Agnet Dec. 1/03
Traces of
genetically-modified corn still showing in product supply
Corn
chemists to revolutionize plastics industry: Greatest appeal is that products
degrade in weeks
Biosafety -
Central Asia and Mongolia
Designing
the best possible conservation buffers
Round-up
Ready sudden death syndrome
Chemicals:
research key to new EU chemical policy
Phytophthora
Capsici, Tomato - South Africa
WARR on
weeds
IPM
research/technical papers
how to subscribe
Traces
of genetically-modified corn still showing in product supply
December 1, 2003
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Paul Jacobs, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.
Three years after StarLink, a genetically engineered corn banned from human
consumption turned up in taco shells and was pulled from the market,
contaminated grain is still, according to government records, showing up in the
nation's corn supply, in more than 1 percent of samples submitted by growers and
grain handlers in the past 12 months.
The story says that many worry that the government remains unprepared to deal
with unexpected health problems from genetically engineered crops, especially
those now being field-tested to mass-produce medicines, vaccines or industrial
chemicals.
Iowa Assistant Attorney General Steve Moline, who helped negotiate a 17-state
settlement with StarLink producer Aventis CropScience, was quoted as saying,
"It's hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube."
Doreen Stabinsky, a scientific adviser to Greenpeace, who has a Ph.D. in
genetics, was quoted as saying, "The StarLink lesson is that contamination
is to some extent irreversible. Years later, you could still see it turning up
in the food supply and the grain supply."
The story says that the biotech industry regards StarLink as a unique case and
despite dozens of claims from individuals who say they suffered allergic
reactions after eating corn products, officials say the contamination caused no
proven health effects.
Val Giddings, vice president for food and agriculture for the Biotechnology
Industry Organization, a trade and lobbying group, was quoted as saying,
"It's been a non-trivial black eye, a self-inflicted wound we didn't need.
(But) not only don't we have dead bodies, we don't have headaches or a single
sniffle."
The story goes on to say that this year, Aventis agreed to pay $110 million to
settle claims from corn growers who did not grow StarLink but were hurt by the
declining market for U.S. corn because of the contamination.
Aventis, a French drug company that sold off its crop seed subsidiary, will not
comment on how much it has spent on the StarLink recall and its aftermath. Neil
E. Harl, a professor of economics at Iowa State University, was cited as
estimating that the company has paid out more than $500 million to farmers, food
processors and grain handlers.
The story adds that over the past three years, the amount of StarLink detected
by the U.S. Agriculture Department's voluntary testing program has dropped
steadily -- and so has the number of samples tested.
Corn
chemists to revolutionize plastics industry: Greatest appeal is that products
degrade in weeks
December 1, 2003
The Calgary Herald
D5
Phil Rooney, The Associated Press
Corn is, according to this story, already being converted into environmentally
friendly plastics and fibres for use in products ranging from mattress pads and
golf shirts to soda cups and minidisc wrappers.
The story says that biodegradable corn products are more expensive than
traditional plastics for now, but, if they catch on, they could provide hope for
struggling farmers and give birth to an entirely new industry.
Randy Cruise, a corn farmer in central Nebraska, who was only slightly
exaggerating, was quoted as saying, "Anything that can be made from a
barrel of crude oil can be made from a kernel of corn. I think we're just
getting started in this whole arena."
Corn plastics are being developed by Cargill Dow LLC at its plant outside Blair,
Neb., where refined corn sugar is converted into a substance called polylactide
or PLA. The sugar is fermented and distilled to extract the carbon -- the basic
building block for commercial-grade plastics and fibres.
