Plant Biotech Blog

Dawn
April 21, 2007

Excerpt…

GM crops are environment-friendly and help the farmers manage their cotton crops in a very effective way because there is an in-built pest and weed control mechanism, explains Ijaz Ahmad Rao.

Biotechnology has received far greater acceptance in the discipline of medicine, energy and industrial sector as compared to the field of food and agriculture: the main reason behind it, is a lack of awareness in common man.

That is why modern biotech industry is keep changing and redefining itself during the last two decades. The use of genetic engineering in agriculture is a complex issue that presents both potential benefits and risks to human society and the environment, with implications at the local and global levels. Today a heated global debate has erupted over the use of modern crop biotechnology; Government, journalists, communities and farmers in developing countries are deliberating about the same challenge as those in other countries.

Many are optimistic that plant’s biotechnology has come to stay, and will be a major technology of the future – and its potential benefits include improved crops that would be more nutritious, higher yielding, need less pesticides, resistant to weeds, and more environmentally sustainable while anti campaigners believes that such a technology may cause toxicity and allergenicity to human; that it can create super weeds while number of sprays to control pests on crops will increase extensively; In short, crops biotechnology is harmful to our health, environment and economics rather safe and beneficial. This is the point where most of the journalists and a common man get confused and find hard to balance between the information coming from two different schools of thoughts.

Moreover, the discussion on the debate has large influence by social, ethical, religious, scientific, political, economic, legal and cultural dimensions so it has become more complex for journalists to position itself on the scale - as a result of it scientists and journalists differed in their opinions about the quality of media coverage of agriculture biotechnology and bio-safety, socioeconomic and ethical issues; however the main sufferer in this war are the farmers, technology developer and public who has been dragged on a bewildered and puzzled road; but many stakeholders still recognise and place great importance on the role of the media in shaping public perception of Biotech science and technology.

In March a three days media workshop on “innovative aspects of Biotechnology and its better awareness and dissemination” was jointly organised by Comstech, ISESCO based in Tehran, Pakistan Biotechnology Information Centre (PABIC) as well as ISAAA.

The main objective was to ensure that members of the media, especially those who have opportunities to write about agriculture biotechnology are well informed about advancements in modern biotechnology.

Pakistan has several good institutions currently working on various aspects of biotechnology. There are a number of universities; which offer various degrees in this discipline. However, there is a serious lack of appreciation of biotechnology at the public and industrial levels. Coordination and exchange of information among institution and practitioners of biotechnology is less then adequate.

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The Council for Biotechnology Information

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Benefits include removal of toxins and other unwanted materials

Most people think of plant biotechnology as it relates to agriculture. Your first thoughts may be of farmers benefiting from increased yields of corn, soybean or cotton. The first environmental benefits that come to mind may include reduced pesticide applications, less soil tillage and reductions in associated fossil-fuel use. But in addition to reducing the environmental footprint of agricultural crops, scientists are working to bolster other plants’ natural abilities to rid the environment of unwanted materials.

Phytoremediation: How Plants Help Clean the Soil

Phytoremediation uses plants to remove, transfer, stabilize and destroy environmental contaminants. As plants take in water and other nutrients through their roots, they remove harmful chemicals from the soil. Trees are particularly adept at phytoremediation because their roots grow much more deeply into the soil than other plants.¹

Once toxins are absorbed by a tree, they are either internalized or broken down into less harmful substances. The internalized chemicals may settle above ground within the trunk, branches or leaves, or remain below ground in the roots. The tree can transform contaminants into less toxic substances before storing or releasing them, or microscopic bugs that associate with the tree’s roots may transform the toxins into less harmful substances.
Several steps can prevent phytoremediating trees from reintroducing internalized toxins back into the ground or water. Collecting and incinerating discarded leaves guards against soil recontamination. Energy producers may burn harvested trees, and, depending on the nature of the accumulated toxins, pulp or paper manufacturers may use the trees.

The targeted toxins can harm many phytoremediating trees, especially those selected or engineered to be “hyperaccumulators.” To combat this problem, researchers are looking for ways to bolster plant resistance to poisons while enhancing uptake and processing capabilities.²

Danbury, Conn., suffered mercury contamination during its heyday as the world’s hat-making capital. Today, to clean up the pollution, scientists are splicing genes from the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) into cottonwood trees. The genes enable the common bacterium — and the trees — to live amid mercury. In a field test, scientists planted 45 biotech cottonwood trees in a polluted lot. The researchers hope the trees treat the mercury as a nutrient and draw the toxic element from the soil with their roots. The trees will store most of the mercury, some of which will vaporize into the air. The scientists plan to cut down and incinerate the trees after several years of growth.³

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Bernama.com
April 18, 2007

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KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 (Bernama) — Genetically modified crops could be the answer to the world’s food shortage in future, especially with the rapid growth of human population, Nobel laureate Professor Werner Arber said Wednesday.

