[searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 30 November 2009

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*Posted 30 November 2009*

*PHILIPPINES*
1-COCONUT SEED FARMS EYED FOR SYNTHETIC VARIETY
2-DA URGES CLOSER TIES WITH PRIVATE SECTOR
3-DA EXECS TARGET COTTON COMMERCIALIZATION BY 2012
4-IMPORTATION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED RICE VARIETY OK'D

*CHINA*
5-TOP RICE PRODUCER CHINA APPROVES GMO STRAIN

*PAKISTAN*
6-2 BT COTTON VARIETIES TO BE AVAILABLE FOR KHARIF SEASON

*GLOBAL*
7-GENETIC RESEARCH KEY TO SOLVING RICE SUPPLY PROBLEMS
     *1-COCONUT SEED FARMS EYED FOR SYNTHETIC VARIETY*
29-November-2009 Philippine Daily
Inquirer<http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20091129-239120/Coconut-seed-farms-eyed-for-synthetic-variety>

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Agriculture through the Philippine
Coconut Authority (PCA) is eyeing the establishment of more coconut seed
farms in strategic coconut-growing areas for its latest hybrid, the Orgullo
Tall SV San Ramon Coconut Variety.

Otherwise known as the synthetic coconut variety, this superior coconut
breed developed by scientists at the Philippine Coconut Authority -Zamboanga
Research Center is a high-yielding coconut variety recognized as the first
in the world, said Ramon L. Rivera, head of the PCA-Zamboanga Research
Center.

Rivera presented the business prospects for technology transfer during an
investor’s forum at the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center at the SM
Mall of Asia in Pasay City last week as part of the 5th National
Biotechnology Week celebrations.

Dubbed as OK ang Kabuhayan Sa Biotech!, the forum aims to commercialize
products of agricultural biotechnology through public-private partnership,
said Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO)
outgoing director Alicia Ilaga.

She said through technology transfer, the DA-PCA and her office aims to
encourage investors to help put up coconut seed farms all over the country
to meet the expected increase in the demand for coconut both here and
abroad.

“With the increasing demand for coconut because of the biofuels law, the
prospects for putting up coconut seed farms are bright,” she said.

According to Rivera, the product, the first in the country and recognized as
the first in the world, has a yield potential of 7,730 to 20,540 nuts per
hectare or equivalent to 3.2 to 6.7 tons of copra per hectare.

He said the synthetic coconut variety produces 60 to 150 nuts per tree, a
50- to 260-percent more than the current average of 43.

“Unlike the hybrid palms, second generation SV San Ramon nuts can be
replanted and assured to bear fruits even more. This pioneering genetically
enhanced coconut variety combines high yield precocity, vigor, and durable
genetic stability from generation to generation. This characteristic of the
SV San Ramon fits the farmers’ unique tradition of planting seeds from any
high-yielding tree for successive cropping,” he said.

According to the DFA-BPO, coconut production constitutes one of the four
major sectors of Philippine agriculture, the others being rice, corn, and
sugar.

Coconut is planted in 3.258 million hectares, which accounts for 27 percent
of the total agricultural lands. About one-third of the Philippine
population depends mainly on coconut production for its livelihood.
Sixty-eight (68) of the 79 provinces in the country are in the coconut
regions, producing an average of 14 billion nuts annually. In terms of
export earnings, coconut is rated as an $800-million industry.

These facts could only underscore the coconut industry to obviously be of
crucial importance to the country, Rivera stressed.

“A 50-hectare farm requires an estimated initial investment of P12 million.
Financial projections showed that this investment could generate an IRR of
38 percent, with payback period of 10 years,” he said.

Meanwhile, individual farmer-investors who would like to develop a
one-hectare of Syn Var monocrop, needs an estimated amount of P65,000. This
amount excludes the cost of lot for development. In a 25-year projected
production period, an IRR of 30 percent and a payback period of 11 years
could be achieved, he said.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*2-DA URGES CLOSER TIES WITH PRIVATE SECTOR*
by Marvyn N. Benaning
25-November-2009 Manila
Bulletin<http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/231099/da-urges-closer-ties-with-private-sector>

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has urged local investors to
commercialize viable agricultural biotechnology products.

DA officials told participants of an investment forum Tuesday that a
high-yielding hybrid abaca resistant to the dreaded bunchy-top virus and
with good fiber quality is just of many agri-biotech products that are ready
for commercial production.

The high-yielding, bunchy top virus-resistant hybrid abaca was developed by
the Crop Science Cluster-Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of
the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB-IPB).

