From searcabic at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 11:11:12 2010 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:11:12 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 15 April 2010 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 15 April 2010* *PHILIPPINES* 1-PAN-ASIA FARMERS SHARE BIOTECH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES 2-IRRI CHALKS UP REMARKABLE RECORD IN 50 YEARS 3-SL AGRITECH TO EXPORT HYBRID RICE SEEDS TO VIETNAM 4-GMO RICE EYED TO SOLVE RICE SUPPLY SHORTAGE *PAKISTAN* 5-GROWERS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT BT COTTON *GLOBAL* 6-HOW SCIENCE COULD SPARK A SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION *1-PAN-ASIA FARMERS SHARE BIOTECH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES* By Jenny A. Panopio 15-April-2010 SEARCA BIC News Release Progressive farmers and key stakeholders (media, government, scientists, private sector and academe) from different Asian countries recently visited the Philippines to learn about adoption and commercial propagation of biotechnology crops. More than 50 participants enhanced their knowledge on the basics, benefits, best practices and Philippine biotechnology regulatory schemes through lectures, video showing, visits to greenhouse/confined trials and biotech facilities at the International Rice Research Institute and University of the Philippines Los Ba?os and commercial biotech farm visits. Dr. Emiliana Bernardo, eminent entomologist and Team Leader of the Insect Resistance Advisory Team shared her experiences in the assessment of Bt corn prior to commercial approval in the country. Likewise, Ms. Rosalie Ellasus, farmer from Northern Philippines, shared her personal experience in planting biotechnology crops and the benefits she and her family derived from adopting the products. The Farmer?s Exhange Program started in 2007 and has been a platform of knowledge sharing and exchange on crops agricultural biotech through first-hand sharing of experiences. This year?s event, held last March 23-26, was successfully organized by the CropLife Asia, Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, CropLife Philippines and the SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center. For additional updates on biotechnology in the Philippines, please visit www.bic.searca.org or e-mail bic at agri.searca.org. *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-IRRI CHALKS UP REMARKABLE RECORD IN 50 YEARS* by Rudy A. Fernandez 11-April-2010 The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines - ? A total of 864 rice varieties developed and released in 78 countries. ? Average yields in rice-producing countries more than doubled. ? About 109,000 rice types collected from across the globe. ? Countless rice scientists, researchers and farmers trained. ? And many more. Indeed, as the Los Ba?os-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) observes its golden anniversary this year, it can look back to the past 50 years with pride and achievement. And, with optimism, it is confidently looking forward to a more challenging but similarly productive future as it continues to address the Herculean task of helping food a hungry world. IRRI was established in Los Ba?os in 1960 following a search throughout Asia that identified the town as the most advantageous location for an agricultural research program to expand food production in the region. Moreover, the Philippine government was supportive of research, teaching, and extension programs to improve farm management. Regarded as Asia?s oldest and largest international agricultural research institute, IRRI has over the past 50 years shown how science can help address food security and poverty. ?The plight of over one billion people stricken with poverty, 70 percent of whom live in Asia and depend on rice as their staple food, is the driving force for our research,? said IRRI director general Dr. Robert Zeigler. The institute?s high-yielding rice varieties and other technologies, plus extensive training, have contributed to the doubling of average world rice yields. This has averted famine and prevented millions of hectares of natural ecosystems from being converted into farmlands. Since 1960, IRRI has developed more than 457 rice breeding lines that have been released as 864 varieties in 78 countries, including the Philippines. It has conserved and shared the genetic diversity of rice in its International Rice Gene Bank, which now contains more than 109,000 different rice types collected from various parts of the world. It has trained rice scientists and shared its rice knowledge with partners. Moreover, it has managed pests and diseases through ecology, genetics, and education; promoted sustainable soil and nutrient management; and responded to water scarcity. ?Rice science has helped to more than double rice yields in the past 50 years,? Dr. Zeigler stressed. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has estimated that the average world rice yield in 1960 was 1.84 tons per hectare and in 2009 was forecast at 4.24 t/ha. This is best exemplified by the Philippine experience. In the past 50 years, IRRI noted, the country?s rice yield has more than tripled, compared to the world average yield increase of only 2.3 times. ?Despite being criticized as a poor rice producer because of its status as the world?s largest rice importer, the Philippines has actually done remarkably well in raising its rice yields from 1.16 tons per hectare in 1960 to 3.59 tons per hectare in 2009,? it said. Rice yields in the Philippines are also higher than those in Thailand, the world?s biggest exporter of rice, where yields have been around 3 t/ha. ?Filipino farmers have adopted more than 76 IRRI-bred high-yielding rice varieties since the 1960s,? Deputy Director General William G. Padolina said. Over the years, IRRI has established productive partnerships with institutions across the world, among them UP Los Ba?os and Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), reported