[searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 07 November 2008
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Fri Nov 7 20:05:38 CST 2008
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*Posted 07 November 2008*
*PHILIPPINES*
1-EXPERTS: GENETIC ENGINEERING IMPROVES PAPAYA AND EGGPLANT
2-BATTLE AGAINST HUNGER LIES IN A SEED
3-DEVELOPMENT OF CROP VARIETIES SEEN TO ENHANCE FOOD SECURITY
4-RP TOPS IN REGULATION OF GM CROPS
*INDONESIA*
5-INCORPORATE ICT, BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE, SAYS ABDULLAH
*EUROPE*
6-EU PANEL OKS 2 GENETICALLY MODIFIED CORN PRODUCTS
*GLOBAL*
7-WORLD'S FIRST BLUE ROSES ON DISPLAY IN JAPAN
*1-EXPERTS: GENETIC ENGINEERING IMPROVES PAPAYA AND EGGPLANT*
by Izah Morales
05-November-2008
INQUIRER.net<http://blogs.inquirer.net/insidescience/2008/11/05/experts-genetic-engineering-improves-papaya-and-eggplant/>
CEBU, Philippines – Scientists today are using genetic engineering to
improve the short shelf-life and post-harvest losses of papaya and lessen
use of pesticides on eggplants, experts said during a symposium on
biotechnology and nutritionally enhanced food crops here.
According to Dr. Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza, research professor of
Biochemistry at the Institute of Plant Breeding-University of the
Philippines Los Banos (IPB-UPLB), the transgenic papaya or genetically
modified papaya by recombinant has now longer shelf-life than the ordinary
papaya.
"The papaya usually ripens two days after having a full yellow color and you
have to eat it on the second or the third day. Otherwise, it won't be
edible. With this technology, we can delay it from 4 up to 14 days,"
elaborated Mendoza.
Delaying the ripening of papaya was made possible through suppressing the
production of ethylene. This was done by inhibiting the ACC synthase from
synthesizing through the antisense technology, Mendoza said.
Since 1997, Mendoza has been using molecular techniques to solve the problem
on post-harvest losses measuring from 30 to 40 percent and the shelf-life of
the papaya. But it was only after 10 years that they conducted the first
field testing of a homegrown papaya.
Based on the results of the various biochemical testing, Mendoza said the
nutritional value of the transgenic papaya is similar to the ordinary papaya
noting that both have Vitamin C and antinutrient benzyl isothiocyanate
(BITC) contents.
Dr. Frank Shotkoski, director of the Agricultural Biotechnology Support
Project II Cornell University, for his part, related that the nutritional
values of Bt eggplant and the ordinary eggplant are identical.
Both Shotkoski and Mendoza are optimistic about the eventual transfer of the
technology to farmers.
Shotkoski cited that farmers in India have a high demand for the Bt
eggplant.
Mendoza disclosed that it will take two years before farmers in the
Philippines can use the technology.
"Because this is a technology that involves recombinant DNA technologies and
there are biosafety regulations. We need to do field testing under biosafety
regulations and we're also into progression of incorporating the PRSV
(papaya ringspot virus) resistance," explained Mendoza.
Meanwhile, Shotkoski deemed it important to analyze the socio-economic
impact and risk assessment of the technology.
"We don't want to spend an enormous amount of national public money on a
project that has very little or no return on investment. If we plan to spend
$2 to 3M on a project and it won't have any benefit to the consumer or the
farmer, then the technology won't be adapted. We use this as a guide to
assess the probability or the likelihood whether the technology would be
adapted," said Shotkoski.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*2-BATTLE AGAINST HUNGER LIES IN A SEED*
05-November-2008 BusinessMirror
A NOTED Filipino agriculture scientist said the country's salvation from
hunger comes in the form of the lowly seed.
In an article to be published later this month, Dr. Calixto Protacio, a
US-trained professor of agronomy at the University of the Philippines Los
Baños, argued, "Biotech crops are the ultimate products of science-based
agriculture. The development of biotech crops harnessed almost every
scientific discipline from the crop sciences to genetics, biochemistry and
even computer science. It will be hard to conjure a more visible product of
the sciences in agriculture other than the biotech crops."
Protacio added that the biotech seed is a weapon that reaches the farmer and
does not need to be trained on improved technology to benefit from the crops
grown through genetic improvement.