Biosafety
- Central Asia and Mongolia
December 1, 2003
FAO – BiotechNews
http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp
The United Nations University/Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU/IAS), in Tokyo,
Japan, has published a 36-page report entitled "In search of biosecurity:
Capacity development on access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing, and
biosafety in Central Asia and Mongolia". It was prepared based on country
reports from Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) and Mongolia as well as the proceedings and outcomes
of the workshop "In search of biosecurity:
Capacity building on access to genetic resources, benefit sharing and biosafety
in Central Asia and Mongolia", held from 30 June to 3 July 2002 in
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and organised, among others, by UNU/IAS and the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). See
http://www.ias.unu.edu/binaries/UNUIAS_CentralAsiaReport.pdf or contact
unuias@unu.edu for more information.
Designing
the best possible conservation buffers
December 1, 2003
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Restored riparian wetland buffers retained or removed at least 60 percent of the
nitrogen and 65 percent of the phosphorus that entered from an adjacent site
where manure was applied, according to results of a nine-year study by
Agricultural Research Service scientists in Tifton, Ga., and cooperators at the
University of Georgia. This is the first time that a study of a restored
riparian buffer has shown that the retention of phosphorus was as high or higher
than nitrogen retention. Riparian buffer zones are areas of vegetation that act
like sponges, soaking up water and nutrients from the soil. Buffer zones also
help reduce soil erosion along downward slopes due to rain or irrigation, both
of which can cause surface runoff. Ecologist Richard Lowrance of the ARS
Southeast Watershed Research Unit, and engineer George Vellidis of the
University of Georgia, found that a particular type of buffer--called a restored
zone 3 conservation buffer--is especially effective in removing excess nutrients
from water that runs off of agricultural fields where manure has been applied as
a fertilizer. A zone 3 buffer is a grassy edge that sits next to the field.
During the study, the amount of water and concentrations of nutrients (nitrogen
and phosphorus) in water entering and leaving the riparian wetland were
monitored. The stream flow concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus leaving the
conservation wetland buffer were one-half (for nitrogen) and one-quarter (for
phosphorus) of the incoming concentrations in surface runoff from adjacent
fields. Other Tifton scientists are conducting various conservation buffer
research studies that examine several different scenarios farmers encounter.
Ultimately, this research should help growers develop a way to lower nutrients
that make it to streams and waterways. Read more about this research in the
December issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available on the World Wide
Web at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/dec03/buffer1203.htm ARS is the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
Round-up
Ready sudden death syndrome
November 30, 2003
ISIS Press Release
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/RRSD.php
Prof. Joe Cummins finds evidence that Roundup Ready causes sudden death and
other diseases by boosting fusarium in the soil.
Sources for this report are available in the ISIS members site. Full details
here
For several years, scientists have investigated the impact of herbicides,
particularly glyphosate (Round-up) on soil microbial communities. These
investigations revealed increased colonization of the roots of Round-up Ready
(RR) soya with the fungus Fusarium in midwestern fields during 1997 to 2000. At
the same time, large scale cropping with herbicide-tolerant cultivars was found
to increase soil-borne plant pathogens; Brazilian soils showed increased
microbial activity for several seasons. There is clear evidence that repeated
glyphosate applications over several seasons increases soil-borne pathogens.
During the first year of glyphosate application on RR soya, a severe sudden
death syndrome epidemic occurred in several RR cultivars. The RR cultivars were
susceptible to sudden death from infection by the fungus Fusarium solani. Sudden
death syndrome of soya is a disease of economic importance in North America.
Follow-up studies showed that different cultivars of soya showed different
levels of resistance to the sudden death fungus and suggest that glyphosate
tolerant and non-tolerant cultivars responded similarly to infection by Fusarium
solani.
According to Jeremy Bigwood (www.mycoherbicide.net), a scientist from
Agriculture Canada, Myriam Fernadez, had reported as yet unpublished studies
showing that wheat fields that had been treated with glyphosate had elevated
levels fusarium head blight, a serious disease of wheat.