Dr. Padolina, a former Science and Technology Secretary and UPLB professor. The celebration of IRRI?s Golden Jubilee began last November with Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand as guest of honor. During the ceremony, Dr. Zeigler said: ?We are honored to have Princess Sirindhorn launch our 50th anniversary celebrations. IRRI?s achievements would never have been possible without our many partners and donors from all over the world. We also want to thank our host nation, the Philippines, and recognize the hard work and commitment of the thousands of scientists and collaborators who have worked with IRRI over the past 50 years.? The celebration includes 12 months of special activities to draw the world?s attention to rice ? the crop that feeds half the world ? and opportunities to achieve global food security. *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-SL AGRITECH TO EXPORT HYBRID RICE SEEDS TO VIETNAM * 11-April-2010 The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines - SL Agritech Corp. is set to export sometime this year super hybrid rice seeds to Vietnam as part of its effort to accelerate growth in its rice production. Henry Lim, SL Agritech chairman and CEO, sealed an agreement the other week with Dai Thanh Agritech Seed Co. whereby SL Agritech will initially ship sometime this year, 60 tons of SL-8H super hybrid rice seeds to the Vietnam agricultural firm. ?Under our agreement, Dai Thanh Agritech Seed Co., a firm engaged in crop seed trading and distribution, will distribute our hybrid seeds to Vietnam. Our initial shipment to that company will be 60 tons and this will be made sometime this year. The second shipment of 300 tons will be next year and a year after, we will ship 500 tons until they reach 2,000 tons,? Lim said. It will be recalled that in the last two years, SL Agritech has made several shipments of its SL-8H super hybrid rice seeds to Indonesia and Bangladesh, ?the Philippines thus becoming the third country next to China and India to export hybrid rice seeds to other countries,? Lim said. He said it was more than 29 years ago when the Philippines first exported rice seeds to other countries. ?Now, we rank number three after China and India as hybrid rice seeds exporter,? he said, adding that he considers this ?as a big achievement not only for SL Agritech Corp. but for our country as well.? Lim at the same time expressed optimism that ?in the foreseeable future, our country will become self-sufficient in rice as more and more farmers are planting the high-yielding hybrid rice variety. ?It has been proven that farmers planting hybrid seeds will not only double or triple their harvest but will also dramatically increase their income compared to their production when they plant the traditional inbred seeds variety which is only about 75 to 80 cavans per hectare,? he said, as he urged the massive propagation of hybrid rice as part of the government?s efforts to achieve self-sufficiency of the cereal. *------------------------------------------------------------* *4-GMO RICE EYED TO SOLVE RICE SUPPLY SHORTAGE* by Aileen Garcia-Yap 06-April-2010 Cebu Daily News via Inquirer.net The Department of Agriculture is studying the possibility of growing genetically modified organism (GMO) rice as an option to avoid shortage of rice in the country. Assistant Secretary Preceles Manzo of the Department of Agriculture said in a recent interview that a proposal to use GMO rice was brought about by the dry spells experienced by the country in recent years. Manzo said just like corn, the department through research institutions had already been studying GMO rice. Manzo, however, said that it would need more time before it would get approved for implementation or to have the GMO rice for massive production. ?We have been doing researches through IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) and PhilRice (Philippine Rice Research Institute) on GMO rice but certain rules and protocols must be studied and set first by the scientists,? Manzo said. Setting protocols ensures that the newly developed GMO rice variety will not cause any sickness or attract pests that will destroy other crops planted around or near it. ?Protocols include distance of planting, watering system, time of planting and variety type that's best to be propagated in a certain area. And all will be determined by our scientists through long-term rigorous research both in the laboratory and in the testing fields,? Manzo said. The testing of the GMO rice and setting protocols for a GMO rice variety will take years to develop. ?They started the study since 10 years ago and maybe we'll need 5 years more just like GMO corn development which took us 15 years to develop with all the protocols set,? said Manzo. Manzo added that GMO corn is still used as feeds for animals but that have not been approved for human consumption yet. ?This makes it even more complicated for rice because we will be eating it. We have to make sure before we approve its production and consumption by human beings,? he said. Manzo added that GMO corn products are still used as feeds for animals and that they have not approved any for human consumption yet. ?This makes it even more complicated for rice because we will be eating it. We have to make sure before we approve its production and consumption by human beings,? said Manzo. He said that it's always the human beings fear for the unknown that drives them to investigate more and know more about what each product's traits and characteristics are that is why he added that they are pouring in a major portion of the department's budget into research and development. *------------------------------------------------------------* *PAKISTAN 5-GROWERS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT BT COTTON *06-April-2010 Pakistan Observer Faisalabad?With the advent of new cotton BT variety FH-113 and others, which possesses a number of qualities including extraordinary high yield, less water requirement, acceptable staple length, the growers