From searcabic at gmail.com Wed Sep 9 12:02:13 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 12:02:13 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 09 September 2009 Message-ID: Right click images to view this page properly. If this e-mail does not appear as a web page, please click here. *Posted 09 September 2009* PHILIPPINES 1-BETTER AWARENESS FOR FILIPINO SCIENTISTS 2-CORN FARMERS TAP MONSANTO FOR SOYBEAN ALTERNATIVE 3-GOLDEN RICE TO HIT MARKET BY 2011 4-NEGOCC TO ALLOW GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS 5-DEVELOP GENETICALLY MODIFIED COCONUT, PINOY SCIENTISTS URGED VIETNAM 6-GM CROPS TO PLAY KEY ROLE ON FARMS INDIA 7-INDIA CONSIDERS REQUEST FOR EXPORT OF COTTON TO PAKISTAN CANADA 8-DUPONT GETS CANADA'S OK FOR CORN, SOYBEAN SEEDS *1-BETTER AWARENESS FOR FILIPINO SCIENTISTS* by Alexander Villafania 07-September-2009 Inquirer.net DoST wants faster patent process MANILA, Philippines ? Few people know that the Philippines has a number of nuclear physicists, nanotechnology experts, biotechnology researchers, and computer scientists. Yet Filipino scientists strive to champion the capabilities of the country?s scientific community. ?We have to build public awareness about what we?re doing and build interest enough to bring more people to become part of the science community,? according to Fortunato Dela Pe?a, Department of Science and Technology undersecretary. Dela Pe?a said the Philippines has a good pool of scientists, some of whom are already working feverishly on various researches, including nanotechnology and biotech, which can become viable commercial ventures in the future. He added that many young elementary and high school students excel in science and mathematics, some of whom actually win competitions here and abroad. ?The interest is high for some students but we want more of the younger generation to become part of the scientific community.? More importantly, many of these projects can also build a library of intellectual property for the Philippines. Dela Pena cited that the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines has also been closely working with DOST to speed up the processing of copyright and patent filings from researches and discoveries. ?They wanted the speed of filing to be shorter so that the scientist can further focus on his work,? Dela Pe?a said. With the recent conclusion of this year?s National Science and Technology Week celebrations Dela Pe?a said the department is now focusing on the upcoming annual convention of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science (PHILAAS). The event would bring together scientists and researchers to showcase their recent projects. There would also be several discussions on a number of topics, specifically on nanotech, biotech, and energy development. The IPOPHIL will also be represented to discuss the importance of patents and patent filing. The DOST?s Science Education Institute will also be discussing the first Pinoy Science Storybook. It will contain stories of well-known scientists as well as Filipino scientists who have contributed to the advancement of science. Among the scientists included are Alexander Fleming, Marie Curie, Gregor Mendel, Louis Pasteur, Isaac Newton, among others. Filipino scientists included in the storybook are Ramon Barba, Emerita de Guzman, Rafael Guerrero III, Julian Banzon, and Francisco Quisumbing. The storybook, which will be presented to students in Grades 1 and 2, would be published in early 2010. *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-CORN FARMERS TAP MONSANTO FOR SOYBEAN ALTERNATIVE* by Neil Jerome C. Morales 02-September-2009 Business World A group of local corn farmers have asked biotechnology giant Monsanto Co. to develop and distribute a genetically-modified (GM) soybean variety as an alternative crop. "We are asking Monsanto to help us develop a tropical variety soybean that is round-up ready [weed-tolerant]," Roderico R. Bioco, chairman emeritus of the Philippine Maize Federation, Inc. (Philmaize), told reporters late Monday. "Soybean is one of the best alternative [crop] and there is a big market for soybeans." Philmaize hopes to sign a deal with the biotechnology giant late this year, he added. A local Monsanto executive refused to comment on the group?s request, saying that all statements will have to come from the mother company in the US. Industry data show that around 1.5-2.5 million metric tons of soybean meal ? oil-free soybean ? are imported by feed millers yearly. Soybean accounts for a fifth of animal feed milling ingredients, Mr. Bioco said. Mr. Bioco added that planting soybean is like using three bags of fertilizers per hectare of land due to its nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which will benefit the next cropping of corn or rice. Soybean is sold in the local market at P18-P24 per kilo. Philmaize is looking at planting soybean in 125,000-150,000 hectares of land in the corn-producing province of Isabela. Missouri-based Monsanto, which sells GM crops like corn, cotton, soybeans and canola, owns the technology of GM soybean. Top soybean producers Argentina and the United States produce temperate GM soybean varieties while the tropical GM soybean variety is propagated in Brazil. Mr. Bioco said all GM soy-beans