capacity needed by the continent
to harness and apply the technology to improve agricultural
productivity, public health, industrial development, and
economic competitiveness, among others.
The report concludes that regional cooperation
is essential to address possibilities and issues associated
with biotechnology
and genetic modification. Regional economic integration bodies
should play a key role in mobilizing, sharing, and using
existing scientific and technological capacities, including
human and financial resources, as well as physical infrastructure
for biotechnology research and development, and innovation
on the continent. They argue that international partnerships
in biotechnology are critical to the realization of Africa’s
biotechnology strategies and should be actively pursued
For more information, contact Daniel Otunge at dotunge@absfafrica.org
IITA TAKES ON BANANA VIRUS WITH UV, JUICE HELP
Scientists from the International Institute
of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) are using vegetable juice
and near ultraviolet
(UV) light to help them select the best banana plantlets
in the laboratory. This is part of the IITA’s rapid
screening process for resistant banana plants; field evaluations
for plant susceptibility to the Black Sigatoka fungus can
be time consuming and expensive, so scientists use a combination
of UV and juice to grow large amounts of fungal spores to
transmit the disease and challenge culture plantlets in test
tubes.
Once resistant plantlets are identified, they can be propagated
in the laboratory, and subsequently distributed to banana
farmers. IITA is now focusing on refining their screening
methods and determining the relationship between early screening
results and adult plant reaction.
Black Sigatoka is a common, widespread disease of bananas
in sub-Saharan Africa. It can cause yield losses as high
as 76%. Read the complete news article at http://www.iita.org/info/
inew9/inew9.htm#3.
* THE AMERICAS *
CITRUS TRISTEZA VIRUS SEQUENCED IN MEXICO
Scientists of the Instituto Politécnico
Nacional (IPN) of Mexico have completed the sequencing
of the Citrus
Tristeza Virus (CTV), a pathogen responsible for huge losses
to the Mexican agricultural sector, and the biggest threat
to worldwide citrus production. CTV is transmitted by some
species of aphids found on citrus plants, and symptoms of
infected trees vary, from impaired tree growth to the rapid
death of trees. CTV also affects the external and internal
qualities of the fruit, and therefore reduces overall production
of an orchard.
The project will pave the way for the development of vaccines
to immunize citrus trees to the disease, said project leader
Alberto Mendoza Herrera of the Center of Genomic Biotechnology.
Mendoza Herrera explained that although the disease is of
world wide concern, Mexican crops are particularly vulnerable,
as 90% of commercial plantations are grafted onto sour orange
(Citrus aurantium), which is highly susceptible to CTV.
Read more at http://www.sagarpa.gob.mx/cgcs/
sintesis/sintesis/2006/julio/ss_21.pdf
NEW BARLEY HAS HIGHER YIELDS, AVAILABLE PHOSPHOROUS
Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service, of the
United States Department of Agriculture (AR-USDA), have developed
a new high-yielding barley that provides more bio-available
phosphorous. That is, the phosphorous is present in a form
more readily absorbed and used by animals that feed on the
crop; this also means that the phosphorous is less likely
to end up in animal manure and be carried away by rain runoff
from pastures and fields into freshwater supplies.
Named “Herald,” the barley should
save growers the cost of feeding phosphorus supplements
to farm animals.
For more information, contact Marcia Wood of the ARS at
marcia.wood@ars.usda.gov. Read the complete press release
at http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1261.
PINTO BEAN LINES DEVELOPED TO RESIST MOLD
Two new white mold-resistant, high-yielding
pinto bean lines have recently been developed by scientists
of the United
States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research
Service (USDA-ARS). Designated as USPT-WM-1 and USPT-WM-2,
these lines were developed by cross-breeding the pinto bean
Aztec, a semi-upright breed of pinto, with ND88-106-4, an
upright navy bean breeding line.
White mold is an endemic disease affecting pinto and other
dry edible bean crops throughout the United States. Crop
losses can be minimized with fungicides, careful irrigation,
or widely spaced rows, but the fungus that causes white mold
can elude these measures and spread quickly through the air.
Severe outbreaks of the disease can reduce bean yield and
quality.
