http://www.isaaa.org/kc/A weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA).en-usFri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4362Chronic hunger and food security is at the top of the Obama administration agenda. Speaking at the 2009 World Food Prize Announcement Ceremony in Washington, DC, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said: "The effects of chronic hunger cannot be overstated. Hunger is not only a physical condition, it is a drain on economic development, a ...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Globalhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4352Kenya will start confined field trials of drought-tolerant transgenic maize variety pending regulatory approval from the National Biosafety Committee. The project is spearheaded by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute and is being coordinated by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). Other cooperating institutions include the I...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Africahttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4353The Tanzania chapter of the Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) was launched to serve as a venue to discuss benefits of agricultural biotechnology. Monthly meetings with stakeholders will be held to share knowledge and experiences and facilitate relevant discussion on agricultural biotechnology. "There are specific conditions and diffe...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Africahttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4369A new book in Arabic on important papers for decision makers on biotechnology in Egypt has just been published by the Egypt Biotechnology Information Center (EBIC). It includes key definitions of agricultural biotechnology and provides answers to questions on the safety of biotech crops. Likewise, it highlights the role of biotech crops in the deve...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Africahttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4371The West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) has launched a regional biosafety program called the PRB-UEMOA. It is supported by the World Bank and has been established following the need of UEMOA member countries (Burkina Faso, Togo, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Benin and Mali) to have a centralized system of regulation for the development and rap...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Africahttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4381The first in the series of workshops sponsored by the Agricultural Research Center and the Egyptian Biotechnology Information Center was recently held to raise public awareness on biotech crops. The first workshop was held to discuss the importance of biotech crops and the benefits of biotech maize and cotton. It was attended by agricultural exten...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Africahttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4359An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) and Virginia Tech, has completed the genome of Azotobacter vinelandii, an important soil-living and nitrogen-fixing bacterium. The genome sequence is expected to advance research on A. vinelandii's role as a model organism in the investigation of ...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4366The stacked trait insect-protected Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ soybeans is planned to be commercialized by Monsanto in Brazil, a Monsanto press release said. Monsanto has completed all regulatory submissions in Brazil and the new genetically modified soybean variety is expected to be commercialized in Brazil early the next decade. "We expect this produc...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4348Arabidopsis thaliana, a ubiquitous weed related to broccoli and mustard, has emerged as a powerful tool for research in plant molecular biology and genetics. Although it has little agricultural importance, Arabidopsis has several advantages that made it the model for understanding the biology of important crops. Its entire genome consists of a sma...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4355Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have identified a compound that can inhibit the growth of the plant pathogen Fusarium verticillioides. F. verticillioides is an important cause of corn seedling blight and root, stalk and ear rot. The fungus also produces fumonisin mycotoxins, particularly fumon...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4356Monsanto Company and Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. announced that they will be working together to breed vegetables that could be more attractive to consumers. The companies will focus on the nutrition, flavor, color, texture, taste and aroma of broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and spinach. Monsanto stressed that the new varieties will not be geneticall...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4350Malaysian scientists with support from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD), are mulling over the establishment of a National Bioethics Committee (NBC). A workshop to tackle this issue was organized by MWFCD in collaboration with MOSTI, University Malaya and t...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4363DuPont announced that it has made two cotton acquisitions in Andra Pradesh to enhance its product lineup in India. DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred has purchased the cotton seed business of Nandi Seeds and acquired cotton germplasm from Nagarjuna Seeds in a bid to tap India's US$250 million cotton seed market. "These acquisitions will help us enter ...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4354A recent study by the Bank of Thailand found significant correlation between ethanol demand and increases in feedstock prices, particularly for tapioca prices. However, despite higher feedstock prices, increased biofuel demand should have only a marginal impact on food prices. Currently the commodity most susceptible to increased biofuel demand is ...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4361Florigene Pty Ltd has received approval from Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) for the commercial release of a genetically modified (GM) hybrid tea rose variety. The GM rose, which sports blue flowers, expresses the flavonoid 3'5'-hydroxylase gene from Viola and the anthocyanin 5-acyltransferase gene from Torenia for altere...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4368Malaysia's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp) and global research house Frost and Sullivan joined forces in assessing Malaysia's competitive edge in human capital development in the areas of biotech and life sciences. Together they launched Malaysia's first Human Capital Develop...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4367A new report Green Biotechnology and Climate Change has been released by Eurapabio. It highlights the significant potential of agricultural biotechnology to reduce green house gas emissions, and help crops adapt to a changing climate and produce more food from less available land. The book also provides information on how green biotech allows a ran...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Europehttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4347Serbia's National Parliament has adopted a new law that prohibits commercial growing of live modified organisms (GMOs), according to a new report by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. The new law, which regulates basic conditions for the use of GMOs in closed and open systems, also prohibits trading of products derived from GMOs. With this law,...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Europehttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4349A group of anti-GMO activists who destroyed a field trial of genetically modified (GM) wheat in the German village of Gatersleben was sentenced last week by a court in Saxony-Anhalt. The court ruled that the group acted against the law on April 21, 2008 as they entered the field trial area maintained by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and C...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Europehttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4357Researchers at the University of Almeria in Spain are working to develop genetically modified castor oil plants with altered seed oil composition. The researchers, led by Federico García Maroto, have identified a series of genes and promoters that could increase the concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic and palmitic acids...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Europehttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4358Last April, Germany banned the cultivation of the insect-resistant MON810 maize. The GM maize, developed by Monsanto Company, is the only genetically modified crop approved for cultivation in the European Union. Germany presented new data on the potential environmental impact of the insect-resistant maize, specifically two scientific papers describ...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Researchhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4364A team of researchers from Japan's National Institute for Agrobiological Sciences has successfully developed a genetically modified rice variety that fights Japanese cedar pollen allergy. What's more, they were able to demonstrate that oral administration of the GM rice is safe. Japanese cedar pollen allergy is an important public health problem in...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Researchhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4382The John Dillon Memorial Fellowship has recently been established by ACIAR in recognition of Professor John L. Dillon's life-long support for international agricultural research. The Fellowship scheme serves the memory of John Dillon by providing career development opportunities for outstanding young agricultural scientists or economists from ACIAR...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Announcementshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4383The abridged version of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) video on "Knowledge, Technology and Poverty Alleviation is now available with subtitles in the 17 languages. The video presents the major findings of the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2008 and addresses the growing intere...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Announcementshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4370A newly- released book on Traditional and Alternative Medicine Research and Policy is now available. It encompasses the importance of traditional medicine in our modern health systems and discusses the potential applications of phyto-chemicals to assist bio-molecular mechanisms and hence offer realistic and therapeutic possibilities. It includes re...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Document Remindershttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=6/26/2009#4360The Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology recently published a book entitled "Biosafety Regulations in the Philippines". The book highlights the milestones of the first fifteen years of the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines as well as the projected role of this regulatory body in meeting the challenges in the next f...Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0800Document Reminders