It has been the bane of many countries, he added, that improved technology
seldom reaches the intended targets, and that extension workers are not
trained appropriately to impart the new knowledge.
"Biotechnology's potential is to bring science to the countryside even
without extension workers. How? Just by giving the farmer [the] improved
seed! If we can incorporate into a seed all that science has to offer, then
the fruits of science [actually a seed] would have reached the farmer. This
scheme fits in the natural cycle of agriculture where a farmer will secure
the best seed he can get," Protacio stressed.
Besides the seeds, he added that the biotech product may also be a
tissue-cultured plantlet.
"But even if produced by tissue culture, especially if by somatic
embryogenesis, synthetic seeds can also be produced by encapsulating the
somatic embryo in a suitable gel-like medium usually along with everything
that the embryo will need—just like a natural seed," he explained.
"So far the promise of biotechnology has only been realized commercially in
corn, albeit partly at that. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn's built-in
crop protection capability has reduced the chemical-related expenses for
growing the crop and the farmers seem to find it cost effective. The
herbicide resistance also incorporated in corn is also relevant to our aging
farmers as less labor is required to weed the extensive corn fields,"
Protacio said.
While there has been enormous success in propagating Bt corn in the country,
commercial seeds developed by biotechnology still have to make their mark in
the rice farms and coconut plantations, he lamented.
"The reason for this is that the private industry invested heavily in
corn-biotechnology research unlike in the two other crops. Biotech research
in rice and coconut are primarily publicly funded. However, the fact that
public money is spent on these crops promises that the crop eventually
developed will be more relevant to the farmers and the general population,"
Protacio admitted.
The biotech expert bared that the government has been working hard to
develop Golden Rice, which have genes that carry vitamin A, to enable more
and more poor communities to benefit from the nutrients.
Vitamin A is crucial in battling blindness.
Nonetheless, experts are still arguing over the practical impact of Golden
Rice since research has to be done to boost the capability of the strain to
harbor a bigger amount of the nutrient.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*3-DEVELOPMENT OF CROP VARIETIES SEEN TO ENHANCE FOOD SECURITY*
by Melody M. Aguiba
04-November-2008 Manila Bulletin
The development of crop varieties such as late blight-resistant potato and
black sigatoka-resistant banana under private-public partnerships will
significantly help raise local food security.
International institutions like the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) and academic institutions including University of Oxford
in the UK, Tamil Nadu University of India, and the University of the
Philippines-Los Baños have been taking part in a collaboration that all aim
to provide technological benefits to resource-poor farmers.
One of these collaborations may soon result in the commercial release by
2010 of the genetically modified (GM) fruit and shoot borer (FSB)-resistant
eggplant in the Philippines, said Dr. Frank Shotkoski of Cornell University
in an interview.
GM eggplant has been found to give yield advantage of at least 50 percent
against non-GM eggplants under an insect-infested (FSB) environment.
Shotkoski is responsible for raising fund in this USAID-financed program. He
is also involved in the program to develop late blight-resistant potato that
was started by the University of Wisconsin for the US and black
sigatoka-resistant banana meant for Africa.
Both varieties may also be field-tested later for propagation in the
Philippines.
USAID has been working with both state-run UPLB and Tamil Nadu in the
development of the GM eggplant whose seeds will be publicly made accessible
in the form of open pollinated varieties (OPVs).
But the private sector is notably involved too in these partnerships.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*4-RP TOPS IN REGULATION OF GM CROPS*
by Izah Morales
04-November-2008
INQUIRER.net<http://blogs.inquirer.net/insidescience/2008/11/04/rp-tops-in-regulation-of-gm-crops/>
CEBU, Philippines — Among the member countries of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines is the most advanced in
implementing safety regulations for genetically modified (GM) crops, experts
said here.
"Pinaka-advance tayo kasi we were able to commercialize GM products such as
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) corn and herbicide-resistant corn. [We are the
most advanced because we were able to commercialize genetically modified
products such as Bt corn and herbicide-resistant corn.]," said Reynaldo
Ebora, executive director of the Philippine Council for Advance Science and
Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD) of the Department of Science
and Technology (DOST).
In contrast, LAO PDR and Myanmar are still in the initial stages of
developing biosafety policies.
Biosafety laws in Cambodia and Malaysia were approved in January 2008 and
July 2007, respectively. Meanwhile, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam that
have existing regulations are conducting field trials, said Ebora during a
symposium on Biotechnology and Nutritionally Enhanced Food and Crops here in
Cebu.
Ebora pointed out that market acceptance of GM crops is not a problem in the
Philippines.
" Kasi ang mga farmer, mas gusto nila dahil mas mataas ang yield. Sa general
public, it seems na mataas ang public acceptance. Kasi kung hindi mataas ang
public acceptance, kakaunti sana ung bibili ng seeds na itatanim.Ang
problema ngaun, kulang ung seeds na itatanim. [The farmers wanted Bt corn
because it has higher yield. It also seems that the public acceptance is
high. If the public acceptance is not high, then only few would buy seeds
for planting. But the problem now is that there are few seeds.]," Ebora
said.
Safety regulations GM crops can bring back trust in them, added Dr. Junshi
Chen of the Chinese Center for Disease Control.
"The Chinese government has decided to give a larger amount of financial
investment to further study new GMOs for the Chinese population. It is
serious on safety evaluation and safety assessment of new products," Chen
said.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*INDONESIA
5-INCORPORATE ICT, BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE, SAYS ABDULLAH
*29-October-2008 New Sabah
Times<http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/22929>
SERDANG: Information communication technology (ICT) and biotechnology will
be incorporated in the agricultural sector to strengthen this sector to
cushion the adverse impact of the global economy, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi said yesterday.
The Prime Minister said the National Economic Council had already
recommended and acknowledged agriculture as one of the primary sectors that
could be developed further to cushion the adverse impact of the global
economy.
The international advisory panel on biotechnology was also of the opinion
that incorporating ICT and biotechnology in the agricultural sector would
catalyse national development, especially in agriculture and the agro-based
industry, he said at a gathering with farmers at the Malaysia Agro
Exposition Park here.
He said it could further enhance good agricultural practice, produce better
seed and fertiliser and lead to the production of not only food products but
also pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Abdullah said Bank Negara had also acknowledged that agriculture was the
third most important sector in terms of contribution to the country's
economic growth.
He said the government's confidence in the agricultural sector was not an
empty dream but was based on its efforts and strategies to develop the
sector.
The notion that it was an outdated sector and needed no development was
erroneous because it could generate thousands of ringgit in revenue, he
said.
"Developing the agricultural sector is not something new because the
Agriculture Ministry and Maha (Malaysia Agricultural & Horticultural
Exposition) have been in existence for a long time. We're only adding value
to these things," he said.
The farmers must also have faith in the sector, he said, adding that some
farmers earned RM3 million a year by producing fruit sauces and some even
made RM15 million a year by producing tapioca chips and frozen foodstuff.
"Don't think it's troublesome, nonsensical and a mere dream to attain
success in agriculture," he said.
Abdullah said human capital development among farmers must continue to be
enhanced for them to learn new agricultural techniques and the use of
research products.
They should not consider their learning days to be over because learning was
a life-long process, he added.
He hoped that the gap between the agricultural and industrial sectors would
be narrowed with the development of the former.
Besides the farmers, agencies under the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry
Ministry must also play their role to develop the sector, said Abdullah who
toured the exhibition gallery and inspected the products of agricultural
research.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*EUROPE
6-EU PANEL OKS 2 GENETICALLY MODIFIED CORN PRODUCTS
*by Constant Brand (Associated Press Writer)
01-November-2008 The Associated Press via Dayton Daily
News<http://www.daytondailynews.com/shared-gen/content/shared-gen/ap/Finance_General/EU_EU_Biotech_Crops.html?cxntlid=inform_artr>
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union's food safety agency approved two
genetically modified corns Friday, putting renewed pressure on EU nations to
drop their objections to the use of biotech crops.
Scientists at the Parma, Italy-based European Food Safety Authority, or EFSA
gave clearance to a Bt-11 corn seed made by Switzerland's Syngenta AG and
the 1507 corn made by the U.S.-based Pioneer Hi-Bred and Dow Agrosciences.
Both varieties offer resistance to insects, including corn borers and
certain butterflies. They were already deemed safe by the agency in 2005,
but were resubmitted for testing by the EU Commission in May amid fresh
claims by environmental groups that they were a threat to the environment
and human health.
The EU agency also said a French ban on another GM corn product, produced by
U.S. biotech giant Monsanto Co., was unjustified. The EU granted approval to
sell the seeds in the bloc in 2004.
