Agnet Dec. 23/03
Bayer pulls
GM seed applications in UK
Map of genes
in plant root yields new tool for exploring tissue development
Widespread
caution over GM foods, survey finds
Scientists
fear wrong crops will be destroyed
Onion trial
has Fed Farmers' support
China
approval of U.S. biotech soybeans sign of goodwill
Island
leading country in environmental farm planning
Beware the
messenger as well as the message
Independent
maize report outline and authors finalized
Plum pox can
be wiped out: agency: Fruit growers want compensation quickly
University
of Kentucky College of Agriculture has $5 million in grants
Too
beautiful to sully with sludge
Comments
sought for proposed tolerance actions on 61 pesticides
Diazinon
home and garden product cancellations requested
Plant
protection products
how to subscribe
Bayer
pulls GM seed applications in UK
December 22, 2003
Reuters
LONDON - Bayer CropScience spokesman Julian Little has, according to the
company, withdrawn six applications for approval of genetically modified (GMO)
seed varieties from the UK's National Seed List, adding, "Under EU rules,
seed varieties, whether GM or non-GM are only approved if they offer additional
benefits to those that are already on the market. Because some of these
varieties fall short of what is available, we have decided to withdraw those
particular applications."
The company said the applications were for three seed varieties of winter
rapeseed, two seed types of spring rapeseed and one seed application for fodder
maize.
Bayer CropScience said it still had applications for up to four other
applications for GM rapeseed varieties were still being considered for National
Seed List approval.
Map
of genes in plant root yields new tool for exploring tissue development
December 23, 2003
Duke University – Press Release
DURHAM, N.C. -- Researchers have created the first detailed map of when and
where some 22,000 genes are expressed in each cell of the growing root of the
small flowering plant Arabidopsis.
Their achievement, they said, offers biologists not only a new resource for
exploring how complex plant tissues develop from a single cell. The analytical
technique they used also will give biologists a basic tool for exploring how
tissues arise from individual cells in other organisms. Also, said the
scientists, the new information will contribute to more sophisticated efforts to
genetically improve crop plants.
The researchers, led by Duke University molecular biologist Philip Benfey,
published their findings in the December 12, 2003, issue of the journal Science.
Besides Benfey, who is professor and chair of biology at Duke, other authors are
Kenneth Birnbaum, Dennis Shasha and Jee Jung of New York University, Jean Wang
of Duke, and Georgina Lambert and David Galbraith of the University of Arizona.
The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
The widely studied Arabidopsis -- a member of the mustard family that includes
cabbage and radish -- is considered to be the laboratory mouse of the plant
kingdom. The small, prolific flowering plant grows easily and quickly and
includes all the biological structures and functions typical of flowering
plants.
Particularly important to Benfey and his colleagues is that the Arabidopsis root
offers an easily observable and accessible model of the development of complex
tissue from a single cell. Unlike the impossibly intricate convolutions and
migrations of developing animal tissues, each new cell in the Arabidopsis root
arises conveniently from its neighbor. Also, said Benfey, the root has a radial
symmetry that makes identification of specific cells easy, and the number of
cell types in the developing root is relatively small.
In creating the mosaic of cells in the developing root, myriads of genes switch
on and off to regulate the production of proteins that are the workhorse
molecules in building cells. According to Benfey, the achievement in mapping
this gene activity, or expression, in the multitude of individual cells of the
Arabidopsis root constitutes a significant advance from previous analyses.
"This is the first time that anybody has achieved this level of resolution
of gene expression on a global basis for any organism," he said.
"Other genomic studies, in which whole tissues were ground up and their
global gene expression profiles determined, certainly generated much useful
information. However, critical information on the mechanisms of development was
lost. Development occurs at the single cell level, and there's a dramatic
difference from one cell to the next, in terms of its gene expression,"
said Benfey.
What's more, said Benfey, "We believe this is a proof of principle that
shows that similar approaches can be applied to other plant organs and other
organisms."
In their mapping studies, Benfey and his colleagues developed techniques to
quickly separate and identify the individual cell types in the rapidly
developing root. Determination of the identity of specific cells was made
possible by marker genes the researchers attached to genes that were
characteristic of each type of cell. Those marker genes produced a telltale
fluorescent protein when the genes were switched on, which could be used to
separate each type of cell.
The researchers used methods pioneered in Galbraith's laboratory at the
University of Arizona, including a fluorescence-activated cell sorter, to
isolate the different root cells. He said, "It was a nice balance -- we
wouldn't have done it without their presenting the research problem, and they
couldn't have done it without this technology." Galbraith added, "This
work is an example of how collaborative research can lead to great
progress." Benfey said, "One of the secrets of success for this work
was that from the time the roots are put into the solution to separate the cells
to the time they come out of the cell sorter is only about an hour and a
half." He added, "The cells are intimately connected to one another
and constantly signaling to one another, and if you wait much longer, they begin
to change their gene expression."
Once the researchers had separated a given cell type, they used DNA microarrays,
or "gene chips," to measure the activity of each of about 22,000 genes
in each cell type. These thumbnail-sized gene chips contain a vast array of
Arabidopsis genes. When the scientists add mixtures of tagged genetic material
from the individual types of Arabidopsis root cells to the chips, the chips
indicate which genes are activated. The results of such analyses yielded several
surprises, said Benfey.
"To me, one of the most surprising things was that almost half of the
10,000 genes expressed in the root showed dramatic levels of tissue-specific
expression," said Benfey. "I would have guessed perhaps 10 to 20
percent of Arabidopsis genes would have been so expressed." Thus, he said,
the plant apparently uses a very large fraction of its genome in the process of
development.
Benfey and his colleagues also detected distinct clusters of gene expression, in
which different types of root cells tended to express particular sets of genes.
Such patterns, he said, will prove valuable to biologists seeking to better
understand the genetic machinery of development. And, the scientists detected
clustering of genes with similar expression patterns on the plant chromosomes.
Besides aiding in basic understanding of plant development, the new information
about gene expression could aid development of methods to improve crop plants,
said Benfey.
"A key to understanding development of plant tissues and organs is
determining how whole networks of genes are regulated during development,"
said Benfey. "In applying systems biology to agriculture, we are moving
away from just altering one or two genes at a time. We are moving toward
altering broad traits, such as seed production, flowering or oil quality,
through the use of small molecules that affect regulation of these networks. The
techniques we have developed of global measurement of gene expression represent
a first step in the process of understanding such networks."
Thus, said Benfey, he and his colleagues are proceeding to manipulate genes
involved in the expression patterns they have discovered, to explore the effects
on the plants' biological machinery.
Three years ago, following an international effort, Arabidopsis became the first
plant to have its genome sequence completed. The National Science Foundation, a
key funder of the sequencing effort, then launched "Arabidopsis 2010,"
a multinational program to determine the function of the all of the plant's
genes by the end of this decade.
According to Joanne Tornow, a program director in NSF's Division of Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences, "The creation of the root map is a terrific
advance forward. This new approach allows a global analysis of gene expression
in specific cell types in a complex tissue over a gradient of developmental
time. This allows the analysis of the regulation of gene expression at a much
finer resolution."
The process should work with plant tissues beyond the root, although there it
may be more difficult to observe changes in gene expression over developmental
time, said Tornow.
"This lays the groundwork for looking at how various biological pathways
interlink in transcriptional networks," she said. "There are still
thousands of genes in Arabidopsis, about the function of which we know almost
nothing. By knowing when a gene is expressed and where it is expressed, we get
clues about the processes it is involved with and potentially its function as
well."
Widespread
caution over GM foods, survey finds
December 23, 2003
icwales
Duncan Higgitt
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/content_objectid=13751479_method=full_siteid=50082_headline=-Widespread-caution-over-GM-foods--survey-finds--name_page.html
A survey by the Welsh Consumer Council was cited as finding that half of Welsh
consumers (51%) were concerned about the environmental impact of growing GM
crops in the UK, and that demand for GM crops remains low and almost two in five
(38%) consumers say that GM foods should be banned from sale.
