Study: 20 Years of GM Adoption in Brazil Increased Farmers' Profits, Boosted Economy, and Preserved the Environment |
 In 2018, Brazil has completed 20 years since GMOs were adopted in agriculture. Throughout this period, what stands out are the benefits for farmers resulting from planting genetically modified (GM) soybeans, corn, and cotton. There has been, for example, a reduction in the application of pesticides per hectare and there have been fewer losses caused by pests. Consequently, the productivity and yield of the GM crops have been, on average, higher than conventional crops. The data is part of a study, 20 Years of GMOs in Brazil: Environmental, Economic, and Social Impacts, which was conducted by the Agroconsult consultancy with support from the Council for Information on Biotechnology (CIB Brazil).
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Sorghum's Weed-Killing Power Transferred to Rice |
 Scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) have transferred a biochemical pathway found in sorghum, which produces a weed-killing compound, into rice plants. Sorgoleone, a compound secreted by sorghum helps plants fight weeds and works so well that some other crops struggle to grow in fields planted with sorghum.
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Method for Production of Non-transgenic Gene-edited Plants, Developed for Cloned Plants |
 Transgenes that originally bear the CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing complex are removed from desirable edited plants through sexual segregation. However, this method cannot be done in asexually propagated perennial plants, which require several years to reach sexual maturity. Thus, scientist Yi Li from Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture in Connecticut, USA, and colleagues developed a method for producing non-transgenic CRISPR-Cas9-edited plants without sexual segregation.
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| NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD |
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| RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS |
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| PLANT BREEDING INNOVATIONS |
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GM APPROVAL UPDATES |
- The Philippines approved cotton MON88701 for food, feed, and processing.
- The Philippines approved corn MON87427 x MON89034 x TC1507 x MON87411 x 59122 for food, feed, and processing.
- The Philippines approved eggplant EE1 for food, feed, and processing.
- The Philippines approved corn MON87429 for food, feed, and processing.
- The Philippines approved rice GR2E for commercial propagation.
- The Philippines approved (renewal) corn MON89034 for commercial propagation.
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| The Crop Biotech Update is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a non-for-profit organization. The CBU is distributed for free to over 23,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in agricultural biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10. |
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A study published in Nature reports about a 