He said genetically engineered crops would not only be able to meet increasing food consumption and help reduce hunger in the world, but could also provide the nutrients much needed by both humans and animals.

“The general public should not treat genetic engineering as a threat that could modify the DNA of living organisms, but should see it as an evolution process that takes place naturally in the environment,” he told reporters after delivering a talk on “The Impact of Science and Technology on Civilisation” at Universiti Malaya, here Wednesday.

“It’s a natural evolution of living organisms in our environment. It happens even without our permission and our consciousness,” said the 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine/Physiology for the discovery of restriction enzymes and their application to problems of molecular genetics.

Arber, 78, pointed out that the magnitude of genetic engineering under natural conditions and in the laboratories were of the same level.

The Swiss said that with the planet’s growing population and with more land converted for non-agriculture purposes, there could not be enough food for everyone in years to come.

“Genetically engineered crops can improve nutritional value of food which human beings and animals depend on, such as vitamins and the essential amino acid which is not much available naturally.

“So genetic engineering can produce plants which have increased proportions of nutrients essential for the human diet,” said Arber who is here on a two-day visit.

Arber who was here for the first time in 2002, said in tackling rising concerns over genetic engineering being abused, the civil society at large needed to play a bigger role in the matter.

“Scientists come up with new findings and assessment of the benefits and risks of these findings. But the people and policy makers should decide how they should control the impact of genetically modified organisms on their lives,” he said.

Read the full article at Bernama.com.

SeedQuest
Brussels, Belgium
April 20, 2007

Here’s a great article excerpt from SeedQuest about agricultural biotechnology…

Excerpt…

The Joint Research Centre (JRC’s) study “Consequences, Opportunities and Challenges of Modern Biotechnology for Europe“, better known as the Biotech for Europe (Bio4EU) study, due to be officially released today, is the largest study ever of its kind in Europe. The Bio4EU study will be published at an EU symposium where the main findings will be presented and discussed as well as the Mid-term review of the EU Strategy on Life Sciences and Biotechnology. EuropaBio – the EU Association for Bioindustries - welcomes the results of the socio-economic impact study of biotechnology which show the pervasiveness of biotechnology across all major economic sectors in Europe. The study’s figures are compelling: they confirm that life sciences and biotechnology have grown to be central to several industrial sectors of the EU economy. They also confirm the dramatic contribution of biotechnology to progress in medicine for the benefit of patients despite the continuous rationing of healthcare practiced by Member States.

Some key facts and figures:

• Modern biotechnology and its applications generate almost 2% of EU gross value added, indicating that its importance is comparable to Europe’s largest industry sectors.

• The European dedicated biotechnology industry directly employs 96.500 people, mostly in SMEs; however given biotechnology’s “enabling effect”, employment in industries using biotechnology products is many times higher.

• The number of biopharmaceuticals on the market has more than doubled in the last 10 years and

• The number of biopharmaceutical companies rose from 37 (1996) to 143 (2005).

• 30% of all in vitro diagnostics (IVD) in the EU in 2005 were biotech

• Revenues for biotech vaccines jumped from EUR 65 million in 1996 to EUR 259 million

• In the agroindustry, up to 20% of the sector turnover is now related to biotech

• In Spain, studies show a 12% increase in gross margin for GM maize over conventional production

• In industrial biotech the EU produces about 75% of the world’s enzymes

• About 45% of all manufacturing sectors, for example textiles, pulp & paper use modern biotechnology

• Industrial biotech increases labour productivity by 10-20% over conventional processes

The environmental effects of industrial applications are striking: the change from chemical to biotechnological method for the production of a widespread category of antibiotics showed a reduction of the use of electricity of 37%, of solvents of almost 100% and a reduction in wastewater by 90%. Other industrial applications, such as biodegradable plastics and packaging, could bring similar benefits.