produced locally can be sold to the Mindanao Grain Processing Co., Inc. Mindanao Grains? P500-million Reina Mercedes Post-harvest Facility in Isabela will be completed next year. Mr. Bioco said "yields [of local soybeans] are not good enough to be profitable." Candido B. Damo, chief agri-culturist for the Agriculture department?s National Corn Program, concurred. "Compared with corn, profits in soybean planting is less due to low yields." Mr. Damo said a soybean variety developed by the Institute of Plant Breeding of University of the Philippines in Los Ba?os yields about 1.5-2 metric tons per hectare. Local soybean plantations are located in the Cagayan Valley, as well as in northern and southern Mindanao, he said. The GM soybean produces 2.5 MT per hectare, Mr. Bioco said. However, Mr. Damo said "[Monsanto and Philmaize] should first test the productivity of the tropical variety in the Philippines." Corn farmers have protested the government?s decision last week to cut its buying price to P10/kg from the P13/kg adopted last May, citing production costs that average P10/kg. Corn sold to private traders have sunk to P7-P9/kg due to the excessive imports of feed wheat, an alternative to corn in feed milling, under the 0% duty (down from 7%) that the government put in place from January to June 21. *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-GOLDEN RICE TO HIT MARKET BY 2011* 01-September-2009 Food and Beverage News via Checkbiotech Green A genetically modified variety of rice called the Golden Rice will hit the market by 2011. This rice is developed to produce a carotenoid called beta carotene which gives the rice an organgish-yellow hue, and hence its name. Moreover, the beta carotene becomes vitamin A when processed by the body, according to a report from Manila, Philippines. As per WHO statistics, four out of 10 children aged between six months and five years, and three out of 10 school children show symptoms of vitamin A deficiency. Similarly, 50% lactating and pregnant women also suffer from problems associated with vitamin A deficiency. Since rice is a staple in many Indian states, vitamin A fortified Golden Rice will be a boon to children and nursing mothers. As per data available in the Philippines, daily consumption of three cups of cooked Golden Rice can meet the vitamin A requirement of a person. Moreover Golden Rice also has the nutritional properties that can arrest avoidable blindness in children. Research on this rice variety has been going on for more than a decade. The Golden Rice technology is based on a simple principle. Rice plants accumulate beta carotene in their leaves but not in the grain. By the addition of two genes -- phytoene synthase and phytoene desaturase - using modern technology, the beta carotene gets accumulated in the endosperm, which is the edible part of the grain. The technology involved in developing Golden Rice is free because its inventors have released all intellectual property rights to the public through the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board. Golden Rice is expected to be released in the Philippines in 2011. Markets in India and Vietnam too are expected to get their version of Golden Rice during the same period. The first Golden Rice was developed by Dr Ingo Potrykus and Dr Peter Beyer in 2000. Later, the duo teamed up with Syngenta, which produced Golden Rice with higher levels of beta carotene. Syngenta donated these materials to the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board, which oversees development of Golden Rice in rice-producing countries, including India. Golden Rice-1 was developed in 2003 and Golden Rice-2 in 2005. At present, the Philippine Rice Research Institute, popularly known as PhilRice, is developing a new Golden Rice variety that will be resistant to pests like tungro and bacterial blight. *------------------------------------------------------------* *4-NEGOCC TO ALLOW GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS * by Carla Gomez (Inquirer Visayas ) 30-August-2009 Inquirer.net BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines?Despite the insistence of environmentalists to keep the province the country?s organic farming capital, the provincial board will amend an ordinance banning the entry of products with genetically modified organisms (GMO). Vice Governor Emilio Yulo III on Wednesday said the board reached a consensus to amend the ordinance after a series of deliberations and feedback from scientists and experts. He said most members of various committees that reviewed the ordinance had preliminary agreements, among them allowing the entry of GMO products for processing into feeds to cater to the needs of livestock and poultry industries. The board also agreed to allow the entry of non-living GMOs, pharmaceuticals, and medical products, and the conduct of research and development under strict controlled conditions, he added. Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, organic farmers, and members of civic and environmentalist groups, including Greeenpeace, opposed the lifting or amending of the ban. Greenpeace, a global campaigner for the protection and conservation of the environment, called on the provincial board last week to preserve Negros Occidental as the country?s organic farming capital. The vice governor said the amendments would pass through normal legislative processes. However, he said, the local law would remain in effect until amended. The proposed amendment would be referred to the board for deliberation, he said. It would take at least three weeks to amend an ordinance. Negros Occidental pioneered the ban on GMOs when it passed the ordinance, also called the ?Safeguard Against Genetically Modified Organisms,? in 2007. The province, along with Negros Oriental, has been putting measures in place to turn Negros into an organic food island. In April, the Negros Occidental provincial government upheld the ban by rejecting shipments of illegal GMO corn at the capital?s port in Bacolod City, prompting protests from livestock and poultry growers who claimed they were losing millions of pesos because of lack of adequate supply of GMO-free feeds. Arguing that there was no scientific proof that GMO products were harmful to health, the growers demanded a moratorium or the lifting of the ban, prompting the board to review the measure. The growers also insisted that the GMO products were necessary to ensure food security. *------------------------------------------------------------* *5-DEVELOP GENETICALLY MODIFIED COCONUT, PINOY SCIENTISTS URGED * by Helen Flores 27-August-2009 The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines - A University of the Philippines professor has urged Filipino scientists to develop genetically modified coconut to increase the production of lauric acid, a substance found mainly in coconut oil and is used in making soaps, insecticides and cosmetics. Dr. Calixto Protacio of the University of the Philippines Los Banos? Crop Science Cluster said the development of canola with a lauric acid content of 60 percent is threatening the Philippines? lead in the oils market. Canola is already available in the United States although it is not yet used to a large extent in Asia. Protacio said local scientists should use the same biotechnological advances for GM canola in coconut, stressing that it offers the ?fastest avenue for coconut improvement and makes it possible to target the gene(s) of interest.? Protacio called for urgent research to regain the competitive advantage of coconut oil over canola oil, which is derived from rapeseed boosted by a gene from the California bay tree and another gene from coconut to raise its lauric acid content from virtually zero to 60 percent. The US and Canada produce a huge volume of rapeseed. Protacio said coconut oil used to enjoy a monopoly of a segment in the oil and fats market, estimated at between two and three percent that could not be substituted with cheaper oils. ?Coconut oil is difficult to substitute with other vegetable oils because it is mainly composed of medium chain fatty acids, the most dominant of which is lauric acid, which occurs at 49 percent level,? he said. Lauric acid, a medium-length, long-chain fatty acid, is found in the form of glycerides in a number of natural fats, especially coconut and palm kernel. It offers advantages in food processing as it acts as a kind of preservative, staving off oxidation and spoilage. ?Lauric acid, a 12-carbon molecule without any double bonds (which makes it a saturated fatty acid), lends unique properties in the food, soap and cosmetic industry. It was also shown to have antiviral and anti-bacterial properties when used as virgin coconut oil,? Protacio said. In the past, Protacio said the only traditional competitor is palm kernel oil, which also contains roughly the same amount of lauric acid as coconut oil but the volume is quite low to really pose a threat to coconut oil. Palm kernel oil is derived from the meat of the oil palm seed. The main product of palm oil is derived from the husk or pericarp of the fruit that contains mainly palmitic acid (a 16-carbon long molecule), Protacio said. He said a similar fate befell the sugar industry in the 1980s, when the US reduced its imports as American biotechnologists developed high-fructose corn syrup. He said biotechnology did the trick for US rapeseed and corn while Filipino policy-makers and environmentalists and anti-GMO groups are still squabbling over the propriety of using GMOs. Protacio said rapeseed produces lauric acid through the introduction of the acyl-ACP thioesterase gene from the California bay tree that was over-expressed in the first line of canola. US biotechnologists introduced the lysophosphatidic acid acyl transferase (LPAAT) gene from coconut in the second line of canola, resulting in the 60 percent laurate content, he said. ?Thus, coconut oil may now be substituted by the more available canola oil and this has posed a threat to the traditional market share of coconut oil in the world market,? Protacio said. Currently, six genes involved in the biosynthesis of lauric acid in coconut have been characterized and cloned at the UPLB, including the thioesterase and LPAAT genes, all coming from coconut, Protacio said. ?However, these genes are still as yet unutilized because a reliable regeneration protocol is still lacking. The transfer of genes (or transformation) can only be done in cells or simple tissues after which the transformed cells have to be regenerated into a whole new palm for the improved characters to be