are showing enthusiasm. This was claimed by the District Officer Agriculture (Extension) Chaudhary Abdul Hameed while talking to the APP here on Monday. He said that for the current season, a target of cotton cultivation in district Faisalabad has been fixed 140,000 acres. The initial field reports revealed very encouraging response from the growers for the cultivation of cotton. He further said that during survey, it has also been noted that farmers are fully aware of the benefits of earlier sowing of the cotton and it was observed that on all available un-cultivated lands, the growers are making hectic efforts for the sowing of the cotton. He further told that the pace of the sowing of the cotton indicates that the target fixed by the department in Faisalabad district would be surpasses against its original target of 140,000 acres. He further contended that historically, the Faisalabad was known as one of the main cotton growing area but from the last several decades, the farmers shifted towards other crops like wheat, sugarcane, maize and sunflower etc. However, now a change has been observed in the pattern of the sowing of the crops. During the current cultivation of the crops, the farmers are more inclined towards cotton instead of the sugarcane due to shortage of water, he added.?APP *------------------------------------------------------------* *GLOBAL 6-HOW SCIENCE COULD SPARK A SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION *by Gregory M. Lamb, Staff writer 06-April-2010 The Christian Science Monitor To fight poverty and overpopulation, crops need coaxing. Advances in deep-root food plants may trigger a new Green Revolution. Jonathan Lynch wants to get at the roots of the problem of producing enough food for humanity. Literally. In projects around the world, the professor of plant nutrition at Pennsylvania State University and his colleagues are trying to develop crops whose root systems can resist drought and take up fertilizer from the soil more efficiently. With world population expected to grow by nearly 50 percent to more than 9 billion people by midcentury, farmland is going to need to be much more productive. Even today, nearly 1 out of every 6 people in the world ? more than 1 billion ? are going hungry, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. With most good farmland already under cultivation, any new acreage would likely be in marginal land with either poor soil conditions or little rainfall. What's more, climate change is expected to make some regions drier or hotter, which may send crop yields plummeting. What the world needs, say Dr. Lynch and others, is a new Green Revolution that can increase yields in the face of challenging and changing conditions. "The idea that we could fertilize and irrigate our way out of this problem was the first Green Revolution" led by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Norman Borlaug and others, Lynch says. The second Green Revolution is going to be how we get plants to grow productively with less water and artificial fertilizer, he says. That's where Lynch's idea for improving roots comes in. He calls the concept "steep, cheap, and deep" ? developing crop roots that grow steeper and deeper into the soil, making them able to find more moisture and nutrients, thereby reducing need for irrigation and nitrogen fertilizers. (With crops that rely on phosphorus, he's breeding shallow roots, since phosphorus is typically found in topsoil.) Working with bean breeders around the world, for example, Lynch's team has identified root traits that can produce "two or three times more food without fertilizer," he says, using conventional breeding techniques that select for superior root traits. His work on new varieties of corn is less advanced. But Lynch has published a paper that identified a previously unrecognized trait that improved yields eight times in experimental corn lines grown under drought conditions. A key component in raising American corn yields in recent decades, nitrogen fertilizer, is more expensive in Africa than in the United States, Lynch says. In addition, as it runs off fields it can contaminate water supplies and produce nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. While Lynch employs traditional cross-breeding methods, genetically modified (GM) crops seem likely to play an important role in the second Green Revolution. Concerns about safety and unexpected consequences have led to a slow rate of adoption in Europe and parts of Africa, although GM crops are already widely planted and consumed in the US. "There's incredible debate over to what extent you can achieve these productivity goals without [GM crops]," says Mark Rosegrant, an economist at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington. GM crops will be an "essential" part of increasing yields in Africa, says Calestous Juma, a professor of international development at Harvard University and the director of the Agricultural Innovation in Africa Project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "In the medium to long run, genetic engineering is going to become inevitable," he says. An important test case may come in the form of a new GM crop, a drought-tolerant corn variety being developed by the Monsanto Company for use in the US. But while Mr. Rosegrant sees GM crops as an "important" part of the solution, he adds, "there has to be a lot of mainstream crop breeding as well, not just one or the other." GM or not, new crop varieties are just one part of the equation in Africa, Dr. Juma says. Also important are factors like developing road networks so that farmers have a faster way to bring crops to market. Farmers equipped with cellphones can check on market prices, receive weather forecasts, or even learn about new seeds or farming techniques. For models of self-sufficiency, Juma points to Malawi and China. Malawi, a small landlocked country in Africa and one of the continent's poorest nations, has helped its farmers become more productive by building roads and introducing