
Effects of GM Wheat with Resistance to Powdery Mildew on Non-target Insect Herbivores
August 5, 2011 |
One of the growing concerns about genetically modified crops is that they may affect non-target organisms. Thus, Fernando Alvarez-Alfageme of Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikon Research Station in Switzerland, together with other researchers analyzed the impact of transgenic spring wheat lines with resistance to powdery mildew on insect herbivores. One of the GM lines contains Pm3b gene from hexaploid wheat, which confers race-specific resistance to powdery mildew. Another line tested had less specific resistance conferred by a barley gene that express the enzymes chitinase/glucanase. Other conventional lines of wheat, barley, and triticale were also used for comparison in the study.
For two consecutive growing seasons, the test plants were exposed to powdery mildew and several naturally-occurring insect herbivores in semi-field conditions. Mildew was found to be reduced in the GM wheat plants with Pm3b gene, but not in the enzyme-expressing line. The number of aphids was negatively correlated with mildew, with Pm3b plants containing more aphids than the mildew-susceptible controls. However, there was no significant difference in the aphid abundance of the other GM lines and their non-transgenic counterparts, probably because of the low mildew and aphid pressure in the area. The abundance and damage caused by insect herbivores cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopus) and barley gout fly (Chlorops pumilionis) were not affected by the GM lines.
Read the open-access research article at http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0022690.
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Online Consultation on Food Security
- A Further Boost for Strategic Biosafety Research by Biosafety South Africa
- Nigeria to Use Biotech to Address Food Problem
- Brazil Registers Growth in GM Plantings
- Danforth Center Scientists Discover a Method to Reduce Cyanogens in Cassava
- Outstanding Stress Resistance Found in Swedish Soybeans
- Agriscience Awards Honor Innovators
- Some Plants Duplicate their Chromosomes to Overcome Distress
- Media Practitioners Enlightened About Biotechnology's Role in Changing Climate
- GM Tech a Must in Bangladesh for Food Security and Poverty Alleviation, says Ag Minister
- China Reports on Agricultural IP Creation
- Thailand Positive towards Biotech in Development Plan
- Pakistan and Turkmenistan to Collaborate on Agricultural Research
- Chemist and Biotechnologist, Among the Conferred Members of the Philippine S&T Academy
- Scientists Recognized During the Philippine Science and Technology Week
- Seminars on Biotech Potato Breeding in Indonesia
- GM Crops, a Must Have in Indonesia to Mitigate Climate Change
- Epigenetic "Memory" Key to Nature vs Nurture
- Researchers Produce Library of Onion Traits for Global Food Security
- EFSA Releases Scientific Opinion on Post Market Environmental Monitoring of GMPs
-
Research Highlights
- Effects of GM Wheat with Resistance to Powdery Mildew on Non-target Insect Herbivores
- Increase in Antioxidant Activity of Soybean using a New Transformation Protocol
- Biologists Study Genetic Mechanism Involved in Shade Responses of Grasses
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Newly Designed Molecule Blocks Chlamydia
-
Announcements
- AUSBiOTECH 2011 Conference in Adelaide
- International Chromosome and Genetics Conference
- The 3rd ASEAN Food Security Conference in Jakarta
-
Resources
- CAST Website Relaunched
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (February 12, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (February 12, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet