GLOBAL
WB GIVES CGIAR GENEBANKS
US$10M GRANT
The World Bank has approved a US$10 million grant
to support genebanks in the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system. “Of the
many investments needed, none is more fundamental than
support for genebanks, which safeguard the crop diversity
on which food security depends,” noted Katherine
Sierra, Vice President of the World Bank’s Sustainable
Development Network and CGIAR Chair.
More than 600,000
plant samples are kept in 11 genebanks which “represent
the most important international effort to conserve
genetic resources of staple crops,
forages and agroforestry species,” said CGIAR
Director Francisco Reifschneider.
The Centers will use the new grant to further improve
work on collections, increase collaboration, and
contribute to the development of a global system for
conservation
and use of crop genetic resources.
See the CGIAR article at http://www.cgiar.org.
SENESCO AND BAYER PARTNER TO DEVELOP BETTER CANOLA
Senesco Technologies, Inc. announced a new business
relationship with Bayer CropScience. Senesco has given
Bayer exclusive access rights to use proprietary genes
that were previously demonstrated to increase the seed
yield of canola. Bayer intends to use the technology
in its InVigor® hybrid canola varieties.
Senesco is a U.S. biotechnology company that has developed
a technology that delays cell breakdown and death.
By delaying cell breakdown, plant produce can remain
fresh longer after harvesting. The technology also
has the potential to increase crop yield and resistance
to environmental stress. Senesco also has applications
of the technology in animals, including humans.
The complete press release is at
http://www.bayercropscience.com/bayer/cropscience
/cscms.nsf/id/20061109_EN?open&ccm=400
AFRICA
STATUS OF BT COTTON CONFINED FIELD TRIALS IN KENYA
Bt cotton confined field trials in Kenya have enabled
the efficacy on the African bollworm and semi-looper
to be established. It was also proven that there is
no impact of the Bt cotton on key natural enemies and
other arthropods. Dr. Charles Waturu, Center director
of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute-Thika,
gave these highlights in his presentation in Nairobi
during the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology
in Africa. He reported on the field evaluation of transgenic
Bt cotton varieties DP448B and DP404BG for efficacy
on African bollworms and its impact on nontarget species.
See his Power Point presentation at
http://www.aatf-africa.org/publications/BtcottonKenya.pdf or email Charles Waturu at karithika@africaonline.co.ke.
THE AMERICAS
REPORT SHOWS US GROWERS FAVOR GM CROPS IN 2005
In the recent report “Quantification of the
Impacts on U.S. Agriculture of Biotechnology-Derived
Crops Planted in 2005” released by the National
Center for Food and Agriculture Policy (NCFAP), American
growers continued to choose biotechnology-derived crops
in 2005 due to significant benefits. These include
enhanced crop yields, improved insurance against pest
problems, reduced pest management costs, decreased
pesticide use, and overall increase in grower returns.
Planted acreage was mainly concentrated in 13 different
applications (herbicide-resistant alfalfa, canola,
corn, cotton, and soybean; virus-resistant squash and
papaya; three applications of insect-resistant corn,
two applications of insect-resistant cotton, and insect-resistant
sweet corn).
The report also suggests that biotechnology provides
a key solution to the growing demand for both food
and fuel and aids in alleviating the stress on land
use. With the energy crunch and surge in gas prices
that loomed in the United States in recent years, interest
in alternative fuels such as ethanol increased tremendously.
The stress on oil production will be shouldered by
biotechnology-derived corn varieties, which were shown
to have higher yield of bioethanol compared with non-transgenic
varieties.
For more information, visit the NCFAP website: http://www.ncfap.org/.
The PDF version of the executive summary of the report
is available at http://www.ncfap.org/whatwedo/pdf/2005biotechExecSummary.pdf.
Readers can access the PDF version of the full report
at http://www.ncfap.org/whatwedo/pdf/2005biotechimpacts-finalversion.pdf.
RESEARCHERS STUDY SOYBEAN’S
FAMILY TREE
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) and the Iowa State University
are interested in unlocking the soybean genome to discover
its similarities and differences with its relatives
in the legume family. Comparisons of DNA in related
plants can help researchers understand how agronomic
traits evolved and, in turn, aid plant breeders in
creating improved crop varieties. “This information
will be especially useful in helping plant breeders
target oil and protein quality, disease resistance
and other valuable traits”, said Steven Cannon,
a scientist working in the research project.