new farming techniques. The president, Bingu wa Mutharika, appointed himself minister of agriculture in order to ensure that food production would be a top government priority and that government ministries would work in concert, Juma says. "There's absolutely no reason why other African countries can't do it" too, he says. In January, Mr. Mutharika was appointed chairman of the African Union, representing 53 countries. His slogan: "Feeding Africa through new technologies." China's dramatic turnaround from being a food importer to having the ability to essentially feed itself is also "going to continue to be very instructive for African countries," Juma says. The key to China's dramatic improvement has been investment in research and training, says Mark Alley, a professor of agriculture at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg and past president of the American Society of Agronomy. But in their all-out drive to increase production, the Chinese have also "created some problems," he says. "They've pumped some aquifers dry in the north China plain, for example." As the world steps up production, "We have to protect the water and air quality. And we have to produce safe and nutritious food," Dr. Alley says. Keeping a large portion of the Earth's surface under cultivation is not an option. "The alternative is that we starve. And that's not an alternative," he says. So better yields and sustainable practices must go hand in hand. Alley remains optimistic that new technologies and techniques will meet the situation. In the US in the early 1900s, he points out, an acre of corn yielded about 25 bushels. Last year, an acre of corn produced an average of 162 bushels. But sending surplus US grain to places like Africa, while an immediate help, does nothing to make Africans more self-sufficient. As the Chinese proverb puts it, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." The nice thing about improving seeds: They can be sent to a place like Africa and "nothing else has to happen," Lynch says. Farmers don't need specialized training in how to use them or need to apply more water or fertilizer to get better results. "In Mozambique, where we work, 70 percent of the population are subsistence farmers" earning less than $1 a day, Lynch says. "They live in mud huts. They don't have shoes. They don't know how to read and write. They rarely see outsiders or get help from their own government. Many don't even live near a road. They live on what they plant in the ground and eat. "So if we can improve their yield 10 or 20 percent with better seed," he says, "maybe they can feed their kids more, maybe they can even sell some of their crop and begin to climb out of this poverty trap." To post in e-group, e-mail bic at searcaweb.org. To UNSUBSCRIBE, click here . [image: Subscribe A Friend] [image: Subscribe A Friend] [image: ISAAA Celebrates the Life of its Founding Patron, Nobel Peace Laureate] *Income security first and food security will follow, says agribusiness expert * *NTU scholarships for 2010 Summer Program on Biodiversity, Agriculture and Culture of Taiwan* *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *---------------------------------------------------------* *BIO International Convention* *Chicago, United States 03 - 06 May 2010* *Bangalore BIO 2010* *The Lalit Ashok, Bangalore, India 02 - 04 June 2010* *------------------------------- JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT SEARCA: * *Training Associate cum Project Coordinator View details here* *Project Coordinator View details here* *Publications Specialist View details here* *Head, Knowledge Resources Unit View details here* ** ** *SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center College 4031, Laguna, Philippines Tel +63 49 536 2290 ext 406/169 Fax +63 49 536 4105 E-mail: bic at searca.org* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Fri Apr 23 18:10:19 2010 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:10:19 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news on biotechnology, 23 April 2010 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 23 April 2010* *PHILIPPINES* 1-YOUNG FILIPINO SCIENTISTS LEARN VALUABLE LESSONS FROM BIOCAMP 2-PHILRICE: DROUGHT-TOLERANT RICE VARIETIES CAN COUNTER FARM LOSSES 3-RP?S DISEASE-RESISTANT ABACA NEEDS UPDATING 4-EX-PHILRICE OFFICIAL BATS FOR AGROBIODIVERSITY *JAPAN* 5-GM PAPAYA WINS APPROVAL IN U.S., JAPAN PAKISTAN 6-NOW, PAK JOINS BT COTTON RACE *GLOBAL* 7-IMPACT OF GM FOOD ON HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY *1-YOUNG FILIPINO SCIENTISTS LEARN VALUABLE LESSONS FROM BIOCAMP *22-April-2010 The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines - Two young Filipino scientists have learned valuable lessons from an international biotechnology workshop ? lessons they plan to share with fellow scientists and apply in the local biotech industry. ?BioCamp taught me that scientists should understand not just the scientific aspects of biotechnology, but its financial and social dynamics as well,? said Janill Magano, a 21-year-old second-year academic scholar at the Far Eastern University-Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation. ?Through BioCamp, I learned the importance of an effective business plan in the development and marketing of a biotechnology product,? said Kellsye Fabian, a 22-year-old molecular biology instructor at UP Diliman. Magano and Fabian were among 60 students from 27 countries who participated in the fourth Novartis International Biotechnology Leadership Camp (BioCamp) held last Oct. 26-30 at the Novartis Institute for Biological Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Organized annually by the research-based Swiss healthcare company Novartis, BioCamp provides selected students from all over the world with the opportunity to learn from leading biotech experts, interact with professionals and work together with other students from various cultures. The workshop also enables students to explore career opportunities and network with global