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, 9 May 2008 17:00:00 +0800http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2502Agribusiness company Syngenta will build a new biotech research and technology center at the Zhongguancun Life Science Park in Beijing, China. The facilities will enable research on early stage evaluation of GM and native traits for key crops such as corn and soybean. Crop traits to be studied include yield improvement, drought resistance, disease ...Globalhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2494Striga (S. hermonthica), is a plant parasitic weed that causes more than 40 percent loss in the annual cowpea yield in sub-Saharan Africa. Also known as witchweed, it infests some 50 million hectares of cereal crops, specifically maize, sorghum and millet. Now the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners from Universi...Africahttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2511Africa’s untapped potential such as its large land distribution and its barely used water resources proves that “Africa holds the future for rice farming” says Dr. Papa A. Seck, Director General of the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) in Cotonou, Benin. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 3.9 of 130 million hectares are being cultivated compared with Asia where ...Africahttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2504A team of researchers has discovered the molecular "dimmer switch" that helps control the flow of solar energy in the plant's photosynthetic mechanism. The pigment-binding protein CP29, one of the "minor" light-harvesting proteins in green plants, has been identified by a group of scientists led by Graham Fleming, a physical chemist of the U.S. Dep...Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2505Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory have developed a Crop Sequence Calculator in CD format that enables farmers to make choices regarding crop plantings. ARS reports that the calculator is a decision tool that deals with 16 crops, including corn, barley, fl...Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2490Genetically modified Bt crops have no negative effect on the survival of non-target organisms, according to a new study published by the online journal PlosOne. The meta-analysis, conducted by scientists from the University of Nebraska, Iowa state University and US Department of Agriculture, made use of 47 independent studies that focused on the ef...Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2488The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reversed the controversial patent for a common yellow bean breed. The patent has raised profound concerns about biopiracy since it was granted to Larry Proctor of Colorado in 1999. Proctor bought the beans, known to locals as azufrado or Mayocoba, in Mexico and bred them for several years to grow plants th...Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2493The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) hosted a workshop on agricultural biotechnology innovations that was attended by scientists from all over Brazil and representatives of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), University of Queensland and Australian Academy of Science. CSIRO research...Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2498Kansas State University’s Biosecurity Research Institute (KSU BRI) has been designated as the first training facility for the National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program in the United States. It is the only biosafety level-3 biocontainment research and training facility in the U.S. that can accommodate high-consequence pathogen research ...Americashttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2496The country's biosafety authorities reaffirmed its science-based regulations in a recently held public consultation at the Department of Agriculture (DA) headquarters. The Departments of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Environment and Natural Resources, Health and the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines jointly prepared the Firs...Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2500The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Pakistan cabinet has turned down the proposal of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MinFAL) to form a 5-member consultative committee for technical collaboration with seed compaany Monsanto that is being hired to introduce Bt cotton variety in Pakistan.However, ECC approved the final dr...Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2489Queensland University of Technology has submitted an application for the limited and controlled release of disease-resistant, genetically modified bananas to Australia’s Office of the Gene Regulator (OGTR). If approved, the release will take place in Cassowary Coast, Queensland, on a total area of up to 1.4 hectares between 2008 and 2010. The GM li...Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2487The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) will partner with the Thai Tapioca Development Institute (TTDI) to develop cassava varieties that will enable smallholder farmers in Thailand to produce more income. Cassava is the third most important food crop, after rice and maize, in Southeast Asia. Yet, it receives little attention from...Asia and the Pacifichttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2501Results of the debate by the EU Commission on the approval of three cultivation dossiers sparked uproars from EuropaBio and other farming entities. The three dossiers consisting of two insect resistant corn varieties and the starch potato Amflora which had been positively assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) two years ago are being...Europehttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2503Depleted uranium are abundant in the warring areas of Iraq and the Balkans. This metal, which is composed of 97.25% uranium and .75% titanium although less radioactive has the same chemotoxicity as a natural uranium and poses a threat to human population. Uranium can form stable water-soluble complexes and could bind with organic substances to form...Europehttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2507A quick online survey conducted by GMO Compass, a website by independent science journalists and supported by the European Union within the European Commission’s Sixth Framework Program, reveals that over 80% of its respondents (5435) voted for European agriculture to use all available technologies including genetic engineering and biotechnology if...Europehttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2486Researchers from Huazhong Agricultural University in China have pinpointed a gene that plays a linchpin role in determining yield potential in rice, as well as the plant’s adaptability to cooler climates. Their study, published by the journal Nature Genetics, has implications for rice productivity. Rice productivity is determined by several traits ...Researchhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2491The fungus Trichoderma reesei is the main industrial source of enzymes used to convert sugars to chemical intermediates and biofuels, such as ethanol. A group of international scientists have deciphered the complete genome sequence of the fungus. The information derived from the genome will accelerate efforts to reduce the currently high cost of co...Researchhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2492Plants have the potential to remove toxic heavy metals from the environment (phytoremediation) or extract useful metals from the soil (phytomining). For these applications to be realized however, it will be necessary to elucidate the genetic basis of metal hyperaccumulation in plant cells. Scientists from the University of Heidelberg and Max Planck...Researchhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2495Global climate change is expected to alter many elements of the future crop production environment. Drought, extreme temperature and high salinity have challenged farmers since the beginning of agriculture. With climate change, these challenges are expected to worsen. Currently, agricultural research institutions and companies are developing and bu...Researchhttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2499The ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the Convention on Biological Diversity will be held at the Maritim Hotel in Bonn, Germany, from 19 to 30 May 2008. COP 9 will include a high-level ministerial segment organized by the host country in consultation with the Secretariat and the Bureau. The high‑level segment will take...Announcementshttp://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=5/9/2008#2510The Banana 2008 conference with the theme "Banana and plantain in Africa: Harnessing international partnerships to increase research impact" will take place at the Leisure Lodge Resort in Mombasa, Kenya on 5-9 October 2008. This is the first-ever Pan-African banana conference that links research to markets within the African context. The event is...Announcements