Funded by the DA, the technology addresses bunchy-top virus, a major disease
which accounts for up to 77 percent yield loss in abaca. The technology
assures up to 300 percent increase in fiber yield from the current 600 kilos
per hectare. It also needs less pesticide.

Another publicly-funded agri-biotech product, the Macapuno Embryo Culture
Technology, offers investors a simpler, faster and low-cost embryo culture
production technology.

Dubbed "Ok ang Kabuhayan sa Biotech!," the forum was one of the highlights
of the 2009 National Biotechnology Week celebrations held at the Nido
Fortified Science Discovery Center of the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Aside from the virus-resistant abaca and macapuno, technology developers
also offered investment in the commercial cultivation and production of the
the first-of-its-kind synthetic coconut variety, called San Ramon synthetic
coconut variety.

Developed by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the PCA SYN VAR 001 was
recognized as the first in the world. The Orgullo Tall - SV Ramon technology
is being eyed as a key strategy in the mass propagation of improved planting
materials for the National Coconut Planting and Replanting Program through
partnership with the private sector.

Another product is the PCA Macapuno Embryo Culture Technology, which ensures
low-cost embryo culture production technology to make true-to-type macapuno.
Through the technology, the usual production cycle of 13 months is reduced
by three months. The streamlined process also cuts down production costs,
resulting in more affordable seedlings.

PCA has also developed a mechanism for the control of Brontispa. The
technology involves the use of disease-causing fungi, Beauveria bassiana and
Metarhizium anisopliae, to control of the coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa
longissima, in young coconut palms.

The technology will be used for Brontispa control in coconut nurseries, when
seedlings can be infested and suffer poor plant growth and even death.

Biotech tools such as tissue and embryo culture as well as molecular markers
were utilized in the development of these technologies, DA said.

"These publicly-generated technologies are now promoted for commercial
adoption. As an intervention, the DA Biotech Program intends to support in
bridging the gap towards full technology commercialization through the
conduct of an investor's forum," DA added.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*3-DA EXECS TARGET COTTON COMMERCIALIZATION BY 2012 *
by Jennifer A. Ng / Reporter
24-November-2009 Business Mirror

THE Philippines has started the actual trial of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis)
cotton from India and is eyeing the commercial propagation of the produce in
2012, according to Department of Agriculture (DA) officials.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Segfredo Serrano
disclosed that the Cotton Development Administration (CDA) has started
planting transgenic-hybrid cotton in one of its screen houses at the
agency’s cotton farm located in Batac City, Ilocos Norte recently.

The planting in screen houses is the first step in testing the viability of
Bt cotton in the Philippines. The Bt cotton being tested by CDA was supplied
by Indian firm Nath Biogene (India) Ltd.

“Testing the Bt cotton seeds from [Nath Biogene] could take us three seasons
or around three years. It’s possible that the commercial propagation [would
happen] in 2012,” said Edison Riñen, a director of the CDA.

After the greenhouse trial, which would test the resistance of Bt cotton
seeds from a pest called cotton bollworm, the CDA would proceed with the
field testing. Cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera Hubn.) is the most
significant pest of cotton.

Alicia Ilaga, director of the DA Biotechnology Program Office, noted that
bollworm infestation of cotton plantations in the Philippines has severely
affected the local cotton industry.

“Our biotech solution to this problem is the introduction of a superior
variety that resists pests,” said Ilaga in a statement.

Under the strict supervision of the Biosafety Committee of the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) and the Bureau of Plant Industry-Quarantine
Service, together with CDA Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), six
commercial transgenic cotton varieties imported from Nath Biogene were
planted side by side with three locally developed commercial non-Bt cotton
varieties.

Specifically, the contained experiment will evaluate the efficacy of the six
Indian transgenic-hybrid cotton varieties that contains the China-developed
fused Bt genes in controlling bollworm under local environments. Limited
field trials will be conducted in CDA’s experiment stations and select farms
in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao within the next one or two cotton
seasons.

Ilaga noted that the transgenic-hybrid cotton, or Bt cotton, in the trial
contains the fused Bt-genes cry 1Ab/cry 1Ac that provides the plant a high
degree of protection against cotton bollworm. In Asia, Bt cotton is already
planted largely in China and India.

CDA noted that there is only one cropping season for cotton in the
Philippines. The produce is usually planted in June and July and harvested
during the summer months.

It took a while before the Philippines was able to start the testing of Bt
cotton.

In 2005 the DA inked a memorandum of agreement with Chinese firm BioCentury
Transgene Co. (China) Ltd. to conduct Bt cotton testing in the Philippines.