leaders in the biotechnology sector. Novartis works with the Department of Science and Technology, Intellectual Property Philippines, Hybridigm, public and private research centers, and academic institutions in the country to promote research and development and develop promising Filipino students. Among the BioCamp speakers, who included some of the world?s top biotech experts, Magano and Fabian were most impressed with Dr. George Q. Daley. An associate professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Pediatrics at Children?s Hospital in Boston, Daley spoke on the promise of stem cells in developing new medicines. ?Dr. Daley?s lecture was the most interesting. Stem cells theoretically offer treatment for a wide array of currently incurable diseases, the realization of which would be a dream-come-true for healthcare professionals,? Magano said. ?The topic of stem cells is not an entirely novel concept for me, but Dr. Daley was able to give it a new perspective. His passion for stem cell research made me better appreciate this emerging technology and more aware of its positive impact on medicine,? said Fabian. Another lecture that struck a chord with Fabian was the overview of vaccines research given by Dr. Christian Mandl, head of vaccines research of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics (US). Fabian who considers vaccines as ?one of the most important medical products? ever developed by scientists has a keen interest in vaccines. Her masteral thesis which investigates how the body?s immune system responds to a surface protein of Plasmodium falciparum (the causative agent of malaria) is related to vaccines. Magano believes Mandl?s lecture on vaccine research is particularly relevant to the Philippines where ?infectious diseases like dengue, typhoid fever, and malaria kill thousands of Filipinos every year.? On the other hand, Fabian thinks the panel discussion on conceptualizing ideas into a business plan is highly relevant to the Philippine setting. The expert panel was composed of some of the world?s top biotech scientists and venture capitalists. ?The panelists shared how they started up their biotechnology companies which could either be product-based or technology platform-based and how these companies have grown into very competitive business establishments,? said Fabian. She noted local research initiatives that could generate commercially viable products. ?Knowing how to transform a laboratory product into a commercial product would be a source of prestige and income for our country. Putting up a company based on such a product would create jobs and possibly more marketable biotechnology products,? she said. The ?intense and highly productive intellectual exchange? between the BioCamp delegates resulted in an ?information explosion,? Magano said. ?Everyone was so eager to share his or her educational background, previous and current research, and future plans,? he said. Magano believes that such a dynamic flow of information should be encouraged among local stakeholders and institutions to boost the country?s growth and development. ?Although the BioCamp delegates came from different countries, we spoke a common language ? science. This made it easy for us to relate to each other, so friendships were easily formed,? Fabian said. Through conversations with the other delegates, she noted the limited biotech research opportunities and funding in most developing countries. As a result, some of the delegates from developing countries plan to move to developed countries after they finish their postgraduate studies. ?Developing countries must strengthen their biotech sector to prevent brain drain,? said Fabian. After their BioCamp experience, the two young Filipino scientists have become even more committed to harnessing the power of biotechnology in nation building. ?The government should provide incentives to local biotech investors and liberalize the country?s budding biotech industry to enhance access for new technologies and expertise,? urged Magano. ?We must strengthen our local biotech industry to create more jobs, encourage the best and the brightest to stay in the country, and create products that benefit not just Filipinos but the whole world as well,? said Fabian. They encourage Filipino students to consider a career in biotechnology, which they describe as an exciting field with limitless opportunities. ?Not only could a career in biotechnology be financially rewarding,? Fabian said, ?it could also be personally fulfilling since as a biotechnologist you can improve people?s lives.? ------------------------------ *2-PHILRICE: DROUGHT-TOLERANT RICE VARIETIES CAN COUNTER FARM LOSSES * by Jennifer A. Ng / Reporter 16-April-2010 Business Mirror FARMERS should use drought-tolerant rice varieties to cushion the effects of the El Ni?o weather phenomenon, which is expected to damage some 800,000 metric tons (MT) of palay worth P12 billion. The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is recommending the use of NSIC Rc192 and NSIC Rc9, bred by the International Rice Research Institute. PhilRice noted that NSIC Rc192 (Sahod Ulan1) and NSIC Rc9 (Apo) can withstand drought as well as avoid rolling leaf, thick cuticle and deep root. ?These varieties have the capability to withstand tension in their cells under reduced soil water, giving them rigidity and keeping them erect. These varieties can also recover quickly when the stress period ends,? said Thelma Padolina, head of the PhilRice Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Division, in a statement. Approved in 2009, NSIC Rc192 was bred for rain-fed lowland drought-prone areas. PhilRice noted that Rc 192 has an average yield of 3.7 MT per hectare or 72 cavans per hectare with a maturity of 106 days and a height of 109 centimeters. The variant is resistant to yellow-stem borers, but susceptible to bacterial leaf blight and tungro. NSIC Rc9 was approved in 2001 and was bred for upland areas. It can mature in 119 days with a height of 98 centimeters and can yield 2.9 MT or 58 cavans per hectare. PhilRice noted that it is resistant to stem borer, but susceptible to brown planthopper and tungro. Based on the latest report of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), the dry spell has already cost P10.41 billion in the farm sector. The NDCC noted that the dry spell has affected a total of 733,342 MT of palay, corn and high-value commercial crops planted in 768,962 hectares of agricultural lands. Provinces hit by the dry spell are the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao and Soccsksargen. ------------------------------ *3-RP?S DISEASE-RESISTANT ABACA NEEDS UPDATING* by S. Q. Meniano 07-April-2010 Business World BAYBAY CITY -- The National Abaca Research Center (NARC) based in the Visayas State University here is seeking funds to undertake research aimed at improving the quality of a disease-resistant abaca variety. Ruben M. Gapasin, NARC director, said a project proposal was submitted recently to the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) to finance their ongoing research on a genetically modified, disease-resistant abaca variety. The center is seeking a P50-million budget for the research. "We already developed a resistant variety but the quality of fiber is not good. We have to do some more breeding to improve the fiber quality," Mr. Gapasin told BusinessWorld. The P50-million biotechnology program will include laboratory works, field tests, massive plantlet production and the evaluation of materials. "If we have the biotechnology program in place, we can produce a disease-resistant variety in the next five years," Mr. Gapasin added. He pointed out that there was a need for this project as bunchy-top virus has been wreaking havoc in abaca farms in Leyte and Southern Leyte provinces. About 10,000 hectares of abaca farms were infected two years ago. Extensive treatment by the Fiber Industry Development Authority reduced the affected areas by half this year. But an eradication drive is costly and the possibility of recurrence after treatment is still high, experts said. "Our center has been undertaking this study for about 10 years. The disease-resistant variety has been planted in infected areas and they?re still standing up to now," Mr. Gapasin said. The variety is a crossbreed of native abaca variety and commercial variety. "We don?t have a variety that we can offer to farmers. We are still on the breeding stage," he added. In Eastern Visayas, one of the top abaca-producing regions in the country, abaca production went down by 46% last year due to disease infestation. At least 85% of the abaca fiber supply in the world comes from the Philippines and the industry generates $76 million a year. ------------------------------ *4-EX-PHILRICE OFFICIAL BATS FOR AGROBIODIVERSITY * by Ramon Efren R. Lazaro / Correspondent 06-April-2010 Business Mirror FORMER Philippine Rice Research Institute (PRRI) executive director Leocadio Sebastian has cited the role of biodiversity in sustaining agriculture during the recent 40th scientific conference and anniversary of the Crop Science Society of the Philippines. In his discussion on the importance of agricultural biodiversity, Sebastian said agrobiodiversity can also help solve hunger, malnutrition and poverty, and provide ready resources for adapting to climate change. Agricultural biodiversity is a subset of plant, animal and micro-organisms biodiversity useful for food and agriculture. Diversity in agriculture has evolved and adapted to varied growing conditions through natural and human selection. Sebastian, who led PhilRice from 2000 to 2008, said the effective conservation and management of agricultural biodiversity ensures a ?reservoir of genetic resources for use in crop or livestock improvement; resilience and stability of agricultural production systems; and genetic building blocks for developing adaptation mechanisms in response to changes in the environment.? Concerned with the ?hidden hunger? suffered by more than 2 billion people worldwide, Sebastian emphasized that agricultural biodiversity provides a ready resource in alleviating micronutrients and vitamins deficiencies, and in diversifying diets. Sebastian, who commended the current program of the Bureau of Agricultural Research in promoting the consumption of neglected and underutilized food sources, said Filipinos can achieve better health and nutrition by including unpopular food sources in their diet. In the Philippines, underutilized vegetables and fruits that are nutritious include alugbati, kulitis, malunggay, pako, saluyot, jackfruit, pomelo and guava. To help farmers hurdle new weather patterns, Sebastian called for the conservation of a wide array of crops as the genetic pool will give farmers and plant breeders new sources of material helpful in developing resistant varieties. PhilRice officials also claimed that alternative crop management involving the use of diversity can help crops become resilient and stable amid the effects of climate change. ------------------------------ *JAPAN 5-GM PAPAYA WINS APPROVAL IN U.S., JAPAN *by Harry Cline, Farm Press Editorial Staff 21-April-2010 Farm Press Genetically modified papaya will soon be on the supermarket shelves in Japan just like it now is in the U.S. This first-ever fresh market GMO food product is not from an American corporate giant. It is the result of tenacious research from a host of scientists and the cooperation of Hawaiian farmers. This rare feat in today's contentious debate over GMO crops was not accomplished to make a statement. It was to save an important crop for farmers in the impoverished state of Hawaii. Dennis Gonsalves, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture' s Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii, and professor emeritus of plant pathology at Cornell, detailed to the 63rd annual meeting of the Western Society of Weed Science in Hawaii how Hawaiian agriculture has done what no other ag sector has; win approval to market a genetically modified food crop in the U.S. and Japan. Gonsalves was the project leader on the successful effort to save Hawaii's $47 million papaya industry. He is a native Hawaiian raised on a sugar plantation on Hawaii's Big Island. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Hawaii and a doctorate at the University of California at Davis. He went to Cornell University as an associate professor in 1977. He spent 25 years at Cornell, yet his biggest professional achievement there saved an industry 4,700 miles away in his native island homeland. Gonsalves left Cornell eight years ago to become director of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii. Papaya is the second largest fruit crop in Hawaii. It is grown commercially for export to the U.S. mainland and Japan. Hawaii exports 25 percent to 30 percent of its papaya to Japan. Papaya trees can be severely damaged by the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), which is rapidly transmitted by aphids. In fact, PRSV is the most serious virus disease of papaya worldwide. PRSV was discovered in Hawaii in the 1940s. It virtually eliminated large papaya production on Oahu in the 1950s, causing the papaya industry to relocate to the Puna district on the Big Island near Hilo in the early 1960s. Even though PRSV was only 19 miles away from Puna, geographic isolation and diligent surveillance and rouging efforts kept the virus from Puna for years. Puna farmers produce 95 percent of Hawaii's papaya. However, most producers and scientists understood PRSV would eventually reach Puna and a research project was started in the late 1980s to develop transgenic papaya to stave off PRSV by using a concept called "pathogen-derived resistance." Gonsalves told WSWS members that a gene from the pathogen is used to fight against the pathogen itself. This was done using a "gene gun," that can literally "shoot" genetic information obtained from one kind of organism into cells of another. The first promising transgenic papaya line was identified in 1991. A small scale field trial was initiated on Oahu the next year, the same year PRSV was first found in Puna. The Oahu trial proved successful in identifying papaya highly resistant to PRSV. Timing could not be better since by late 1994, nearly half of Puna's papaya acreage was infected and a number of farmers were going out of business. Rapidly evolving research produced commercial, transgenic papaya varieties SunUp and Rainbow. With the Hawaii papaya industry facing imminent demise, the industry went to APHIS, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and by September 1997 won approval to commercialize transgenic papaya. A year later transgenic seed was made available to growers. The papaya growers turned their attention to winning Japanese approval to market the transgenic papaya there, since Japan was a key market for Hawaiian papaya. However, Japan has not been inclined to accept transgenic agricultural products. Gonsalves admitted at the WSWS conference that Japan's regulatory approval process is "tough," but it is not "political." Hawaiian papaya growers won Japan's approval to export papaya there. Japan will begin accepting transgenic papaya this year, Gonsalves said, because the Hawaiians provided all the information and scientific data Japan required. Europe is another major market for papaya. However, Gonsalves said transgenic papaya will never win approval there, regardless of how much information is provided because the process is political in Europe. Papaya is a staple in many Pacific Rim and Third World countries. PRSV is widespread, as well. Papaya is highly nutritious and full of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Gonsalves turned his attention to Thailand, where like Hawaii, papaya is a major crop. Thai scientists picked up on the Hawaiian work and planted field trials there from 1999 to 2004. Unfortunately, Greenpeace, the radical environmental group, raided a research trial where the transgenic papaya were growing and destroyed the plant material. Continued Greenpeace protests intimidated the Thai government and misinformation in remote villages has stalled the introduction of GE papaya in Thailand. Gonsalves is not optimistic about the future of transgenic papaya in Thailand, despite the fact that the papaya developed in Hawaii could have a major economic impact on the industry there without any environmental impact. However, scientists and growers from Bangladesh, Africa, Jamaica, Venezuela, and Brazil have been working with Gonsalves to develop disease-resistance varieties for their countries. ------------------------------ *PAKISTAN 6-NOW, PAK JOINS BT COTTON RACE *by Zia Haq 20-April-2010 Hindustan Times Pakistan, the world?s fourth largest cotton-grower, is set to introduce genetically modified Bt Cotton to sharply raise its production, a move that could enable it to compete with India, the biggest cotton exporter in Asia after China. The country signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with crop biotech firm Monsanto on April 10. Though among the top five cotton producers, Pakistan trails behind India, which switched to Bt cotton in 2002. The neighbouring country relies on imports of over 2 million bales. A bale of cotton is about 170 kg. ?Monsanto plans to introduce Bollgard-II cotton technology (in Pakistan), undoubtedly the most studied cotton technology globally,? a Monsanto spokesperson told Hindustan Times. The MoU provides for a ?framework to continue discussions focused on introducing Bt cotton in Pakistan?, the spokesperson said. Pakistan aims to boost production, aiming 20 million bales by 2015 under the ?Cotton Vision 2015 Targets? unveiled this year. India?s estimated cotton production during 2009-10, according to the government?s second of the quarterly advance estimates, is pegged at 22 million bales. India grows Bt cotton in 9 states in about 80 lakh hectares, which helped raise yields by 31%, according to a farm ministry reply to a Parliament query. Pakistan?s Cotton Vision 2015 forecasts various options, including transgenic