Mike Hall, spokesman for Pioneer, welcomed the panel's opinion.
"This dossier has already been unduly delayed contrary to EU legislation for
nearly four years now and we urge the speedy approval of 1507 so that
European farmers can benefit," Hall said.
It will now be up to the European Commission to decide whether to issue the
companies licenses to sell the products in the 27-nation bloc.The issue
poses a headache for the Commission, which is trying to force reluctant EU
governments to drop some national GM crop bans, amid increasing global
pressure from Europe's trade partners.
The panel's decisions sparked a strong reaction from environmental group
Greenpeace, which called on the EU to suspend the agency's power to issue
safety checks until a full review of how the EU approves GM crops is done.
Greenpeace claims more research is needed to assess the long-term impact of
altered crops on the environment and human health and alleges the scientist
panel ignored evidence that the two crops could have a bad effect on
biodiversity and the environment.
"EFSA is becoming the laughing stock of the scientific community. Rubber
stamping anything the agro-biotech industry puts forward, with the blessing
of the European Commission, is destroying its credibility," said Marta
Vetier of Greenpeace.
EU countries are currently debating whether to change the way the bloc
decides on granting user licenses to GM crops and seeds.
Many member states, including Greece, Austria, Poland and France are
hesitant to adopt new crops fearing environmental consequences. Under EU
rules member states have to approve new licenses unanimously. If they can't,
the EU's executive commission makes the decision on behalf of all countries.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*7-WORLD'S FIRST BLUE ROSES ON DISPLAY IN JAPAN*
by Danielle Demetriou (Tokyo)
31-October-2008
Telegraph.co.uk<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/3327043/Worlds-first-blue-roses-on-display-in-Japan.html>
The world's first blue roses have been unveiled to the public for the first
time at an international flower fair in Japan, following nearly two decades
of scientific research.
The blue-hued blooms are genetically modified and have been implanted with a
gene that simulates the synthesis of blue pigment in pansies.
The flowers, which were on public display at the International Flower Expo
Tokyo, will go on sale commercially in Japan in Autumn next year.
"This is the first time that these blue roses have been put on display in
public," said Megumi Mitsunaga, a spokeswoman for IFEX.
"They are attracting lots of attention here because they are so unusual."
The creation of blue flowers - ¬historically viewed as a symbol of the
impossible - was masterminded by a subsidiary of Suntory, the Japanese
drinks company, which has invested three billion yen in the creation of blue
roses, blue carnations and other blue flowers since 1990.
Its scientists successfully pioneered implanting into the flowers the gene
that produces Delphinidin, the primary plant pigment that produces a blue
hue but is not found naturally in roses.
The world's first genetically modified blue roses were unveiled in the
laboratory four years ago, although further research was required to make
them safe to grow in nature.
Following the cultivation of test batches in the United States and America,
the company will be ready to sell them from next year and aims to open up a
global market for blue flowers worth an estimated 30 billion yen.
The blue roses were among 860 exhibits on display at the fifth annual IFEX,
the largest flower and garden trade show which is expected to attract over
32,000 visitors over the weekend.
Other highlights included glow-in-the-dark roses showcased in an array of
pastel hues in dark boxes, having been genetically modified to light up in
the dark.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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*Three-in-one: Trees, veggies, and animals
together?*<http://www.searca.org/web/news/2008/oct/web/24.html>
*Filipinos getting poorer and
hungrier*<http://www.searca.org/web/news/2008/oct/web/22.html>
*Let's look for
solutions…*<http://www.searca.org/web/news/2008/oct/web/10.html>
*---------------------------------------------------------*
<http://www.searca.org/web/announcements/photocontest2008/index.html>
*---------------------------------------------------------*
*Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable
speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE.
* <http://www.searca.org/web/adss/2008/index.html>
*Transgenic Papaya Technology in the Philippines*
*SEARCA, College, Laguna
11 September 2008*
*International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified
Organisms*<http://www.isbgmo.info/>
*Te Papa, Wellington, New Zealand
16 - 21 November 2008*
*Philippines National Biotechnology Week*
*Manila, Philippines
24 - 28 November 2008*
*2nd International Forum on Papaya* <http://www.ishs-papaya2008.com/>
*Fortune Pandiyan Hotel, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
09 - 12 December 2008*
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