Andy Coghlan of the New Scientist further reported:
"The potential problem was spotted a few years ago by Myriam Fernandez of
the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre run by Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. She noticed that in some fields where
glyphosate had been applied the previous year, wheat appeared to be worse
affected by fusarium head blight - a devastating fungal disease that damages
grain and turns it pink. In Europe alone, fusarium head blight destroys a fifth
of wheat harvests. The fungi that cause the disease also produce toxins that can
kill humans and animals. In a follow-up study, Fernandez measured levels of the
blight in wheat fields. "We found higher levels of blight within each
tillage category when glyphosate had been used in the previous year," says
her colleague Keith Hanson. And his lab study showed that Fusarium graminearum
and F. avenaceum, the fungi that cause head blight, grow faster when glyphosate-based
weedkillers are added to the nutrient medium."
Unfortunately, Agriculture Canada has not fast tracked publication of such
important results when they are advocating registration of RR wheat.
In conclusion, there seems to be a clear link between the use of herbicide and
accumulation of pathogenic fungi in the soil. The RR soya cultivars fared poorly
under the impact of the sudden death fungus. Wheat fields treated with Round-up
appear to be sensitive to the head blight disease. Such findings should have
triggered prompt and extensive reviews on the use of Roundup and Roundup
tolerant GM crops by our North American regulators. Instead of which, the two
governments of North America appear to be advocating registration of RR wheat.
Chemicals:
research key to new EU chemical policy
December 1, 2003
European Commission
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.getmex=gc
Today, at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra,
Italy, Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin was joined by top European
chemical experts to examine the scientific basis for the New Chemicals Policy of
the EU and the JRC’s work on the existing and proposed EU Chemicals
Legislation. The seminar was jointly organised with the Italian Presidency of
the EU. Sound science and technical guidance are essential to effectively pave
the way for the implementation of the new system for the Registration,
Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH). This will allow Europe to
gather the necessary knowledge on the toxicity of chemicals and their impact on
human health and the environment, while introducing new and cost-effective
testing methods. Ongoing EU research activities aim to reduce the need for
animal testing of chemicals across Europe. They are phased in via effective
partnerships with industry and national authorities. The cost of the
implementation of REACH could be reduced by as much as €900 million through
alternative methods, including in vitro tests and computer models of hazard
assessment.
Phytophthora
Capsici, Tomato - South Africa
November 28, 2003
ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
Source: American Phytopathological Society, Plant Disease Notes [edited] 1st
Report of Stem and Root Rot of Tomato Caused by _Phytophthora capsici_ in South
Africa.
N. Labuschagne, Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology,
University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; A. H. Thompson,
ARC-Roodeplaat, Vegetable and Ornamental Plant Institute, Private Bag ?293,
Pretoria 0001, South Africa; and W. J. Botha, ARC-Roodeplaat, Plant Protection
Research Institute, Private Bag ?134, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Plant Dis.
87:1540, 2003; published on-line as
D-2003-1006-01N, 2003. Accepted for publication 23 Sep 2003. Tomato plants,
grown in open hydroponics systems under shadecloth and plastic near Barberton
and Pretoria in South Africa and Srelebi Phikwe in Botswana, developed symptoms
of wilting with brown-to-black cankers on the lower stems, blackening of the
vascular tissues, and root rot.
Pathogens isolated from affected tissues were identified as Phytophthora capsici
Leonian (1) and Pythium aphanidermatum (Edson) Fitzp. (2). They occurred
separately or together. Pythium aphanidermatum has previously been recorded on
tomato in South Africa.
P. capsici isolates were papillate, caducous, grew at 36 C, had tapered
sporangial bases, and a maximum sporangial length of 70 micrometers. Koch's
postulates were confirmed by inoculating 4-week-old tomato seedlings (cv.
Floradade) grown at 22-30 C in a steam-pasteurized mixture of sawdust compost,
pine bark, and vermiculite (3:2:1). Plugs from V8 juice agar cultures of _P.
capsici_ were placed on wounds made on the stems of 10 seedlings. 10 wounded
uninoculated plants served as controls.