“Studies like the JRC’s Bio4EU are a valuable tool to help get the word out about the benefits of biotechnology, but it is up to the Member States to adopt EU wide rules and show their faith in the value of the facts and the figures,” stated Johan Vanhemelrijck, Secretary General of EuropaBio. Industry calls on the EU Commission and Member States not to let this important study fall by the way side and to continue to implement the necessary support for the biotech industry to flourish in Europe….

Read the full article at SeedQuest.

The Guardian
David Adam, environment correspondent
April 18, 2007

Excerpt…

• Organic agriculture ‘will never meet demand’
• Professor warns of soaring prices and shortages

David Adam, environment correspondent
Wednesday April 18, 2007
The Guardian

Britain must continue to intensify its farming practices to meet soaring demand for cheap food and prevent shortages, a leading agricultural expert said yesterday. Demand for biofuels, booming economies of developing countries and climate change will put demand on food supplies that can only be met by intensive techniques, said Professor Bill McKelvey, head of the Scottish Agricultural College. Prices could soar and future generations in the UK may find they can no longer take plentiful food for granted.

At a London briefing, Prof McKelvey defended intensive techniques and said alternatives such as organic farming would not cope with predicted growth in population. “There is a need to continue to intensify farming. Organic farming has a place but it will never feed the growing population of the world,” he said.

Media criticism of modern farming techniques after the bird flu outbreak at the Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk had been unfair, he said, adding that intensive farming protects the environment because it reduces the amount of land used for agriculture. Europe would also have to overcome its “illogical” opposition to genetically modified crops to help boost yields, he said.

“In the UK, we are becoming less self-sufficient in food. I think it’s possible in the next 25 to 50 years that there will be food shortages in the UK.” The proportion of average British family income spent on food might double from 10% to 20%, he said. The UK currently provides 60% of its own food, and imports were increasing, said Prof McKelvey, who advises industry and the government.

With world population forecast to grow from 6bn to 8.5bn in 50 years, he warned that countries such as New Zealand that export food to Britain were likely to switch attention to China and India. Food demand there is increasing sharply and meat consumption in China has doubled in the last decade. Prof McKelvey said the solution was farmers producing more food on the same amount of land. Wheat production increased four-fold in the last 50 years and in the next 50 years would probably have to rise by the same level again, despite a shortage of suitable land. “There are only two ways to do that. We either take land from rain forests or we intensify existing farms. We will protect the wild environment by making better use of farms.”

Plant breeding - conventional and using genetic modification - was the best way to produce more food from the same amount of land. Although very little is grown commercially in Europe, millions of hectares of GM crops have been grown across the world in recent years.

Read the full article at The Guardian.

The Age
Peter Ker
April 18, 2007

Here’s a great article excerpt by Peter Ker about GM crops from The Age.

Excerpt…

VICTORIA’S first crop of genetically modified wheat is set to be growing within weeks, after a positive response from the federal regulator to a State Government proposal.

But the Government has been warned it must stick to strict safety measures if it is to proceed with the trial of drought-resistant wheat.

The Age reported in December that the Department of Primary Industries had applied to the federal Gene Technology Regulator for permission to grow GM wheat crops on two sites near Horsham and Mildura.

In its preliminary assessment, the regulator identified 15 potential risks, including the possibility of the modified species being uncontrollably spread by animals or weather.

But the regulator was confident that risks could be completely or significantly negated by precautions, including:

■ A 490-metre exclusion zone between the GM wheat and any other wheat species.

■ A 10-metre exclusion zone between the GM wheat and any other plant.

■ A rabbit-proof fence more than a metre high around all GM wheat trial sites.

■ A ban on the GM wheat being used for anything other than research.

The trial crops are part of an attempt to secure the future of wheat farmers, who have endured years of drought in the north-western parts of the state….

Read the full article at The Age.

Farmers Guardian
April 17, 2007

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The survey of society members found that 47 per cent would grow GM crops, 37 per cent ‘were not convinced but could be persuaded’ and 16 per cent were vehemently against the idea.

“We were surprised that only one-in-eight grassland farmers responding said they would never grow GM forage crops,” said Jessica Buss, society director of the society.

“More than half of these declared they were organic producers, and perhaps this indicates why they would be against such new technology.”

Three-quarters of the farmers said they would only use GM varieties if consumers accept the technology.
“So it is obvious that more positive messages about GM crops would need to be forthcoming for most farmers to feel comfortable about sowing crops,” she said.

“Farmers’ priorities for benefits of GM crops they would favour also proved different to the expected order – increased crop yield was close to the bottom rather than the top of preferences….”