The story says that the findings have been published by the Welsh Consumer
Council in its report To Eat or Not to Eat.
Vivienne Sugar, former Swansea City and County Council chief executive and now
chair of the consumer council in Wales was quoted as saying, "The results
reinforce the need for caution. Welsh consumers are not yet convinced by the
technology."
The Wales-wide survey showed that six out of 10 consumers were aware that GM
foods were already currently on sale in the UK.
However, only a quarter were happy to buy foods containing GM ingredients for
themselves and their family. Almost half were against the idea.
Around 75% of consumers in Wales agreed that all food containing GM ingredients
should be labelled clearly even if the amount of GM product was only tiny.
The support for labelling was almost unanimous among those opposed to buying
such produce (95%). However, eight out of 10 people who said they were happy to
buy GM also backed the concept of clear labelling.
Those most opposed to buying GM food tended to be people in middle age, women,
those with a more affluent lifestyle and those living in rural parts of Wales.
Young people generally showed the least concern about GM foods possibly
indicating a greater acceptance of this new technology.
A high proportion of consumers in Wales said they felt unable to comment on
issues relating to GM food.
Scientists
fear wrong crops will be destroyed
December 23, 2003
Dominion Post
New Zealand scientists, according to this story, fear that years of research on
non-GM vegetables will be ruined by protesters who mistake their work for a
genetically modified crop and rip it up.
Direct action group The People's Moratorium Enforcement Agency has said
activists will destroy a field trial of GM onions that was given the go-ahead by
the Environmental Risk Management Authority last week.
The group says a free weekend workshop in Motueka in January will train would-be
activists in GM crop detection and "decontamination" (safe removal).
But Crop and Food researcher John McCallum was cited as saying it would be
impossible to tell his onions from GM ones and he is worried five years of work
could be destroyed and that his onions are growing in the same field trial area
at Lincoln likely to be used by Crop and Food to plant GM onions, adding,
"They are very close to the main road. You just need to drive around the
Lincoln area and you will see them."
Onion
trial has Fed Farmers' support
December 22, 2003
FarmIndex
Glenys Christian
Any attempts or threats to destroy a field trial of genetically-modified onions
must be met with the full force of the law, says Hugh Ritchie, a National Board
member of Federated Farmers. He is the Federation's spokesman on genetic
modification (GM), was responding to reports that a group is threatening to
destroy a field trial of onions genetically-modified to tolerate a common
herbicide. The trial has been approved, with controls, by the Environmental Risk
Management Authority (ERMA), and should be allowed to proceed.
The Press reported that the People's Moratorium Enforcement Agency believed it
had a 'civic duty' to remove the crops, and would run a two-day direct action
training camp.
"If accurate, these comments are unacceptable and a sad day for New
Zealand," he said.
"The New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research has carried out its
civic duty in seeking ERMA's approval for the trial. All groups had the
opportunity to make submissions to ERMA, including this agency.
Federated Farmers considers the field trial presents the most negligible risk
possible for this type of work.It will also generate valuable information in the
context of New Zealand agriculture.
Glyphosate-resistant onions have potential to enable use on onions of more
environmentally-friendly substances. Some of those currently used are toxic and
persistent in the environment.
Remember this is just research. Any decision on the commercial release of these
onions is a long way off and will depend on further ERMA scrutiny. Importantly,
it will also hinge on whether consumers want these onions. Farmers will not grow
what the market does not demand."
China
approval of U.S. biotech soybeans sign of goodwill
December 23, 2003
Reuters
Lee Chyen Yee
SHANGHAI - China's decision to approve imports of genetically modified U.S.
soybeans is, according to this story, a goodwill gesture that will help trim a
record bilateral trade deficit but won't significantly ease tensions.
A senior U.S. official was cited as saying Monday that China will soon offer
life-long approval for U.S. soybeans imports worth $2 billion annually, weeks
after Premier Wen Jiabao visited the United States.
Hong Liang, Goldman Sachs' chief economist for China, was quoted as saying,
"It's a good sign that China is trying to be more conciliatory. But I don't
see this as China giving way to quiet down trade disputes... The U.S. is losing
more manufacturing jobs because it is no longer competitive in labour-intensive
manufacturing."