The CDA noted that the project was stalled by regulatory procedures in
China. The Philippines imports an average of 40,000 metric tons (MT) of lint
valued at P3 billion. The DA noted that around 97 percent is imported from
the United States.

Apart from displacing the imports, the Philippines hopes to replicate the
success of India, not just in the commercial propagation of Bt cotton, but
also in the export of the genetically modified product.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*4-IMPORTATION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED RICE VARIETY OK'D*
by Edu Punay
23-November-2009 The Philippine
STAR<http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=525985&publicationSubCategoryId=63>

MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals (CA) has given the government
clearance to allow the importation of Liberty Link Rice 62 (LLRice62), an
allegedly genetically modified rice variety.

The fourth division of the appellate court reversed the temporary
restraining order issued by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC)
prohibiting the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Plant
Industry (BPI) from allowing Bayer Crop Science Inc. to import the rice
variety for food, feeds and processing.

In a 21-page decision penned by Associate Justice Vicente Veloso, the CA
granted the consolidated petitions filed by BPI and Bayer seeking the
nullification of the Sept. 18, 2007 order issued by Judge Evangeline
Castillo-Marigomen, of Quezon City RTC Branch 101.

The CA ruled that the trial court erred in ruling that LLRice62 is dangerous
to health and the environment. The court said such findings would have to be
verified by the proper agencies.

It said the trial court “merely parroted” the allegations of the petitioner,
environmental group Greenpeace, when it issued the injunction.

“Nowhere in the assailed order did the trial court point out or elaborate on
the alluded ‘sampling of petitioners’ evidence.’

“This Court is therefore is constrained to remind the court below that an
injunction, being a limitation upon the freedom of action of the defendant
should not be granted lightly or precipitately. It should be granted only
when there is enough basis to conclude that the law permits it and the
emergency demands it,” the CA said.

Associate Justices Andres B. Reyes Jr. and Marlene Gonzales-Sison concurred
in the decision.

Greenpeance had filed a petition for preliminary injunction before the RTC
to prevent the DA and the BPI from granting the application of Bayer to
import LLRice62, which is allegedly genetically modified to withstand high
doses of glufosinate, an herbicide sprayed on rice fields to kill a wide
range of weeds.

Greenpeace, led by Von Hernandez, said consumption and use of the rice
variety is dangerous to health and the environment.

The appellate court said the environment group failed to present evidence of
their claim.

“Verily, Von Hernandez, et al have failed to prove any right to entitle them
to the issuance of a writ of injunction.”

The CA also did not give credence to the group’s claim that their right to
information was violated because BPI and DA refused to give them information
about Bayer’s application.

The appellate court noted that the petitioners admitted being able to submit
a letter opposing Bayer’s application, and receiving a response from the DA
informing it that Bayer’s application “is still under process.”

“Since, however, the private respondents were able to register their
opposition and elicit some information from BPI and DA, we therefore see no
merit in their argument that they are being denied or are threatened to be
denied adequate ‘participatory’ processes or that their right to information
has been impaired or is threatened of being impaired,” the CA said.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*CHINA
5-TOP RICE PRODUCER CHINA APPROVES GMO STRAIN
*by Niu Shuping and Tom Miles
27-November-2009
Reuters<http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSP364484>

BEIJING - China has approved its first strain of genetically modified rice
for commercial production, two scientists involved in the approval process
told Reuters on Friday, potentially easing the way for other major producers
to adopt the controversial technology.

The approval of the locally-developed rice, as well as China's first GMO
corn, shifts the global balance of power in food trade and could prompt
other countries to follow suit, experts said.

It will also enable China, the world's top producer and consumer of rice, to
grow more of its staple food amid shrinking land and water resources.

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture's Biosafety Committee issued biosafety
certificates to pest-resistant Bt rice, two committee members told Reuters
on Friday, with large-scale production to start in 2-3 years.

"We expect that with the Chinese approval of Bt rice it will be much easier
for other countries to do this," said Robert Zeigler, director general at
the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute, which is
developing a number of GMO strains of rice.

But Greenpeace called the move a "dangerous genetic experiment" and said it
had previously exposed illegal cases of genetically engineered (GE) rice in
China.

"If the Ministry of Agriculture cannot even control the illegal cultivation
of GE rice, how can they manage the risks of large scale cultivation?"
Lorena Luo, Greenpeace's food and agriculture campaigner in China, asked in
an emailed statement.

China, which wants to raise grain production 8 percent to 540 million tons a
year by 2020, has splashed out on GMO research, with $3.5 billion going on
rice, corn and wheat.