Read the complete article at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/
pr/2006/060724.htm.
For more information, contact Jan Suszkiw of the ARS News
Service at jan.suszkiw@ars.usda.gov.
* ASIA *
BANGLADESH APPROVES BIOTECH POLICY
Bangladesh has adopted its National Policy Guidelines on
Biotechnology, which is aimed at increasing production and
preservation capacities of various crops, fishes, and medicinal
items, as well as protecting biodiversity and ensuring safety
of public health and the environment. The approval was announced
by the National Task Force on Biotechnology of Bangladesh
in a recently concluded meeting chaired by Prime Minister
Khaleda Zia.
The Prime Minister suggested the following steps to develop
biotechnology in the country: provide assistance to institutions
and scientists involved in biotechnology research work; build
up the National Institute of Biotechnology (NIB) as a center
of excellence; take proper steps for implementation of programs
set in the Medical Biotechnology national guidelines; and
quickly formulate and implement the programs of the Environment
Ministry.
For more information, contact Professor Khondoker Nasiruddin
of the Bangladesh Biotechnology Information Center at nasirbiotech@yahoo.com.
INDIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES INTEGRATED FOOD BILL
The Food Safety and Standards Bill 2005 has recently been
passed by the Indian Parliament. This integrated food law
lays down science-based standards for the regulation of food
manufacturing, storage, distribution, sale, and import; and
aims at consolidating all food-related regulations. The law
will also establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority
of India, an independent food regulatory body.
With reports from the Business Standard, at
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?
autono=99570& leftnm=3&subLeft=0&chkFlg= and the Financial Express, through http://www.financialexpress.com/
fe_full_story.php?content_id=135351.
More details on the Food Safety and Standards Bill 2005
can be found at http://164.100.24.208/ls/bills-ls-rs/2005/123_2005.pdf.
For
more information contact Bhagirath Choudhary of the ISAAA
South Asia Office at b.choudhary@isaaa.org.
INDIA EXEMPTS SOYBEAN OIL, EXTENDS TRADE REGULATION TO GM
PRODUCTS
India has exempted importers of genetically modified (GM)
soy oil from seeking clearance from the Genetically Engineering
Approval Committee (GEAC), India’s regulatory body.
This exemption will extend until March 2007, according
to a statement issued by the Directorate General of Foreign
Trade (DGFT) of India’s Ministry of Commerce.
In its annual supplement to the Foreign Trade Policy (2004-09)
in April 2006, the government had notified that importers
of all GM food products and ingredients would have to seek
clearance from the GEAC.
With reports from the Financial Express through
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?
content_id=134856.
For more information contact Bhagirath Choudhary of the
ISAAA South Asia Office at b.choudhary@isaaa.org.
INDIA SIMPLIFIES CROP BIOTECH APPROVAL PROCEDURES
India’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC),
the country’s regulatory body, has adopted an “event-based
approval system” in place of existing case-by-case
approval system of biotech products. This was done in an
attempt to speed up the introduction of new and diverse products
for local farmers, stimulate competition, and offer wider
choice without compromising biosafety and environmental safety.
The new simplified approval procedure will be applicable
to cotton hybrids expressing the cry1Ac gene (Mon 531 event).
Other products will also be evaluated under the liberalized
system after their performance has been monitored post-release
for a period of three years, and after the GEAC has renewed
approval for commercial release. With the adoption of this
system, the time period for commercial approval of new cotton
hybrids containing the MON531 event will be reduced from
around three years to one year.
Read the decisions at http://www.envfor.nic.in/
divisions/csurv/geac/geac-69.pdf and http://www.envfor.nic.in/
divisions/csurv/geac/mayee_report.pdf.
For more information contact Bhagirath Choudhary of the
ISAAA South Asia Office at b.choudhary@isaaa.org.
MALAYSIA: PM TO LAUNCH BIOTECH HUB
BioNexus, a dedicated hub to bolster Malaysia’s lucrative
biotechnology sector, will be launched by the country’s
Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in mid-August 2007.