Island
leading country in environmental farm planning
December 23, 2003
The Guardian (Charlottetown)
A4
With funding from the Prince Edward Island A.D.A.P.T. Council, which delivers
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (C.A.R.D.)
Fund, the Prince Edward Island Environmental Farm Plan steering committee has,
according to this story, enjoyed the success of having close to 80 per cent of
Island farms involved in this program.
Karen Murchison, who has been co-ordinator of the program since November of
2002, was quoted as saying, "We are the envy of the rest of the
country," adding that environmental farm plans are a major component of the
Agricultural Policy Framework, the federal-provincial-territorial agreement
designed to establish a long-term plan for the industry.
Murchison was further cited as saying that having an environmental farm plan is
now a requirement for taking part in virtually any provincial government
program. As well, she said many financial institutions are also requesting such
plans from their agricultural clients.
Beware
the messenger as well as the message
December 22, 2003
Stratford Beacon-Herald
4
Sheila Clarke of Stratford, Ontario, writes that the letters to the editor of
Dec. 17 (Arguments Put Forward in Greenwords Column on 2,4-D Don't Hold Up and
Monsanto Responds to Letter) were a wonderful illustration of a point raised in
the Canadian Federation of University Women 2002 resolution on the cosmetic use
of pesticides, as well as in the Royal Society of Canada Report of 2001 on
regulation of food biotechnology. In both documents, one of the major factors
noted was the danger of "the increasing domination of the public research
agenda by private, commercial interests."
Clarke says that since the mid-1990s, studies in most cases have been required
to demonstrate an industry partner before receiving funding. There have been
numerous examples of compromised research. Two of the most famous examples were
the study by Dr. Nancy Olivieri at Sick Kid's Hospital in Toronto and in the
agricultural sector, the BST study exposed by Senator Eugene Whelan.
Both letters are from within industry.
In both cases, I would look carefully at the questions being asked. Studies are
only as good as the questions, the researchers, and the replication.
2,4-D: The question to be asked is not the direct causal relationship to cancer.
We are enormously complex organisms. Current independent pesticide research is
addressing questions of immune system compromise, which results in vulnerability
to a wide variety of illness, including cancers and auto-immune diseases. There
have been reviews of the literature to address immune response with 2,4-D, but
additional work remains to be done in independent laboratory analyses.
Further questions remain with regard to interaction of pesticides, and the
impact of inert elements of commercial pesticide formulas. The simple answer is
that 2,4-D does not appear to cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. That is not
necessarily the question.
Clarke adds that environmentalists throughout the world have expressed grave
concern at the release of a Roundup-ready wheat, which is a grass. It is
proposed that, despite control tests, it will spread easily into non-GMO fields,
and that if it escapes into nature, as it most probably will, it will be very
difficult to eradicate. The European Union has refused to accept GMO wheat, as
have many other countries. Both environmentalists and marketing organizations
are therefore lobbying to stop commercial production of GMO wheat.
One must also ask if Agriculture and Agri-food Canada should be compromising its
own independence as an arm of government and representative of the Canadian
citizenry by actively investing in industry, which thereby makes the ministry a
stakeholder in the success of the product. "Dance carefully with the
porcupine, and know in advance the price of intimacy." (Lewis S., 2001).
No doubt there will be answers to these points, and they will be well composed.
Where initial efforts focused on government lobbying, it is interesting to note
that now local newspapers are being scanned by interests as far away as North
Carolina and Winnipeg.
We must read not only the message, but the messenger.
Independent
maize report outline and authors finalized
December 22, 2003
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
www.cec.org/maize
Montreal - An independent study on the effects of transgenic maize in Mexico
moved forward today with the release of an outline of chapters and a list of
authors for a pending report on this issue.
The Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) initiated
the study in response to concerns regarding the possible appearance of
genetically modified or transgenic material in some of Mexico's traditional land
races of maize.
The report will be presented to the Council of the CEC, representing the
governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States, in June 2004. An
international advisory group of experts and stakeholders guiding the development
of the report will also present various recommendations to the Council at that
time.