manifested,? he said. ?The six cloned genes for increasing the lauric acid content of coconut are languishing in a -80 degrees Centigrade freezer. They have not been introduced into any coconut cell culture to produce a transgenic coconut cell line,? he said. Protacio said that although a reproducible cell regeneration system is still lacking in coconut, some success in tissue culture research has been achieved over the years at the Albay Research Center of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA). ?Around 19 coconut palms derived from cell tissue culture from several experiments have been produced which are now growing in the field. However, the tissue culture method is not yet consistently reproducible. In contrast, tissue culture of palm oil has already been in existence since the 80s in Malaysia and a transgenic oil palm has already been reported,? he said. *------------------------------------------------------------* *VIETNAM 6-GM CROPS TO PLAY KEY ROLE ON FARMS *29-August-2009 Vietnam News HA NOI ? Genetically modified crops are expected to make up to 50 per cent of the country?s total agricultural output by 2020. Experts met yesterday at the National Meeting on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and Biological Safety Management on GMO to discuss issues pertaining to GMO in domestic agriculture. "In order to develop and apply GMOs into agricultural production in a sustainable way, it is necessary to set up and implement effective biotechnology regulations and safety management mechanisms for GMOs and foods derived from recombinant DNA," said Nguyen Xuan Cuong, deputy minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE). A decree on biotechnology safety management for GMOs drafted by MoNRE will be submitted to the Government in October, according to Le Thanh Binh, deputy head of MoNRE?s Biodiversity Preservation Department. Under this decree, individuals and organisations who want to research and develop GMO technology would have to meet all standards on staff and equipment set by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Binh said that GMOs being considered for use in food or other products would have to undergo a number of tests to assess potential risks to the environment, biodiversity or people?s health. All these tests will be regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Health (MoH). After assessment, organisations or individuals would have to show the approval of the GMO product to MoNRE; which would then grant a certificate to certify the product is safe before it is released into the environment. For GMOs being used for food, MoH would grant a certificate that declares the product safe for human consumption. Products which contain more than 5 per cent of GMOs will have a label stating that these products "used genetically modified technology", according to the draft decree. Providing information about GMOs products for consumers is also regulated in this decree. Binh said that this decree delineated clearly the responsibility of every State agency to ensure the safe usage of biotechnology for GMOs, as well as the rights and tasks of those researching and developing GMOs. A guidance circular on biotech safety management and the research and development of GMO technology is being created by the Ministry of Science and Technology; a circular on biotech safety management for GMO crops is also being created by MARD. *Make help* Cuong said that with biotechnology, plants could be created that are disease resistant and can withstand drought and floods. The world had witnessed achievements in modern biotechnology, which could boost the volume and hardiness of crops to help supply enough food for an increasing population, said Cuong. "Application of genetically modifying (GM) technology is an irresistible trend when scientists can hardly forecast when it will be rainy or sunny or when drought or floods will occur," said director of the Agricultural Genetics Institute Le Huy Ham. Coupled with the loss of agricultural land for industrialisation and urbanisation, and the fast pace of population growth, there was no other way to develop plants that would adapt to the changing climate to maintain the nation?s food security, he added. Professor Le Tran Binh of the Biotechnology Institute said that a GMO or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources and then combine them into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. "Achievements are expressed through transferring into the plants the genes which help plants to be resistant against diseases and pestilent insects," said Binh. Today, the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, as well as developing countries worldwide support the use of GM plants. However, many European countries have yet to agree with their use. To date, up to 800 million hectares of GM plants have been grown in 25 countries, and about 55 countries allow the sale of foods derived from recombinant DNA. Pham Van Toan, chief of MARD?s Biotechnology Department said that the total profit in the last 10 years that farmers in developing countries have earned from GMO crops is US$16.5 billion and in developed ones the number is $17.5 billion. Coupled with that, using GMO in agricultural production is estimated to have helped