Of special interest to the team is uncovering how
soybeans express traits that are beneficial to human
health and how the plants fix nitrogen, which is used
for producing protein and other bio-molecules. The
genome sequence also will help determine what genes
are helpful in creating resistance to common diseases
such as Phytophthora (stem rot) and Asian soybean rust.
Aside from soybean, the genomes of two other species
in the legume family are already being sequenced. This
includes the legumes Medicago truncatula (closely related
to alfalfa) and Lotus japonicus.
For the complete news release, readers can access
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news/2006releases/sbtree.html.
PLANT STEROIDS FOR BETTER PLANT DEVELOPMENT
The roles that plant steroids play in plant growth
and development are now being uncovered by scientists
at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in
California, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
Maryland. Their research, funded by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, could lead to new plant varieties
with desirable growth traits. Joanne Chory and
colleagues have identified a new protein that stops
plant growth
when there is an absence of brassinosteroids, a
type of plant steroid. These steroids induce a signaling
mechanism that flips a proverbial switch causing
the plant to grow and develop properly.
The researchers discovered that a receptor on the
plasma membrane is activated by binding to brassinosteroid.
The activated receptor, in turn, interacts with
a co-receptor
known as BAK that continues the reception chain
in the signaling process. In the absence of brassinosteroids,
important enzymes in the process bind with another
protein BKI1 instead of BAK; thereby shutting down
the receptor and stopping the signal. This stunts
growth and produces mutant dwarf plants.
BKI1-like genes are present in many plant species,
including economically important crops, such
as rice, maize, and soybean. Over- or under-expression
of
BKI1 in these species will provide a valuable
tool
to control
the strength of brassinosteroid signaling in
plant cells and will allow the creation of novel plant
varieties with desirable traits.
Read the news release at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/
research/plant_development.html.
SOYBEAN GENETIC MARKER TECHNOLOGY SPEEDS YIELD ENHANCEMENT
New molecular breeding tools help increase the pace
at which farmers can increase the amount of soybeans
harvested per acre, according to a review of historical
U.S. soybean yield. Researchers at DuPont subsidiary
Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. found that yields
of Pioneer® brand soybean varieties developed
with proprietary genetic markers improved yield three
times faster than the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) industry average.
Varieties developed with molecular markers showed
average yield increase of 1.4 bushels per acre per
year, while
Non-Marker-Assisted Selection Pioneer varieties improved
yields at a rate of 0.5 bushels per acre per year.
On the other hand, USDA soybean yield data show yield
increase at 0.4 bushels per acre per year. "The
data clearly demonstrates that genetic markers have
incredible potential to increase soybean yields at
accelerated rates," said John Soper, Pioneer soybean
research director. "They are going to go a long
way in helping growers produce enough soybeans for
new food, fuel and industrial applications."
Molecular markers allow plant breeders to screen
many plants for genes that contribute to increased
yield
potential and stability. Only plants that carry the
desired traits are used to develop new products.
Read the press release at http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/pioneer/26118/.
PLANT-DERIVED MOLECULES POINT TO FUTURE CHEMOPREVENTIVE
METHODS
Scientists are now turning to plant-derived compounds
known as triterpenoids to fight the big C - cancer.
Using genetic studies and natural chemicals, scientists
can now explore the genetic and early molecular interactions
that can lead to the disease. The latest studies
with new and promising chemopreventive agents were
presented
at the recent American Association for Cancer Research's
Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting.
New synthetic drugs called triterpenoids which owe
their origins to plant molecules have demonstrated
their effectiveness in slowing the growth of lung
cancer tumors, according to a research team from
Dartmouth
University. Following up on previous work showing
strong links between inflammation and the development
of cancer,
Karen Liby and colleagues found that the triterpenoid
CDDO-MA by Reata Pharmaceuticals, currently undergoing
trials for leukemia and solid tumors significantly
reduced the number and sizes of tumors in mice.
In addition, a related drug developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals
called LG100268 was effective at preventing tumor
growth.
Triterpenoids and the rexinoid experimental
drug LG100268 were also more effective in combination
against breast
cancer development than either compound administered
individually. The work bolsters the potential for
these plant-derived compounds as a chemopreventive
agent
for an increasing range of cancers.