Read the full article at Farmers Guardian.

Chennai Online News
April 16, 2007

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Coimbatore, April 16: With production of foodgrains and oilseeds remaining either stagnant or facing a shortfall, India, which stands at the crossroads, needed a breakthrough technology to increase productivity in the available land, a senior official in Agricultural Science Recruitment Board, Delhi, said today.

The yield of oilseeds was short by 24 million tonnes, pulses 15 million tonnes, wheat remaining at 70 million tonnes and rice at 85 to 90 million tonnes. Biotechnology could be an improved tool to introduce a second green revolution in India, Dr C D Mayee, Chairman of the Board, said.

Addressing a two-day media workshop on ‘Agricultural Biotechnology’ here, Mayee, however, said there were a lot of misconceptions and misunderstanding about the technology, which has created a fear among the farming community.

With basic need of food sufficiency in the long run, in the wake of foodgrains production remaining stagnant at 210 to 215 million tonnes in the last one decade, India has already started importing wheat now, he said.

Cotton production, after introduction of BT, a small fraction of the technology, in 2002 in India, has witnessed tremendous growth from 140 lakh bales to 270 lakh bales now. Media has a vital role to play to provide right kind of information on the advantages of BT to the maximum benefit of farmers, he said.

When biotechnology was adopted in human and veterinary care, why was it not adopted in agriculture, Mayee asked.

In his address, G Balachandran, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, said, “More than 38 lakh hectares of cotton cultivation in the country are an indication that the farmers have accepted biotechnology….”

Read the full article at Chennai Online News.

Interfax China
April 16, 2007

Here’s a great article excerpt from Interfax China about some of the benefits of genetic engineering…

Excerpt…

Shanghai. April 16. INTERFAX-CHINA - Biotechnology will become a key force behind China’s quest in becoming an innovation-driven country, a science and technology ministry official said during a conference today.

Speaking at the three-day Life Science Partnering China & Europe Forum in Shanghai, director-general of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development, Wang Hongguang, predicted that biotechnology would become a new economic growth point for China over the next few years.

Wang has attributed China’s upcoming biotech surge to the government-endorsed National Medium and Long term Science & Technology (S&T) Development Plan (2006-2020) launched earlier this year by the State Council. Under the plan, the government will make biotechnology its top priority within the science and technology sector over the next 15 years, with the bio-medical industry as a whole to follow.

Industry players are hoping China’s bio-medical industry will develop with the same intensity as China’s current IT sector.

“With the creation of a national biotech leadership group, the development of China’s biotechnology and bio-medical industry has entered a new era,” said Wang.

Wang said the development of China’s biotechnology industry and the bio-medical industry as a whole had already made significant achievements.

Currently, China’s bio-medical industry is growing at more than 20 percent, with more the 30 bio-medicines and vaccines on the Chinese market, and over 150 biotechnology products undergoing clinical trials.

Wang said China is fast becoming an ideal biotechnology center for foreign companies that are attracted to China’s talent pool and the comparatively low costs of R & D.

“The average cost for laboratory animal research in China is about 20 percent of that of the United States and only 10 percent of U.S. expenditure for human resources is used in China,” said Wang.

A recent survey on 12 newly-developed first class bio-medicines in China found that the average expenditure on R & D for each new drug was about RMB 100 million ($12.95 million), with the average R & D period for each drug at about 10 years, said Wang.

He said the average time for developing a new drug in the United States was also about 10 years, while the average R & D expenditure for each new drug was about $1 billion - around 80 times more than that in China.

“China is emerging as one of the largest markets for the international bio-medical industry,” said Wang….

Read full article at Interfax China.

ABC News Online
April 20, 2007

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The push to allow genetically modified (GM) cotton to be grown in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia has been formally supported by the Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley.

A staff recommendation to lobby the State Government to allow GM cotton to be grown in the region was passed unanimously at this week’s council meeting.

The State Government has a moratorium on commercial GM crops until 2008.

The state Agriculture Minister Kim Chance says the ban will not be lifted until he is confident GM crops do not pose health risks.

Shire president Michele Pucci says GM cotton should be exempt because it is not a foodstuff and will provide benefits including increased employment.

“Obviously the state has its reasons why they have the moratorium on GM crops but what we’re requesting is that they have a look at GM cotton which will not be used for food,” he said….

Read the full article at ABC News Online.