The following list of chapters and authors can also be found on our web site (www.cec.org/maize),
along with short biographical information on each author.
1. Context and Background on Wild and Cultivated Maize in Mexico (Antonio
Turrent)
2. Identification of Potential Benefits and Risks (Paul Thompson)
3. Assessment of Effects on Genetic Diversity (Julien Berthaud and Paul Gepts)
4. Assessment of Effects on Natural Ecosystems (L. LaReesa Wolfenbarger and
Mario Gonz=E1lez-Espinosa)
5. Assessment of Biological Effects in Agriculture (Major Goodman and Luis
Enrique Garc=EDa Barrios)
6. Assessment of Social and Cultural Effects Associated with Transgenic Maize
Production (Stephen Brush and Michelle Chauvet)
7. Assessment of Human and Animal Health Effects (H=E9ctor Bourges, Samuel
Lehrer, and Andr=E9s Aluja Schunemann)
8. Framework by which Potential Benefits and Risks Can Be Judged (Mauricio
Bellon and George Tzotzos)
9. Understanding Complex Biology and Community Values: Communication and
Participation (Jorge Larson and Michelle Chauvet)
10. Identification and Analysis of Management Tools and Options to Mitigate or
Avoid the Potential Risks and to Enhance or Realize the Potential Benefits
(Reynaldo Ariel Alvarez-Morales and John Komen)
The next important step in the development of the report will occur on 11 March
2004, when a public symposium will be held in Oaxaca, Mexico, to discuss these
issues and comment upon the draft report.
For more information, please consult our web site at http://www.cec.org/maize.
Plum
pox can be wiped out: agency: Fruit growers want compensation quickly
December 23, 2003
The Standard (St. Catharines - Niagara)
A1 / Front
Grant LaFleche
Blake Ferguson, a plant protection specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency, was cited as saying that the plum pox virus, the insect-borne disease
that attacks fruit trees, can be eradicated from Niagara, Ontario, in five to
seven years.
Ferguson was further cited as saying the experts consulted by CFIA say that if
the current program of removing infected trees in orchards and other precautions
continue to be followed, Niagara could become virus-free, adding, "All
indications we are getting from our experts is that, yes, this can be done. It's
important we do this because the virus could change or mutate and become a
bigger problem than it was three years ago. "
When the virus was discovered in Niagara in 2000, tens of thousands of peach
trees were destroyed in a $40-million effort to fight the virus. An export ban
was also placed on the region to prevent infected trees from being shipped to
other areas of the country.
Adrian Huisman, secretary-manager of the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers
Marketing Board, was cited as saying that local farmers are willing to do what
is needed to wipe the virus out, but funding is needed quickly. Farmers want to
be compensated for trees that are removed and would like to see the funding in
place by Feb. 1, before they begin to prepare for the 2004 growing season,
Huisman said.
Ferguson said the agency recently sent its recommendations to the federal
government. He did not know when a decision would be made, nor how much a
continued eradication program would cost.
University
of Kentucky College of Agriculture has million in grants
December 23, 2003
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.
The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture said yesterday that a recent
$1.7 million National Science Foundation grant pushed research dollars awarded
to the college over $5 million for the year.
The story says that the latest grant was awarded in September to Art Hunt for
genomic research and is part of an international effort to understand the
function of 25,000 genes in a model plant.
Other awards listed in a release issued by the college were:
-- $1.3 million to the entomology department to examine relationships among a
group of insects that include bees, wasps and ants.
-- $793,000 to plant pathology for examining chromosomes and reproduction in
fungi.
-- $228,000 to agronomy for studying regulation and transport of plant sterols.
-- $308,000 to plant pathology for researching plant virus replication and
evolution.
-- $176,000 to agronomy for investigating metabolism of glandular cells on the
tips of leaf hairs.
The college said that it has used a $600,000 grant awarded in January for
initiatives in natural products commercialization research, partnerships and
marketing.