decrease the usage of pesticides by more than 200,000 tonnes. However, many opponents had expressed concern about how to ensure GMO products are safe for people and the environment, said Dr Nguyen Van Khai, who is well known for his vegetable and plant protection methods. Cuong said that this technology posed some risks to environment, biodiversity and people?s health which required the experts and relevant authorities to find the ways to minimise these effects. ? *VNS* *------------------------------------------------------------* *INDIA 7-INDIA CONSIDERS REQUEST FOR EXPORT OF COTTON TO PAKISTAN *29-August-2009 Daily Times ISLAMABAD: Monsanto, a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products on Friday said Indian regulatory authorities were considering Monsanto?s request for exporting hybrid cotton seeds to Pakistan for trial purposes and the process was moving forward. Official spokesperson of the Mosanto told Daily Times India has not banned the export of Bt. Cotton seed to Pakistan. Monsanto Pakistan has been associated with Pakistan farmers since 1998 providing superior quality seeds and herbicides. Official in the ministry of food and agriculture told Daily Times today that as it was for the first time that Bt. Cotton would be export from Indian to Pakistan, it needed some rules, which for the time being not intact. The Genetic Engineering Review Committee considering the request of Monsanto, seeking permission for export of Bt. Cotton seed from India to Pakistan. *------------------------------------------------------------* *CANADA 8-DUPONT GETS CANADA'S OK FOR CORN, SOYBEAN SEEDS *03-September-2009 Delaware Online DuPont Co. has received Canadian regulatory approval for its Optimum GAT trait in corn and soybean seeds. The company said the Canadian government approved the seeds, which are genetically modified to resist weed killers, for cultivation, animal feed and food. DuPont is developing Optimum GAT to compete with Monsanto Co.'s Roundup Ready trait, which helps crops resist glyphosate, an herbicide. DuPont says Optimum GAT also gives protection against another class of weed killers. The company has received U.S. approval for Optimum GAT soybeans and expects approval for Optimum GAT corn in the coming months, although the planned commercial introduction of the corn trait has been pushed back because of regulatory delays in export markets. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *DISCLAIMER*: Articles that are posted in this news service do not necessarily reflect the views of SEARCA. To post in e-group, e-mail bic at searcaweb.org. To UNSUBSCRIBE, click here . [image: Subscribe A Friend] [image: Subscribe A Friend] *SEARCA and CHED beef up research productivity of Philippine higher education institutions * *Are carabaos headed for the dental chair?* *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *---------------------------------------------------------* *African Agriculture in the 21st Century: A Case of Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA)* *Speaker: Dr. Francis Nang'yo, Manager and Head, Regulatory Affairs Unit, African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Nairobi Kenya Drilon Hall, SEARCA, College, Laguna, Philippines 15 September 2009, 4-5 PM* *Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2009)* *Bangkok, Thailand 22 - 25 September 2009* *Measures of Hope and Promises Delivered: An International Conference on Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact Assessment of Biotech Crops* *Bangkok, Thailand 29 - 30 September 2009* *International Conference on Knowledge Management in Agribiotechnology: The Asian Experience* *Bangkok, Thailand 01-02 October 2009* ** ** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Tue Sep 15 10:06:39 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:06:39 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] SEARCA ADSS: African Agriculture in the 21st Century: A Case of Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Message-ID: Right click any image to view this page properly. If this e-mail does not appear as a web page, please click here. The *Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)* through the *Biotechnology Information Center*, in cooperation with the *Program for Biosafety Systems Southeast Asia*, is pleased to invite everyone to the seminar titled, *AFRICAN AGRICULTURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: A CASE OF WATER EFFICIENT MAIZE FOR AFRICA (WEMA)* *Dr. Francis L. Nang'ayo* *Manager and Head Regulatory Affairs Unit African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya * Drilon Hall, SEARCA College, Laguna, Philippines *15 September 2009 (Tuesday)* 4:00 - 5:00 PM The SEARCA Agriculture & Development Seminar Series (ADSS) is held every Tuesday, 4:00-5:00 p.m. at SEARCA. It is open to the public. The ADSS is meant to encourage the presentation and discussion of development and research issues, as well as their implications for agricultural and rural development. Through the ADSS, SEARCA proactively contributes to having a vibrant scientific exchange within, and even beyond, the Los Ba?os Science Community. To learn more about the SEARCA ADSS, visit SEARCA website at http://www.searca.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: