From searcabic at gmail.com Mon Feb 1 14:42:00 2010 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 14:42:00 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 01 February 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 01 February 2010* *PHILIPPINES* 1-STRIVE FOUNDATION RELEASES BOOK ON BT CORN AND BIOTECHNOLOGY IN RP 2-WHERE ARE GLORY, CORY, ERAP AND FIDEL? 3-CROP BIOFORTIFICATION PUSHED TO MEET GOALS *INDIA* 4-AGRI SCIENTISTS ARE FOR BT BRINJAL *UNITED STATES* 5-OFFICIALS: BIOTECHNOLOGY CAN BOOST SOYBEANS *GLOBAL* 6-ENZYMES COULD BOOST BIOFUEL PRODUCTION *1-STRIVE FOUNDATION RELEASES BOOK ON BT CORN AND BIOTECHNOLOGY IN RP *29-January-2010 Philippine Information Agency *Modern Biotechnology and Agriculture: A History of the Commercialization of Biotech Maize in the Philippines* Quezon City (29 January) -- A highly informative book on the history of commercialization of Biotech Maize in the Philippines written by noted scientists and professionals in the agriculture sector was recently launched in Manila. The book titled "Modern Biotechnology and Agriculture: A History of the Commercialization of Biotech Maize in the Philippines," by Dr. Leonardo A. Gonzales, Dr. Emil Q. Javier, Dr. Dolores A. Ramirez, Dr. Flerida Cari?o, and Mr. Arthur Baria discusses modern biotechnology as it narrates the events preceding the safe commercialization of GM Corn in the Philippines. The book vividly recounts the successes and challenges behind the commercialization of Bt corn and provides insight on the collective effort of government, scientists, members of the academia and the media, industry associations and groups, including corn farmers to foster public understanding and acceptance of modern biotechnology. Published by the Society Towards Reinforcing Inherent Viability for Enrichment (STRIVE) Foundation, the book, which is written for easy understanding by non-technical readers, is organized into nine chapters. The first chapter deals with the structures and protocols established in the Philippines for the introduction, testing and propagation up to the commercialization of biotech products. Chapter 2 and 3 provide the technical details of Bt corn and herbicide tolerant corn NK603 and how they complied with the stringent biosafety risk assessments of the National ommittee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP). Chapter 4 discusses the need for public information on biotechnology and the struggles of both anti and pro-Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) during the process of commercial approvals. Meanwhile, chapter 5 describes the corn farming systems within the context of Philippine agriculture while chapters 6 and 7 provide the determinants for GM corn adoption and the empirical evidence on better performance of GM corn over ordinary hybrid in terms of yield, net farm income, subsistence level carrying capacity, global competitiveness and return on investment. Chapter 8 deals with the technological challenges to Philippine crop agriculture and discusses the great potential offered by biotechnology. Finally, the last chapter of the book, proposes policy measures that are vital to optimize benefits offered by biotechnology, especially the corn sector. Government has been fully supportive of responsible use of biotechnology as a tool to modernize Philippine agriculture. Furthermore, the strong campaign to be food secure has resulted in non-government and private institutions rallying behind the safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology. This is reinforced by testimonies of resource poor farmers on the positive impact in their livelihood of biotechnology products. The book is a good read, especially for policy-makers, government officers and private individuals in the agriculture sector, members of the corn industry, members of the academia and the scientific community, and policy makers. Limited copies of the book are available at SIKAP/STRIVE Foundation Office. Please contact Joyce Ignacio at (049)536-5535 or e-mail contactus at strivefoundation.com. *(STRIVE/SIKAP Foundation)* *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-WHERE ARE GLORY, CORY, ERAP AND FIDEL? * by Anselmo Roque (Inquirer Northern Luzon) 26-January-2010 Philippine Daily Inquirer WHERE HAVE GLORY, ERap, Fidel and Cory gone? These quality breed carabaos (water buffaloes), named after Philippine presidents, came out of test tubes and hailed as products of the country?s best scientific minds to propagate and improve the native symbol of Filipino industry. At the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) gene pool in the Science City of Mu?oz in Nueva Ecija, Glory and Cory, named after President Macapagal-Arroyo and the late President Corazon Aquino, had already given birth to two high-quality calves each. They are prolific milk producers. Erap, named after ousted President Joseph Estrada, is a high-quality, hulking bull that the PCC uses in its breeding program. He was sent to the PCC National Bull Farm in Carranglan town, where he joined other bulls in donating semen that is processed in a laboratory for the PCC?s use. Fidel, the carabao named after former President Fidel V. Ramos, is at the dairy farm of the PCC branch station at Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Mu?oz. He is with the herd of the dairy carabaos siring calves through natural mating. The project from which the ?presidential carabaos? have been produced is officially called ?Propagation of riverine buffaloes through embryo in vitro production-vitrification-transfer technique.? Glory was born on April 5, 2005, the birth date she shares with Ms Arroyo. Glory was a cause for celebration for the PCC and scientific community as the technique was proven to be a success and that no physical defects were found on her. Animal experts say Glory is a top-of-the-line water buffalo that promises to produce at least seven times more milk than the average yield of a native dam. Dr. Danilda Hufana-Duran, senior agriculturist and project leader of the PCC?s technology commercialization, said Glory?s embryo was assembled by a PCC team in India. This was flown to the Philippines in cryopreserved form and transferred to a surrogate mother buffalo in the agency?s gene pool. Duran said Erap, Cory and Fidel were born in the PCC days apart of each other following Glory?s birth. A number of other calves have since been produced using this biotechnique, the latest of which was in December last year in Barangay Mapangpang in Mu?oz. Dr. Libertado Cruz, PCC executive director, said the ?test-tube calves? were given such names to honor Philippine presidents who helped push the carabao improvement program in the country. The program, he said, is meant to propagate improved breed of Philippine water buffaloes for more draft power, meat, milk and hide and to create a robust carabao-based industry in the country. *Appearance* Glory?s physical appearance differs from Cory and the rest of the more than 300 genetically superior water buffaloes being kept at the gene pool. One of her horns is curved downward and the other a little upward. ?Maybe, her mother has the gene of another breed of water buffalo,? Duran said. ?But we saw nothing wrong about it as the mother was assessed to be of elite breed.? The semen of Erap and other bulls in Carranglan is stored in liquid nitrogen tanks and sent to other parts of the country so farmers and farm owners can avail themselves of the technology of artificial insemination. At the Carranglan farm, semen is collected from each of the bulls two times in the morning, Tuesdays and Fridays. One record from the PCC showed that Erap produced 1,270 doses of semen from January to June 2007. Officials said Erap had sired thousands of calves in different parts of the country. Other test-tube calves were given names in honor of local and foreign officials. Pat was named after Patricio Faylon, director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development; Liberty, in honor of PCC Executive Director Cruz; and Sharma, Irfan, Karvir and Shuttarri, after Indian officials who supported the project. Duran said the PCC resorted to the test-tube technique to hasten the production of superior quality carabaos. ?It takes about 15 years or more to produce purebred carabaos. In the test-tube technique, all it takes is only one year to produce purebreds,? Duran said. The technique involves getting immature oocytes (a cell from which an egg or ovum develops) from the ovary of the female carabao and fertilize them in the laboratory with the semen from quality bulls. After this process, the embryo is cryopreserved in a liquid nitrogen tank. The embryo is later transferred to the selected surrogate mother carabao. Duran said this technique was an improvement of the original procedure which produced the first test-tube calves, Malakas and Maganda, in 1996. The fresh embryos then had to be transferred to a surrogate dam within a few hours. *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-CROP BIOFORTIFICATION PUSHED TO MEET GOALS* by Marvyn N. Benaning 25-January-2010 Manila Bulletin A leading Filipino nutritionist is supporting crop biofortification to achieve six of the country's eight objectives under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Dr. Corazon Barba of the University of the Philippines-Los Ba?os (UPLB) said the country's drive to improve nutrition, reduce poverty and hunger rates and raise rural incomes can be met through biofortification. Micronutrients are essential to growth, health and wellness of all, particularly children and women, she said. Deficiency in micronutrients is a global problem, contributing to world's widespread malnutrition and high rate of children and women's mortality. Crop biofortification is a strategy employed by agricultural research institutions to used genetic modification (GM) of crops to enhance levels of essential micronutrient. The potentials and safety issues of biofortified crops to address micronutrient deficiencies was the focus of a symposium held last Jan. 18, 2010 at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Los Ba?os, Laguna. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization-World Food Programme (WHO-WFP) estimate that more than two billion people in the world are deficient in Vitamin A, iodine, iron or zinc, with most of them lacking more than one of these micronutrients. "Six out of the eight objectives in the MDGs are related to micronutrient deficiency. And, together with conventional interventions, such as supplementation and industrial fortification, biofortification of crops with essential micronutrients could greatly contribute in the attainment of these MDGs," Barba said. Dr. Randy Hautea of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) also trusts that biofortification can help in alleviating global malnutrition. During the symposium, Dr. Gerard Barry, Golden Rice Network Coordinator of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), revealed the current biofortification initiatives in rice for micronutrients Vitamin A, iron, and zinc. * Related link: Crop Biofortification, Key to Meeting MDGs http://www.bic.searca.org/press_releases/2010/jan22.html* *------------------------------------------------------------* *INDIA 4-AGRI SCIENTISTS ARE FOR BT BRINJAL *28-January-2010 The Times of India BANGALORE: Foundation for Biotechnology Awareness And Education, a coalition of agricultural scientists, said commercialization of Bt Brinjal should be allowed immediately. A former scientist with the US department of Agriculture (USDA) and member of the foundation, Shanthu Shantaram, called environmental activist Vandana Shiva and convener of gene campaign Suman Sahai ?scaremongers'. "I've been a scientist for the past 25 years and I have done studies on bio-safety and risk assessment of genetically modified (GM crops) around the world. Bt brinjal has no environmental impact," he said. "Poor farmers will benefit from GM crops because they don't require much pesticide. The anti-Americanization lobby is holding these protests. Farmer leaders are politically motivated," he added. C Kameshwara Rao, former professor of Bangalore University, who is also a member of the forum, said that, currently, the marketable yield of brinjal is 60 to 70%, but it can be 95% after the Bt gene is introduced. They said the foundation is self-funded and regularly organizes meets to push genetically modified crops. *------------------------------------------------------------* *UNITED STATES 5-OFFICIALS: BIOTECHNOLOGY CAN BOOST SOYBEANS *by Diana Mazzella (Staff Writer) 30-January-2010 Daily Advance Soybeans continue to be one of North Carolina?s biggest exports, and with further advances in biotechnology the crop could become an even bigger force in the state?s economy. That was one of the messages from last week?s annual N.C. Soybean Festival in Elizabeth City, the birthplace of soybean processing in America. Nearly 400 local farmers and residents attended the event, held at the K.E. White Center. Norris Tolson, president and CEO of the N.C. Biotechnology Center, was the keynote speaker for this year?s festival. He discussed the biotech center and the ways it?s marshalling agricultural resources to improve food and medicines and bring jobs to the state. In the 25 years since former Gov. Jim Hunt founded the state-funded center in Raleigh, the Biotechnology Center has helped create 540 biotechnology businesses, Tolson said. He said a biotech center-funded facility in Holly Springs, for example, is the only place in the world where the H1N1 vaccine is produced using cell cultures instead of egg cultures. The new procedure allows more doses of the vaccine to be produced at one time. He said the center also helped develop drug delivery systems for chemotherapy that only target cancer cells, leaving healthy cells undamaged. Tolson later said biotechnology techniques have already improved soybean yields, making the crop resistant to the weed-killer Round-up, for example. But biotechnology isn?t just about increasing yields, Tolson said. It?s also about discovering new uses for crops. For example, Tolson believes an industry in nutraceuticals ? health remedies made from natural products ? could be developed in the state, most likely in the west. ?We know that there?s certain plants that have strong medicinal uses,? he said. ?It won?t be a huge industry, but it will be a nice industry.? Gwyn Riddick, a vice president at the Biotechnology Center, said the center?s mission regarding crops is threefold: to help develop new types of crops, find new uses for traditional crops and create new processes for growing crops. Riddick said the center also wants to work on measures that reduce the use of pesticides for pest control, increase disease prevention in farm animals and develop new products that contribute to better human health. Riddick said the state has lost jobs but it hasn?t lost ?a lot of smart, hard-working people.? It?s those people, he said, who will provide the innovation that leads to valuable research and the creation of new jobs. Jim Dunphy, a soybean specialist and crop science researcher at N.C. State University, also believes biotechnology can be a ?potentially tremendous tool? for the future of agriculture. On the subject of soybeans, Dunphy said production continues to increase as farmers gain more experience with the crop. North Carolina growers in fact now devote nearly 1.6 million acres to soybeans, making the crop the biggest by acreage in the state. Locally, growers devoted 100,000 acres to soybean production last year. Area growers also continue to have some of the state?s highest soybean yields. While the state average was 34 bushels an acre in 2009, the average yield in Perquimans, Pasquotank, Camden and Currituck counties was between 38 and 46 bushels an acre. The area?s top growers, by county, in 2009 include Ricky Stallings of Perquimans, who reported the highest yield, 83.2 bushels an acre; Charles Gray & Sons of Pasquotank, who reported a yield of 72.8 bushels an acre; and Morgan Farms of Currituck, who reported a yield of 61.4 bushels per acre. Regionally, soybeans generated $50 million in farm income for area growers in 2009, as the crop was exported from the Port of Norfolk around the world. Destinations of locally grown soybeans included China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, Cooperative Extension officials said. The Soybean Festival has been held in Elizabeth City for the past 28 years to celebrate the area?s historic role in processing soybeans and its continued investment in the crop. Prior to the start of Thursday?s event, participants were able to tour exhibits from the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service on how to cook with soybeans. Other exhibitors included agribusinesses and companies that cater to farm operations. *Contact Diana Mazzella at dmazzella at dailyadvance.com* *------------------------------------------------------------* *GLOBAL 6-ENZYMES COULD BOOST BIOFUEL PRODUCTION *28-January-2010 The BioEnergy Site GLOBAL - The discovery of three enzymes could make it easier to convert crops into eco-friendly sustainable biofuels. Energy released from a usable form of biomass could be enhanced by using the new chemicals to increase fermentable sugar stores in plants, according to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The three enzymes are responsible for the production of all detectable levels of a type of sugar called glucomannan. However, the researchers also found that changes in glucomannan levels have a detrimental effect on seed development. Lead researcher Dr Paul Dupree explained: "This could be very beneficial for the production of bioenergy crops where higher proportions of enzyme-accessible fermentable sugars, such as those in glucomannan, could lead to higher yields of fuel. "Achieving higher fuel yields from crops will increase the likelihood of sustainable and economic biofuels displacing fossil fuels." Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Hawaii Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit also suggested that the planting of biofuel crops could be having a negative impact on other crops in the country. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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] [image: ISAAA Celebrates the Life of its Founding Patron, Nobel Peace Laureate] *New biotech book assesses costs, benefits, and environmental impacts * *University Consortium Executive Board meets; approves new collaborative projects in 2010 * *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *---------------------------------------------------------* *Bio Asia 2010: The Global Bio Business Forum* *Hyderabad, India 03 - 06 February 2010* *3rd International Meeting of Academic Institutions and Organizations involved in Biosafety Education and Training* *Tsukuba, Japan 15 - 17 February 2010* *BioSquare 2010* *Geneva, Switzerland 01 - 02 February 2010* *IUFRO Kuala Lumpur 2010* *Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 07 - 10 March 2010* *Forum on Biotechnology: Biotechnology: Opening Doors and Creating Opportunities for Food Sustainability* *University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP), Davao City, Philippines 08 March 2010* *41st Anniversary and Annual Scientific Conference of the Pest Management Council of the Philippines (PMCP)* *Waterfront Insular Hotel, Lanang, Davao City, Philippines 09 - 12 March 2010* *40th Anniversary and Scientific Conference of the Crop Science Society of the Philippines* *Grand Regal Hotel, Davao City, Philippines 15 - 20 March 2010* *8th PCIERD Regional and National S&T Fora and Competition in Industry and Energy Research and Development* *Manila, Philippines March 2010* *CALL FOR PAPERS* *------------------------------- JOB OPPORTUNITIES: ISAAA Program Associate View details here* *Line Development Breeder (Indonesia) 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... 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