Water-soaked lesions were visible on the stems of all inoculated plants after 2
days. Control plants remained healthy. After 4 days, lesions turned dark brown
with affected plants wilted or dead. Reisolation yielded P. capsici. The
experiment was repeated with similar results.
To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. capsici on tomatoes in South
Africa.
References:
(1) A. H. Thompson et al. S. Afr. J. Bot. 60:257, 1994.
(2) (2) W. Dick. Keys to Pythium.
[In addition to tomato, Phytophthora capsici (Pc) infects a number of crops
monitored by ProMED-Plant including cucumber, pumpkin, summer and winter
squashes, zucchini, bell pepper, chili pepper, eggplant, and watermelon. Pc
spores can survive for years in soil. High soil moisture predisposes plants to
infection. Disease management involves avoiding the planting of crops
susceptible to Pc, use of crop rotation to include maize or small grains,
application of copper fungicides, and implementation of phytosanitary regimens
to minimize spread of the pathogen to equipment. Use of pathogen-free
transplants is recommended. In hydroponics operations, strict management of the
circulating nutrient solutions is essential to avoid introduction of the
pathogen. - Mod.DH]
WARR
on weeds
December 2003
Reprinted from IPMnet NEWS #120, December '03 with permission of the sponsor,
the Consortium for International Crop Protection
http://www.ipmnet.org
The Australian state of Victoria recently ratcheted up its "war on
weeds" as a new Weed Alert Rapid Response (WARR) team launched a mobile
weed identification offensive across the state.
WARR specialists have begun presenting sessions that deliver train-ing about
potential, new, and emerging weeds, and specifically what to do when finding a
new or suspected weed. The free meetings are aimed at governmental staff, as
well as involved personnel from other agencies and anyone else interested.
Information on new target weeds, including those species tagged as prohibited
noxious weeds in Victoria, and how to collect and submit specimens, will be
offered. In some cases, examples of live plants will be on display for
examination.
At special presentations for governmental staff, WARR specialists will cover
staff responsibilities and communication, nursery and other inspections, plus
plant hygiene, and management of new weeds. *-- K. Blood, WARR, DPI, PO Box 7,
Beaufort, VIC 3373, AUSTRALIA.
Eml: mailto:Kate.Blood@dpi.vic.gov.au. Fax: 61-03-5349-2678.
Phone: 61-03-5349-2833.
IPM
research/technical papers
December 2003
Reprinted from IPMnet NEWS #120, December '03 with permission of the sponsor,
the Consortium for International Crop Protection
http://www.ipmnet.org
GENERAL
"Allelopathy and Exotic Plant Invasion: From Molecules and Genes to Species
Interactions," Bais, H.P., et al. * SCIENCE, 301, 1377-1380, September
2003.
"Climate and Biological Control in Organic Crops," Stacey, D.A. *
INTERNAT. JRNL. OF PEST MGMT., 49(3), 205-214, July 2003.
"Improving Risk Assessment for Nontarget Safety of Transgenic Crops,"
Marvier, M. * ECOL. ASSESS., 12(4), 1119-1124, 2002.
PHYTOPATHOLOGY
"A Review of the Non-target Effects of Fungi Used to Biologically
Control Plant Diseases," Brimmer, T.A., and G.J. Boland. * AGRIC., ECOSYS.
& ENVIRON., 100(1), 3-16, November 2003.
"Modeling Plant Disease Epidemics," van Maanen, A., and X-M. Xu.
* EURO. JRNL. OF PLANT PATH., 109(7), 669-682, September 2003.
WEED MANAGEMENT
"Agronomic Evaluation of Precise Mechanical Hoeing and Chemical Weed
Control in Sugar Beet," Wiltshire, J.J., et al. * WEED RESCH., 43(4),
236-244, August 2003.
"Herbicide Resistance: Promises and Prospects of Biodiversity for
European Agriculture," Schutte, G. * AGRIC. AND HUMAN VAL., 20(3), 217-230,
2003.