The phytase corn was also locally developed by China's Academy of
Agricultural Science and Nadaq-listed Origin Agritech Ltd (SEED.O), which
has seen its share price double since shareholders were notified of the
approval on Saturday.

Phytase corn will help pigs digest more phosphorus, enhancing growth and
reducing pollution from animal waste and fertilizer runoff.

The rice and corn strains are China's first GMO grains approved for
commercial production, although it already permits GMO papaya, cotton and
tomatoes.

The strains still need to undergo registration and production trials before
commercial production can begin in restricted areas, which may take 2-3
years, the scientists said.

The scientists declined to be identified as the government has not
officially published the information. Officials at the Agricultural
Ministry's biosafety office declined to comment.

"According to our sources, our information is yes, there was a meeting of
the Biosafety Committe on GE rice and corn and the meeting has granted
certification," said Greenpeace's Luo.

China is the world's top producer of rice, growing 60 million tons in the 12
months to October, but it exports only around 50,000 tons a month as most is
consumed domestically.

"China is trying to ensure food security for its people and it will show a
direction to many countries, such as India, that this is one of the ways of
increasing productivity and ensuring adequate food supplies," said one
Singapore-based rice trader with an international trading company.

Exports of GMO rice would be likely to face tough scrutiny abroad. Most of
China's rice exports go to South Korea and West Africa, although there are
buyers globally, including the United States, South America and Europe.
China exports much more rice in prepared food, such as rice pasta or baby
food.

The European Union's executive body, the European Commission, said in July
that China needed to tighten export controls on rice products because
shipments might contain traces of the Bt-63 strain, which is not authorized
in the European Union.

While China is not yet growing GMO rice commercially, there are numerous
field trials going on around the country.

Bt rice, developed by Huazhong Agricultural University, would help reduce
the use of pesticide by 80 percent while raising yields by as much as 8
percent, said Huang Jikun, the chief scientist with the Chinese Academy of
Sciences.

"We believe more genetically-modified technology will be used in agriculture
production in future to increase production and reduce inputs," said Huang.

The IRRI's Zeigler said India and Iran were also developing Bt rice and the
Philippines could approve the IRRI-developed Vitamin A-enriched GM Golden
Rice by late 2011 or early 2012.

The advent of commercial GMO production in China could affect global prices
for rice, which rocketed in early 2008, sparking fears that the bedrock of
Asian cuisine might be in short supply.

"This news signals that there will be no fear of food shortage as we can
produce as much as we want and China itself will not have to import any
more," said Kiattisak Kanlayasirivat of Thailand's Novel Agritrade Co Ltd.

"Prices of white rice would get back to $200-$300 per ton again and supply
should rise significantly," he said.

Benchmark 100 percent B grade white rice in Thailand, the world's top
exporter and supplier of almost all of China's imports, was quoted at $565
per ton this week.

But lower prices could also slow the spread of GMO rice.

"Suppose rice prices remain low in the next few years, countries will be
reluctant to take in technology if they have some concerns about it," said
Samarendu Mohanty, a senior economist at IRRI.

"If rice prices remain high, then countries will be more willing to consider
Bt or any other technology to boost production," he said. "So the market has
a role to play."

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*PAKISTAN
6-2 BT COTTON VARIETIES TO BE AVAILABLE FOR KHARIF SEASON
*by Ijaz Kakakhel
26-November-2009 Daily
Times<http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C11%5C26%5Cstory_26-11-2009_pg5_10>

** Pakistan achieves status of GMOs country*

ISLAMABAD: For the first time the Ministry of Environment has given Pakistan
the official status of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) country after
it developed two varieties of indigenous genetically-modified Bt (bacillus
thuringiensis) cotton, official sources told Daily Times on Wednesday.

The National Bio-Safety Committee, Pakistan Environment Protection Agency,
Ministry of Environment in its seventh meeting approved two varieties of Bt
cotton. These varieties containing traits of insect resistance had been
developed after several years of thorough research by Centre of Excellence
in Molecular Biology (CEMB), sources maintained.

The sources said that the Supreme Technical Body of Ministry of Environment
designated National Bio-Safety Committee granted the commercial release of
first GMO in Pakistan in a meeting held a few days ago.

The two approved varieties were, CEMB-01, which contained single gene, while
CEMB-02 contains double Bt genes, which gave excellent protection against
lepidopteran insects. These varieties would be available during the next
cultivation season, Kharif 2010 after approval from the Punjab Seed Council,
whose meeting is scheduled in February 2010, the sources said.

