Table of Contents

Volume 3, Issue 2

  April/May/June 2012

  Pages 85 - 137

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 Issue Catalogue (MARC XML)

EDITOR'S CORNER

Open Access Article

GM in the Media

Vivian Moses
Pages 85 - 88
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/gmcr.20397
Full Text | PDF




COMMENTARY

Open Access Article

Indian farmers need help to feed over 1.5 billion people in 2030

Mittur N. Jagadish
Pages 89 - 92
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/gmcr.19541
Abstract | Full Text | PDF

In view of the enormous challenge and pressure on farmers to feed 9 billion plus people and billions of animals who are going to be living in our planet in 2050, new technologies must be invented, assessed and adapted. Farmer welfare and provision of resources required for their work is of paramount importance. India has benefited from Bt cotton technology and will certainly benefit from other biotech crops that have been carefully developed and assessed for consumption and environmental safety.




REVIEW

Open Access Article

The VIRCA Project: Virus resistant cassava for Africa

Nigel J. Taylor, Mark Halsey, Eliana Gaitán-Solís, Paul Anderson, Simon Gichuki, Douglas Miano, Anton Bua, Titus Alicai and Claude M. Fauquet
Pages 93 - 103
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/gmcr.19144
Abstract | Full Text | PDF

The VIRCA (Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa) project is a collaborative program between the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, USA the National Crops Resources Research Institute, Uganda and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Kenya. VIRCA is structured to include all aspects of the intellectual property, technology, regulatory, biosafety, quality control, communication and distribution components required for a GM crop development and delivery process. VIRCA's goal is to improve cassava for resistance to the viral diseases cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD) using pathogen-derived RNAi technology, and to field test, obtain regulatory approval for and deliver these products to small landholder farmers. During Phase I of the project, proof of concept was achieved by production and testing of virus resistant plants under greenhouse and confined field trials in East Africa. In VIRCA Phase II, two farmer-preferred varieties will be modified for resistance to CBSD and CMD, and lead events identified after molecular and field screening. In addition to delivery of royalty-free improved planting materials for farmers, VIRCA capacity building activities are enhancing indigenous capability for crop biotechnology in East Africa.




RESEARCH PAPERS

Open Access Article

Power, progress and prevarication: Local knowledge and GE papaya in Thailand

Sarah N. Davidson
Pages 104 - 110
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/gmcr.19331
Abstract | Full Text | PDF

Genetically engineered (GE) papaya was developed in the 1990s to improve the livelihoods of small scale farmers in Thailand. Yet these farmers have been excluded from the discourse around its deregulation and deployment. While elite stakeholders continue to debate in Bangkok, little is known about small scale farmers’ understanding of biotechnology, their perceptions of the technology and whether or not they are likely to be adopters if it became available. In this case study, I report on farmer knowledge of agricultural biotechnology and genetically engineered papaya in northeast Thailand. Forty farmers in four villages were surveyed with regard to their knowledge and perceptions of GE papaya. A qualitative grounded theory approach was employed to understand their responses, from which three themes emerged: progress, power and prevarication. From these themes, the decision-making process of farmers seems to be dominated by their existing local knowledge and their interest in progressing their economic status. The responses of small-scale Isaan farmers provide a new perspective on the debate over GE virus-resistant papaya in Thailand. Based on the results of this study, we can conclude that this small subset of Thai papaya growers perceive GE virus-resistant papaya as a compatible innovation that is likely to be adopted by Thai farmers if it becomes available.

Open Access Article

Effects of different combinations of benzyl adenine and indole acetic acid concentrations on in vitro plant regeneration in hexaploid wheat

Ashraf H. Fahmy, Jiarui Li, Walaa Abou El-Wafa, Soheir El-Saeed El-Khodary and Osama M. El Shihy
Pages 111 - 114
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/gmcr.19389
Abstract | Full Text | PDF

Development of a reliable in vitro plant regeneration procedure for hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a prerequisite for its improvement by genetic transformation. Here, we report the effects of two growth regulators, benzyl adenine (BA) and indole acetic acid (IAA) on callus induction and plant regeneration from scutellum cultures of two commercial bread wheat cultivars: Giza 164 and Sakha 69. Callus induction was obtained from isolated embryos cultured on modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. After four weeks of callus induction, all calli were plated on MS basal medium for regeneration. Wheat genotype and callus induction medium played a dominant role in plantlet regeneration. 2.0 mg/L BA and 0.2 mg/L IAA were the best combinations for inducing callus and let to highest regeneration frequency (81.67%) across the cultivars. Overall, based on our medium conditions, Giza 164 displayed higher regeneration frequency (81.11%) than Sakha 69. These results will facilitate genetic transformation for the economic varieties Giza 164 and Sakha 69.