For the complete news release, readers can visit
http://www.aacr.org/home/about-us/news.aspx?d=678.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
ASIAN BIOTECH NEEDS EFFECTIVE INFO CAMPAIGN, PARTNERSHIPS
Speakers at the AsianBio2006 conference held in Manila,
Philippines expressed that the Asian region need to
have a strong information campaign and more public-private
collaboration to help its emerging biotech industry.
In her keynote speech, Estrella Alabastro of the Philippine
Department of Science and Technology said that “pro-active
and relentless initiatives in disseminating accurate
and science-based information on biotechnology” will
help speed up the progress in the Asian region. She
added that public-private collaborations are beneficial,
because such partnerships can consolidate resources
as well as help the transfer of technical know-how
between the participating institutions.
The conference brought together representatives of
different stakeholders from Asian countries to discuss
issues pertaining to intellectual property rights,
bioethics, and applications of biotechnology in medicine
and agriculture. Specifically reviewed during the conference
was the progress in the development of edible vaccines,
and of genetically modified corn, rice, eggplant, and
papaya in the region.
More info at http://www.bcp.org.ph/asianbio2006.
NEW PLANT VARIETIES, A BOOST FOR MALAYSIAN AGRICULTURE
Tan Sri Datuk Hj. Muhyiddin Hj. Mohd. Yassin, Malaysia’s
Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, said
that Malaysia sees the introduction of new plant varieties
as an important component in commercial agriculture.
As breeding of new varieties of plants requires substantial
investment in terms of time, skills, labor, material
resources and capital, it is important to provide exclusive
rights to plant breeders to enable them to recover
the investment and reap the benefits of their innovation.
Malaysia, being a signatory of the Trade Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement,
is obliged to provide intellectual property rights
protection for new varieties of plants either by patents
or by an effective sui generis or a combination of
both. Malaysia has enacted the Protection of New Plant
Varieties Act 2004 which will be enforced next year.
Under this Act, the rights of plant breeders will be
protected and it will play an important role in the
transformation of Malaysian agriculture. It will also
encourage investment in the development of the breeding
of new plant varieties in both the public and private
sectors.
For more updates from Malaysia email Mahaletchumy
Arujanan of the
Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC)
at maha@bic.org or
visit their website at http://www.bic.org.my.
INDIA’S
PRESIDENT CALLS FOR BIOTECH INITIATIVES
There is a need to deploy traditional and modern biotechnological
tools in agriculture to ensure that crops have good
yields, even under constraints of water and land. This
was stressed by Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen (APJ) Abdul
Kalam, President of India, during the inauguration
of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR)
Triennial Conference 2006 in New Delhi.
The President suggested that India should intensify
research not only in precision farming and post-harvest
technology, but also in developing transgenic crops
such as the golden rice. In addition to developing
crops with enhanced quality traits, he cited that the
technology can help increase crop productivity and
tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. This was
demonstrated possible by researchers at India’s
Kamaraj University when they developed many transgenic
rice lines that overcome rice blast and sheath blight
diseases.
The full speech of the President is at
http://www.presidentofindia.nic.in/presentation
/splangnewPDF%20Format877.pdf.
GFAR PROPOSES PARTNERSHIP ON AFRIC KNOWLEDGE SHARING
During the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR)
Triennial Conference 2006 on “Reorienting Agricultural
Research to meet the Millennium Development Goals” in
New Delhi, major international groups led by GFAR,
Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research, called
for a new international partnership to support information
and knowledge system in agricultural science and technology.
The ultimate goal is to ensure that stakeholders benefiting
from science and technology are well informed so that
they make better decisions and can develop policies
based on scientific evidences. This initiative will
focus on building capacities at the national level
to establish information networks and systems, working
towards a global web-based network.
For more details visit: http://www.icar.org.in/pr/gfar091106.pdf or www.fao.org/newpartnership or email Bhagirath
Choudhary of ISAAA South Asia Office at b.choudhary@isaaa.org.
IIMA STUDY ECONOMICS OF BT COTTON IN INDIA
A preliminary investigation on 'The Adoption and Economics
of Bt Cotton in India" has shown considerable
economic gains to Bt cotton farmers in Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in India. The study was
carried by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
(IIMA) and was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture,
Government of India.