The two varieties cleared bioenvironmental safety standards of the Ministry
of Environment and were recommended by the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee
(PCCC) after two years of adoptability testing. Seeds of these two varieties
were under multiplication for distribution in the coming Kharif season.
According to sources, a total of 10 Bt cotton varieties including the
approved two varieties might be commercialised in the country after getting
authorisation from the Punjab Seed Council.

The cotton growers appreciated the release of these two varieties after
fulfilling all the necessary requirements of bio-safety testing and yields’
trials.

European and some other countries might respond over this development
because they were against pro-GMO varieties. They usually got certificate
from exporting countries of non-GMO agricultural products including rice,
Pakistan main exportable items. These countries also demanded non-GMO
certificate for different yields or crops, the sources maintained.

At present about 44 varieties of Bt cotton are already under cultivation
without approval by any government departments. According to a report
prepared by the Punjab, all these unapproved Bt cotton varieties were
sub-standards with respect to Bt toxin produced by the plants, which might
result in the development of resistance in the insects and pests attacking
the crops.

The Bio-Safety Committee of the Ministry of Environment also stressed for
strict enforcement of environmental protection laws, Cotton Control
Ordinance and Seed Acts and rules for the sack of controlled release and
monitoring of these varieties according to the scientific protocol and
guideline.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*GLOBAL
7-GENETIC RESEARCH KEY TO SOLVING RICE SUPPLY PROBLEMS
*by Prime Sarmiento (Xinhua)
25-November-2009 Manila
Times<http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/6663-genetic-research-key-to-solving-rice-supply-problems>

MANILA: Unlocking the genetic diversity of rice is one of the key factors
that can help increase production and stabilize the supply of one of the
world’s most important food crops.

About 700 of the world’s foremost rice scientists gathered here recently to
participate in the sixth International Rice Genetics Symposium organized by
the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to share and discuss latest
research on sequencing the genomes of various types of rice including wild
rice, heirloom and modern varieties.

But more than a venue to share new information, participants in the weeklong
conference also aimed to provide solutions to some problems affecting rice
cultivation.

“The solution to the future problem of rice agriculture partly involves
genetics,” David Makill, IRRI’s program leader and plant breeder, said in an
interview with Xinhua.

Makill said that by having more genetic information, plant breeders can
develop more rice varieties that can withstand drought and floods, are more
resistant to pests, and have higher yields despite limited water supply and
land.

“The research done by scientists can provide the basic information needed to
address these problems,” he said.

Robert Zeigler, director general of the IRRI, noted that genetic research
led to the development of high yielding varieties which helped in
stabilizing food prices, lower hunger incidence and kept natural ecosystems
from being converted into farmlands.

Thailand’s experience

Thailand, the world’s biggest rice exporter and a major rice- consuming
nation, can attest to the benefits of such research.

In her keynote speech delivered during the symposium, Her Royal Highness
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand said genetic research helped
scientists and farmers in developing and cultivating high yielding varieties
and rice crops which are pest resistant and can survive massive flooding.
This improved farmers’ incomes and secured Thailand’s place in the global
rice market.

Rice is a staple in most of Asia. The world’s biggest continent has a per
capita rice consumption of 85
kilograms and also accounts for about 90 percent of the over 600 million
tons of paddy rice produced worldwide. Other parts of Africa and south
Americas are also heavy rice consumers and major rice producers.

Such is the importance of rice in most countries that last year ‘s global
rice shortage fueled food riots and heated inflation levels in several
economies. The 2008 crisis also showed that increasing population and
urbanization reduced farmlands and slashed rice production problems that
will persist in the next few years.

Climate-change threat

Climate change—which is now causing erratic weather patterns also threatens
rice production.
This is why scientists say, it’s important to develop new rice varieties by
using the information acquired from studying genetic diversity.

“All rice types need to be sequenced to capture the entire genetic diversity
of rice. Rapidly progressing technologies have made this a realistic
goal—achievable within a few years,” Zeigler said in a speech delivered
during the symposium.

“These genes and their associated traits can then be bred into new rice
varieties better able to cope with difficult growing conditions and with the
capacity for higher yields,” he added.

“Participating in this symposium will help us in developing rice varieties
of the future,” said Frisco Malabanan, chief of the Philippine agriculture
department’s rice productivity program. For Malabanan, the thrust is for the
Philippines, the world’s largest rice importer, to become self sufficient
and developing (and planting) high-yielding varieties may be the means to
achieve this end.

Thai Princess Maha Chakri agrees. In her speech delivered during the
symposium, she encouraged the participants to “take care of rice genetic
diversity around the world to secure the existence of rice on earth.”

“Because of the available diverse genetic sources, scientists and breeders
continue to develop and improve new varieties leading towards variations and
quality excellence,” she said.

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