ENTOMOLOGY
"Filmcoating the Seed of Cabbage (_Brassica oleracea_ L. Convar.
Capitata L.) and Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea_ L. var. Botrytis L.) with
Imidacloprid and Spinosad to Control Insect Pests," Ester, A., et al. *
CROP PROT., 22(5), 761-768, June 2003.
"Geographic Range, Impact, and Parasitism of Lepidopteran Species
Associated with the Invasive Weed Lantana camara in Africa," Baars, J-R. *
BIOL. CONT., 28(3) 293-301, November 2003.
BT SUB-SECTION
"Genetically Modified Crops, Corporate Pricing Strategies, and Farmers'
Adoption: The Case of Bt Cotton in Argentina," Qaim, M., and A. de Janvry.
* AM. JRNL. OF AGRIC. ECON., 85(4), 814-828, November 2003.
"Selection of Relevant Non-Target Herbivores for Monitoring the
Environmental Effects of Bt Maize Pollen," Schmitz, G., et al.
* ENVIRON. BIOSAFETY RESCH., 2(2), 117-132, 2003.
NEMATOLOGY
"The White Potato Cyst Nematode (_Globodera pallida_) - A Critical
Analysis of the Threat to Britain," Trudgill, D.L., et al.
* ANNLS. OF APPLD. BIOL., 143(1), 73-80, August 2003.
Agnet is produced by the Food Safety Network at
the University of Guelph and is sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
and Food, Plants Program at the University of Guelph, Agricultural Adaptation
Council (CanAdapt Program), AGCare, Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors,
ConAgra Foods, Inc., Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited (Canada), Ag-West Biotech, Inc.,
Monsanto Canada, Meat and Livestock Australia, National Pork Board, Pew
Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, Syngenta Seeds, Inc., Council for
Biotechnology Information, Canadian Animal Health Institute, Croplife Canada,
Syngenta Seeds Canada, Inc., Canadian Food Information Council, Saskatchewan
Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization, JIFSAN, National Cattlemen's Beef
Association, National Food Processors Association, Ontario Agri-Food
Technologies, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Ltd., BC Ministry
of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Feedlot Health Management Services, Syngenta
Crop Protection, Ontario Corn Producers' Association, DuPont Canada, Inc.,
Office of Consumer Affairs, Burger King, Sobeys Ontario, McCain Produce Inc.,
Canadian Institute for Food Inspection and Regulation, Canadian Wheat Board,
National Meat Association, Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Ontario Soybean Growers,
Bunge, Ltd., UC Davis Biotechnology Program, Consumer Federation of America
Foundation, Optibrand, University of Idaho Department of Microbiology, Molecular
Biology and Biochemistry, Tactix Government Consulting, Inc., Plant Bioscience
Ltd., CanAmera Foods, Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management, Inc.,
Hartono and Company, Agri Business Group, Inc., and Global Public Affairs.
To subscribe to the html version of Agnet (subscription is free), send mail to:
listserv@listserv.uoguelph.ca
leave subject line blank
in the body of the message type:
subscribe agnet-L firstname lastname
i.e. subscribe agnet-L Doug Powell
(replace agnet-L with agnettext to subscribe to the text version of agnet)
To unsubscribe to the html version of Agnet, send mail to:
listserv@listserv.uoguelph.ca
leave subject line blank
in the body of the message type:
signoff agnet-L
(replace agnet-L with agnettext to unsubscribe to the text version of agnet)
For more information about the Agnet research program, please contact:
Dr. Douglas Powell
Associate Professor
dept. of plant agriculture
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ont.
N1G 2W1
tel: 519-824-4120 x54280
cell: 519-835-3015
fax: 519-763-8933
dpowell@uoguelph.ca
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu
The Food Safety Network's bilingual toll-free line for obtaining food safety
information: 1-866-50-FSNET (1-866-503-7638)
archived at "http://131.104.74.73:96/agnet-archives.htm