Results indicate that the yields of Bt cotton are
higher and increases significantly in all the States
under both irrigated and rain-fed conditions. The average
increase in yield of Bt cotton over non-Bt cotton was
30.71% while reduction in the number of sprays was
38.67% or more in all states. The average national
increase to farmers in profit per hectare was $250.
The increase in profit was $307 for Gujarat, $185 for
Maharastra, $298 for Andhra Pradesh and $ 210 for Tamil
Nadu. The profit is found to be higher in all the states
to the estimated extent of about 80-90 percent when
the effects of associated inputs such as cost are included.
For further information, email Bhagirath Choudhary of
ISAAA South Asia Office at b.choudhary@isaaa.org.
CHINA SETS REQUIREMENTS FOR RENEWAL OF GMO SAFETY
CERTIFICATES
China’s Ministry of Agriculture has released
Announcement No. 736 detailing the simplified requirements
to renew safety requirements for genetically modified
(GM) crops that are domestically grown or imported
for processing purposes. No additional tests are required
for renewal of certificates.
A translation of the Announcement by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture notes that the scope of application
applies to GMOs having obtained a safety certificate
and requiring continued use in areas specified in the
certificate after its expiration. Renewal may be done
with the Ministry one year before expiration. After
this application is received by the Ministry, the application
will be reviewed by the National Biosafety Committee.
See http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200611/146249461.pdf for additional information.
VIETNAM PROVIDES GRANT
FOR BIOTECH DEVELOPMENT
Vietnam’s Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dzung has approved a grant of over 11 billion
VND (US$ 700,000)
to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
to implement projects on biotechnology development
in agriculture. He instructed the Finance Ministry
to provide the funding that will provide international
training opportunities for public officials to enable
them to implement the national program on biotechnology
development and applications in agriculture and rural
development. Additional funds were also earmarked to
purchase equipment.
Email Hien Le of Biotech Vietnam at hientttm@yahoo.com for more news on biotechnology initiatives in the country.
EUROPE
BIOTECH ASSOCIATIONS
MEET WITH EU DECISION MAKERS
National associations of EuropaBio, Europe’s
association of bioindustries, and company senior executives
met with over 50 national representatives from the
European Parliament, European Commission and the Council
during Brussels Day to discuss biotechnology issues.
Delegates who attended the meeting in Brussels came
from Spain, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden,
Hungary, Ireland, Finland, Belgium, and Norway.
Aisling Burnand, chief executive officer of the UK
Bio Industry Association, said that the meeting enabled
the national associations to bring across key messages
to EU decision makers and to “strengthen those
national voices rather than diminish them”.
Among the issues discussed were proposals for a new
state aid program and how it could benefit research,
development and innovation. Plans were presented for
EuropaBio’s Young Innovative Companies status
into the new rules which provides major tax incentives
to companies and allow them to spend up to a 15% or
more of their revenues on research and development.
Other programs discussed were the European Life Science
Circle, a strategy to turn the EU life science sector
into a “bio-zone”, and the European Life
Science and Biotechnology Strategy and the Mid Term
Review. The Commission will adopt a communication in
2007 which will present recommendations to develop
the biotech sector to the Council of Ministers.
Read the meeting highlights at http://www.europabio.org/articles
/brussels%20day%202006-article_FINAL.doc.
MODEL PLANT TO UNDERSTAND DISEASE RESISTANCE IN LEGUMES
Model organisms have become popular in biological
research because they are generally easier to work
with. In addition, the results from studying these
organisms can often be extrapolated to more complex
systems. In legumes, the annual forage crop Medicago
truncatula turned out to be an ideal species to study
host-pathogen interaction, says B. Tivoli and colleagues
in their review published by the journal Annals of
Botany.
Medicago truncatula is useful in legume biology studies
due to its small diploid genome, rapid generation time,
and self-fertility. Like Arabidopsis, it can also be
easily transformed. M. truncatula is a host of foliar
and soil-borne fungal pathogens of other Medicago species.
The genetic control of resistance to two major necrotrophic
pathogens has already been identified in M. truncatula.
Tivoli and colleagues believe that this will soon lead
to gene isolation followed by comparative analysis
of resistance expression and genetic control mechanisms
in other grain and forage legumes.