BioNexus is a cluster of biotechnology firms that will bring
together the best brains from local and foreign universities,
research and development (R&D) organizations, government
agencies, and private firms.
During the launch, the prime minister is
expected to announce detailed tax incentives, R&D grants, and loan financing
schemes to local and foreign biotech firms. He will also
chair the National Biotechnology Implementation Council meeting
and launch Malaysia’s first full-fledged biotechnology
firm, Inno Biologics Sdn Bhd.
For more information, contact Mahaletchumy Arujanan of the
Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC) at maha@bic.org.my.
Find out more about MABIC at http://www.bic.org.my.
CLONED OIL PALM MAKING ITS WAY IN MALAYSIA
Applied Agricultural Resources Sdn Bhd (AAR),
an agricultural advisory firm based in Malaysia, has successfully
developed
cloned plantlets of oil palm through tissue culture clonal
propagation, a technology the firm uses to clone high-yielding
oil palms. These plantlets have 20 – 25% higher oil
extraction rate, which translates to higher revenue for plantation
companies. The clonal propagation technique, though developed
in the 1970’s, was commercialized only by two firms
in Malaysia, including AAR. Currently, seven firms have invested
in the research and development of tissue culture clonal
propagation.
For more information, contact Mahaletchumy Arujanan of the
Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC) at maha@bic.org.my.
Find out more about MABIC at http://www.bic.org.my.
* EUROPE *
Bt MAIZE IN SPAIN FOUND TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION BY 7.3%
Scientists of the Institute and Agricultural Research and
Technology (IRTA) of Catalonia report an average increase
in Bt maize production of 7.3%, equivalent to 1,055 kilograms
per hectare, when compared to non biotech varieties. In addition,
the experts reported an increase in the quality of the grain,
with an 83% decrease in the level of mycotoxins found in
transgenic seeds, and increased grain moisture content during
harvesting. The biotech varieties were also reported to have
increase tolerance to fungal pathogens. More than 53,000
hectares of transgenic Bt maize were cultivated in Spain
in 2005. The study also confirmed that a buffer zone of 15-20
m between Bt maize and conventional crop varieties is sufficient
to insure coexistence and prevent the flow of the transgene.
The technical dossier is available at http://www.ruralcat.net.
For more information visit: http://www.antama.net/imgNews/
25-07-06.htm.
INRA, CIRAD LINK FOR AGRI STUDY
France’s National Institute for Agricultural
Research (INRA) and
Centre De Cooperation Internationale En Recherche Agronomique
Pour Le Développement (CIRAD) have united for a prospective
study on agriculture and food worldwide in 2035. Dubbed “Agrimonde,” the
study will be conducted over the next two years and will
serve to: 1) foresee the role of French and European agriculture
in the different global change scenarios and 2) pinpoint
the fundamental issues with which agricultural research will
be faced.
INRA and CIRAD will assemble a committee of experts to provide
scientific and methodological advice. The results of the
work will be published in 2008. Both agencies conduct research
on issues linked to agriculture, biosafety, and environment
and territorial management, with emphasis on sustainable
development.
Fore more information, contact Rémi Barré (remi.barre@cnam.fr)
or Sandrine Paillard (sandrine.paillard@paris.inra.fr) of
INRA; or Bruno Dorin (dorin@cirad.fr) of CIRAD. Read the
complete press release at http://www.cirad.fr/en/presse/
communique.php?id=196.
BIOFUELS
COST, BENEFITS EXAMINED
With
rising costs and depleting supplies of fuel, as well
as the negative environmental consequences associated
with the use of fossil fuels, scientists are studying
the viability of biofuels, which are sourced from agricultural
products. Two main types of biofuels are currently in
use: bioethanol, sourced mainly from corn and sugarcane;
and biodiesel, sourced mainly from soybean and oilseed
rape.