crops, to reach ?production levels of 20.7 million bales by 2015?, by adding 25,000 acres of cotton areas annually, along with 5 per cent growth in per hectare yield. Higher yields could enable Pakistan to contribute to the international market in three to four years? time, an industry source said. ------------------------------ *7-IMPACT OF GM FOOD ON HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY * by D. Rudrappan 20-April-2010 Business Day Genetically modified crop production has resulted in far reaching environmental benefits. Chemical pesticides use on crops such as soya beans, corn, cotton and canola in the countries where transgenic crops have been planted, have fallen by 286 million kg accounting for -7.9 per cent. It has resulted in a significant reduction in the associated environmental impact estimated at 15.4 per cent in 2006. This has further facilitated greenhouse gas emission reductions equal to 14.76 billion of kg of carbon dioxide in 2006 equivalent to removing 6.56 million cars from the roads for a year. Green house gas emission reductions have been derived from reduced fuel use on account of less frequent herbicide and insecticide applications, and a reduction in the energy use in ploughing the land. The facilitation of reduced tillage production systems by the high-tech agricultural biotechnology has led to less ploughing and increased carbon storage in the soil. The additional carbon sink in the soil reduces carbon dioxide emissions to the environment. Apart from the unresolved controversy pertaining to their health risks, there are also genuine environmental concerns associated with GM crops. The dramatic effects to rotations and intercropping on crop health and productivity have been confirmed by scientific research. Because of the convenience they afford to growers on account of their producer-friendly traits, GM seeds generally encourage monoculture cropping contributing to further decline in land productivity and genetic diversity. Genetically modified crops are considered a potential risk if they contain a strain that confers significant fitness advantage in natural situations. In order to minimize ecological impact, our aim should be the conservation of all plant and animal species in their natural communities. One of the objectives of the United Nations Environment programme is the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Effort should be made to establish or to regulate, or to control the risks associated with the use and release of genetically modified living organisms, which are likely to have adverse environmental impacts that could affect the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Biotechnology has the potential to help the society solve serious problems, but the new technology has to be handled very cautiously to protect the flora and fauna from unintended consequences. The fear is that the transgenic crops will become weeds and that novel genes may be transferred to wild populations, leading to super weeds. This is not that easy, as it depends on the nature of pollination and many other factors. Hence, the fear of loss of entire biodiversity needs further critical examination. Genetically modified seeds and derived foods have been the subject of a fierce debate currently ranging the world with issues such as health and ecological safety. Crop plants engineered to suit the environment better through incorporation of genes for tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and thereby an ethical advance, while others regard such crops as being just as environmental unfriendly .The immediate environment, farmland, and the surrounding, non-farmed environments could be affected by introduction of new technologies. GE of crops for reduced fertilizer requirement through in planta nitrogen fixation could be beneficial through reducing the negative impact on the soil and the subsequent effects of run-off into rivers and seepage into ground water. The application to agriculture of these new technologies certainly opens interesting perspectives, but also raises potential problems. Biotech crops have raised peasant incomes and the incremental farm income when spent on goods and services, has had a positive multiplying effect on local, regional and national economies. In poor countries, the additional income earned from GM crops has enabled farmers to meet their food subsistence needs and to improve the economic well being of their households. In India and the Philippines where farmers use Bt. cotton and corn respectively, their household incomes have increased by more than 30 per cent. The additional production from GM crops has also contributed enough energy to feed more than 300 million people per annum. Further, transgenic crops have also made important contributions to meeting protein and fat requirements of people. Farmers, plant and animal breeders are being told that the biotechnological multinational companies will be able to gain patents that could, for instance, prevent them from freely developing new strains, or force farmers to pay substantial royalties on a new, patented product. Biotechnology may accentuate economic and social inequalities in developing countries: Big farmers with their financial strength will harness biotechnology whereas poor and indebted farmers may give up their farming practices. The end result is that small and poor farmers leave the land and migrate to cities in search of jobs while farms become bigger and concentrated in the hands of fewer individuals leading to widening income and wealth disparity between the big and small farmers. Large-scale farmers always favour transgenic technologies. This will cause loss to the third world markets through export substitution. For instance, the artificial sweeteners created negative effects on the sugar industry of the tropics. It seems that the poorer sections of society are bound to lose out. To post in e-group, e-mail bic at searcaweb.org. To UNSUBSCRIBE, click here . 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