The review paper is available at http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/98/6/1117.
ARTIFICIAL microRNAs: NEW DEFENSE AGAINST PLANT VIRUSES
Plants possess several innate mechanisms to resist
viruses, one of which entails the production of dominant
resistance gene products that can trigger acquired
resistance. However, transgenic technology offers
the possibility to genetically modify plants with
genes encoding virus tolerance or resistance. Recently,
short single-stranded RNAs known as microRNAs (miRNAs)
have received considerable attention because of their
role in plant developmental processes. In the October
issue of Nature Biotechnology, scientists from Mexico
and Taiwan report of using plant microRNAs to confer
virus resistance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.
Researchers modified a precursor of the microRNA miR159
in Arabidopsis thaliana to express artificial miRNAs
(amiRNAs) targeting viral mRNA sequences encoding two
gene silencing suppressors of turnip yellow mosaic
virus (TYMV) and turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). Transgenic
plants expressing the amiRNAs for these viruses are
specifically resistant to TYMV and TuMV. The research
group found that the virus resistance trait was displayed
at the cell level and was heritable.
Readers can access the abstract of the article “Expression
of artificial microRNAs in transgenic Arabidopsis
thaliana confers virus resistance” at http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v24/n11/abs/nbt1255.html.
The full article is available at http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v24/n11/full/nbt1255.html.
FIRST GENETIC MAP OF TARO PUBLISHED
The first quantitative trait loci (QTL) map on taro
root crop (Colocasia esculenta) was constructed using
two types of molecular markers. J. Quero-García
and collaborators from three other countries used simple
sequence repeats (SSRs) and amplified fragment length
polymorphism (AFLPs) to get genetic maps from taro
populations in Vanuatu.
The map was derived from first generation offprings
that they have obtained by crossing two sets of local
taro cultivars. The researchers wrote in their paper
that they were able to successfully identify QTLs
that are responsible for yield, corm dimensions,
and yellow flesh color. They recommend that additional
SSR and AFLP markers be used to produce a saturated
and robust map of taro.
The abstract of the paper can be accessed at http://www.springerlink.com/content/7250141745x2480j/.
| A
N N O U N C E M E N T S |
FARMERS TO SHARE AGRIC EXPERIENCES IN MANILA
Farmers from Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) will be joined
by colleagues from
India and the United States in a workshop on “Farmer
Biotech Outreach: Strengthening the Competitiveness of
Small Farmers” from December 4-7, 2006 in Manila,
Philippines. Sponsored under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation and implemented by the (APEC), International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
(ISAAA), and the Biotechnology Information Center of
the SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research
in Agriculture (SEARCA), the workshop will allow farmers
and farmers leaders to engage in a dialogue on how agricultural
biotechnology application and market access can enhance
greater returns. Email Randy Hautea of ISAAA at r.hautea@isaaa.org or Sonny Tababa of SEARCA at spt@agric.searca.org for
additional workshop details.
6th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY
AND AGRICULTURE BIOVEG2007
The 6th International Congress on Plant Biotechnology
and Agriculture BIOVEG2007 will be held on May 7-12,
2007 in Ciego de Avila, Cuba. Topics to be discussed
include biotechnology-assisted plant propagation, biotechnology-assisted
plant genetic improvement and conservation of germplasm,
and metabolic engineering and plant natural products.
Registration and submission of manuscripts starts on
Nov.1, 2006 and ends on Feb. 28, 2007.
For more information, visit: http://bioveg.bioplantas.cu.
INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE ON TRANSGENIC PRODUCTS IN INDONESIA
The
Faculty of Biology of the National University in Indonesia
will hold an interactive dialogue entitled “Is
Transgenic Product Safe?” on 22 November 2006
at Ambhara Hotel, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan.
Speakers include Dr. Endang Sukara (Indonesian Institute
of Sciences), Ir. Thomas Darmawan (General Chief of
Indonesian Alliance of Food and Beverages Entrepreneurs),
Dr. Husniah Rubiana Thamrin (Director of National Agency
of Drug and Food Control) and Ir. Husna G. Zahir (Chief
of Indonesian Consumers Organization).
Email inquiries
regarding the dialogue to product_transgenik@yahoo.com. |