To
be viable alternatives, biofuels should provide a high
net energy gain, have high environmental benefits, be
economically competitive, and be producible in large
quantities without reducing food supplies. In line with
this, Jason Hill and colleagues of St. Olaf College,
Minnesota, USA, examine the “Environmental, economic,
and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and ethanol
biofuels.” Their work appears in the latest issue
of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
By
using current data on farm yields, commodity and fuel
prices, farm energy and agrichemical inputs, production
plant efficiencies, co-product production, greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, and other environmental effects
brought about by the use of corn grain ethanol and soybean
biodiesel, researchers concluded that biodiesel is the
more viable fuel alternative, at least in the US. In
particular, they found that: 1) Bioethanol yields 25%
more energy than the energy invested in its production,
whereas biodiesel yields 93% more; 2) GHG emissions are
reduced 12% by the production and combustion of ethanol
and 41% by biodiesel; 3) Biodiesel releases less air
pollutants per net energy gain than ethanol; 4) Biodiesel
has minimal impact on human and environmental health
through nitrogen, phosphorous, and pesticide release;
and 5) Transportation biofuels such as synfuel hydrocarbons
or cellulosic ethanol, if produced from low-input biomass
grown on agriculturally marginal land or from waste biomass,
could provide much greater supplies and environmental
benefits than food-based biofuels.
Read
the complete article at http://www.pnas.org/
cgi/content/full/103/30/11206.
STUDY
EXPLORES GENE CHANGES BROUGHT BY VIRUS IN POTATO
Plants
respond to attack by invading pathogens through a complex
network of signals that activate defense mechanisms.
Scientists are interested in plant-pathogen interactions,
as they can provide a glimpse into how the plant immune
system works, which, in turn, can contribute to further
studies on engineering pathogen resistance into plants.
One
such pathogen, potato virus Y, causes potato tuber necrotic
disease in sensitive cultivars. Studies have hitherto
been unable to track the overall changes arising from
the interaction between potato plants and the virus.
Scientists from research institutions in Slovenia and
the Netherlands, however, have been able to determine
the “Potato virus Y induced changes in the gene
expression of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).” Their
work is published in the latest issue of Physiological
and Molecular Plant Pathology.
Scientists
used the highly sensitive potato cultivar Igor, which
they infected with Potato Virus Y. Through subjective
hybridization, cDNA microarrays, and real-time PCR, they
monitored gene expression in both infected and uninfected
plants. After analyzing their results, they found that
175 genes were expressed in high amounts due to pathogen
stress. These genes coded for heat shock proteins, catalase
1, ?-1,3-glucanase, wound inducing gene, and genes involved
in photosynthesis, suggesting that these genes may play
a role in the susceptible potato–potato Virus Y
interaction. The scientists, however, were not able to
assign function to about 33% of the isolated genes; and,
when they compared the expression profile to existing
plant-virus interaction data, found that different sets
of genes were activated not only in different plant hosts,
but in different development stages. Only studies on
a wide range of host–virus combinations can lead
to identification of general features in plant–virus
interactions, the authors wrote.
Because
this study has provided important insights into the susceptible
potato–virus interaction at the level of gene expression,
scientists are better equipped to find more means by
which to engineer Potato Virus Y resistance in potatoes.
Subscribers to the journal can access the complete article
at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmpp.2006.02.005
INDIA
HOSTS GFAR 2006
The
Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE)
and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
will host the GFAR 2006 "Reorienting Agricultural
Research to meet the Millennium Development Goals" from
November 9-11, 2006 in New Delhi, India. About 400 participants
representing national agricultural research systems, advanced
agricultural research institutes and universities, the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
(CGIAR), non-government organizations, farmers' organizations,
and the private sector are expected to attend the conference.
For
more information, visit http://www.egfar.org/
gfar2006/index.jsp.
PLANT MOL BREEDING CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN CHINA
The
2nd International Conference on Plant Molecular Breeding
(ICPMB) will be held in Sanya City, Hainan province, P.
R. China on March 23-27, 2007. This event will focus on
applied plant genomics and molecular plant breeding, in
view of the increasing need to use new molecular approaches
and mine novel gene resources. Important aspects of plant
molecular breeding and related transgenic ecological risk
and intellectual property rights (IPR) will be covered
in several sessions and satellite workshops. Deadline of
full paper and extended abstract submission is on December
31, 2006.
For
more information, visit http://www.icpmb.org/142.html.
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