Too
beautiful to sully with sludge
December 23, 2003
Washington Post
Page A20
Laura Orlando, an adjunct assistant professor at Boston University School of
Public Health writes that Joel Roberts Poinsett died on Dec. 12, 1851. It was
Poinsett, the secretary of war under President Martin Van Buren, who introduced
the flowering plant that now bears his name into the United States after
admiring it in Mexico. Its brilliant red flowers -- actually leaves or
"bracts" to botanists -- are right up there with Christmas trees as
heralds of the Christian holiday season. So why would anyone want to sully the
poinsettia with toxic waste [ "At U-Md. Greenhouses, It's Garbage in, Glory
Out," Metro, Dec. 5]?
University of Maryland researchers conclude that poinsettias grown with sewage
sludge are gorgeous. Orlando says that sewage sludge can be a toxic mix of heavy
metals, synthetic organic compounds (e.g., PCBs and dioxin), surfactants,
pathogens and radioactive contaminants. All of these can potentially enter the
wastewater stream and any that do can end up in sewage sludge.
Increasingly, documentation shows that the sludge promoted by the Environmental
Protection Agency and industry as "beneficial" actually harms human
and animal health. In response, 73 farm and environmental organizations have
petitioned the EPA to ban the land and greenhouse application of sludge.
Comments
sought for proposed tolerance actions on 61 pesticides
December 22, 2003
US Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/cb/csb_page/updates/revoc61tol.htm
On December 10, 2003 EPA proposed the revocation of 61 tolerances and tolerance
exemptions because these specific tolerances are either no longer needed or are
associated with food uses that are no longer current or registered in the United
States. The revocation covers various types of pesticides, including: dinocap,
combustion product gas, ethion, formetanate hydrochloride, nicotine-containing
compounds, polyoxyethylene, tartar emetic, chlorpropham, cyanazine, tridiphane,
bitertanol, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, triforine, cloprop, and 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol.
Three of the 61 proposed revocations were previously reassessed, so 58
tolerances/exemptions will be counted as reassessed, in keeping with federal
law, toward the August 2006 review deadline. Also, EPA is proposing to modify
certain ethion tolerances before they expire. The Federal Register notice
proposing these revocations is available on EPA’s web site (www.epa.gov/fedrgstr).
The notice includes details about the registration status of these pesticides
and reasons for proposed revocation, as well as proposed expiration dates for
revoked tolerances.
Comments on these proposed tolerance and tolerance exception revocations will be
accepted until February 9, 2004. Comments should reference docket number
OPP-2003-0265 and must be submitted as described in the Federal Register notice.
For status and other information on tolerance reassessment see www.epa.gov/pesticides/tolerance.
Diazinon
home and garden product cancellations requested
December 22, 2003
US Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/cb/csb_page/updates/diazhomgarden.htm
EPA published a Federal Register notice on Wednesday, December 10 announcing the
Agency’s receipt of requests by registrants to voluntarily cancel all of their
diazinon home and garden end-use products. This notice affects 75 diazinon
product registrations held by 35 companies. The public has 180 days (until June
7, 2004) to comment on this notice. Unless substantive comments are received
that merit further review, EPA intends to grant the cancellation requests, which
will become effective December 31, 2004.
Diazinon is an organophosphate pesticide used to control a wide range of foliar
and soil pests on a variety of fruit, nut, and vegetable crops. All home and
garden uses are being phased out as a part of the 2000 Memorandum of Agreement
with the technical registrants. Additional information and official documents
related to diazinon are available on EPA’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/diazinon.htm.
The Federal Register notice with instructions on how to submit comments is
available on EPA’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-PEST/2003/December/Day-10/p30271.htm.
The notice can be read and comments submitted through EPA’s online public
docket, EDOCKET, at:
http://cascade.epa.gov/RightSite/dk_public_home.htm.
Plant
protection products
December 23, 2003
European Commission, Health and Consumer Protection
To view the complete document of the following see:
http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32003L0112&model=guichett
Directive 2003/112/EC - Official Journal L 321, 06.12.2003 - Commission
Directive 2003/112/EC of 1 December 2003 amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC
to include paraquat as an active substance (Text with EEA relevance)
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