Open Access Article

Surveying of pollen-mediated crop-to-crop gene flow from a wheat field trial as a biosafety measure

Andrea Foetzki, Carolina Diaz Quijano, Odile Moullet, Alessandro Fammartino, Yvan Kneubuehler, Fabio Mascher, Christof Sautter and Franz Bigler
Pages 115 - 122
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/gmcr.19512
Abstract | Full Text | PDF

Outcrosses from genetically modified (GM) to conventional crops by pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) are a concern when growing GM crops close to non-GM fields. This also applies to the experimental releases of GM plants in field trials. Therefore, biosafety measures such as isolation distances and surveying of PMGF are required by the regulatory authorities in Switzerland. For two and three years, respectively, we monitored crop-to-crop PMGF from GM wheat field trials in two locations in Switzerland. The pollen donors were two GM spring wheat lines with enhanced fungal resistance and a herbicide tolerance as a selection marker. Seeds from the experimental plots were sampled to test the detection method for outcrosses. Two outcrosses were found adjacent to a transgenic plot within the experimental area. For the survey of PMGF, pollen receptor plots of the conventional wheat variety Frisal used for transformation were planted in the border crop and around the experimental field up to a distance of 200 m. Although the environmental conditions were favorable and the donor and receptor plots flowered at the same time, only three outcrosses were found in approximately 185,000 tested seedlings from seeds collected outside the experimental area. All three hybrids were found in the border crop surrounding the experimental area, but none outside the field. We conclude that a pollen barrier (border crop) and an additional isolation distance of 5 m is a sufficient measure to reduce PMGF from a GM wheat field trial to cleistogamous varieties in commercial fields below a level that can be detected.

Open Access Article

Development of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation technology for mature seed-derived callus tissues of indica rice cultivar IR64

Ranjan Kumar Sahoo and Narendra Tuteja
Pages 123 - 128
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/gmcr.20032
Abstract | Full Text | PDF

Indica rice cultivar IR64 is most recalcitrant to regenerate, which affects the transformation efficiency especially when mature seed-derived callus tissues are used as explants. Therefore, a simple, rapid and improved genetic transformation protocol has been developed for the indica rice cultivar IR64 using Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. With different hormonal combination tested, the maximum callus induction was observed on MS medium supplemented with 2.5 mg/l 2,4-D and 0.15 mg/l BAP from the scutellum explants. Three weeks old scutellum derived callus explants were immersed in Agrobacterium suspension (strain LBA4404, OD₆₀₀ = 1.0) and co-cultured at 26 ± 2°C in dark for 2 d. The maximum transformation efficiency (12%) was achieved with infection of callus explants for 20 min along with use of 150 μm acetosyringone. The maximum plant regeneration was observed on MS medium supplemented with 3 mg/l BAP, 1 mg/l Kinetin and 0.5 mg/l NAA. The maximum root induction was observed on MS medium along with 10 g/l glucose and 20 g/l sucrose. The integration of the transgene in T1 transgenic plants was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analyses. The copy number of transgenes has been found to vary from 1 to 2 in transgenic plants. By using this improved method we have successfully raised transgenic rice plants within 3 mo from seed inoculation to plant regeneration.




ANALYTICAL REPORT

Open Access Article

Global impact of biotech crops: Environmental effects, 1996–2010

Graham Brookes and Peter Barfoot
Pages 129 - 137
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/gmcr.20061
Abstract | Full Text | PDF

This paper updates the assessment of the impact commercialized agricultural biotechnology is having on global agriculture, from some important environmental perspectives. It focuses on the impact of changes in pesticide use and greenhouse gas emissions arising from the use of biotech crops. The technology has reduced pesticide spraying by 443 million kg (-9.1%) and, as a result, decreased the environmental impact associated with herbicide and insecticide use on these crops [as measured by the indicator the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ)] by 17.9%. The technology has also significantly reduced the release of greenhouse gas emissions from this cropping area, which, in 2010, was equivalent to removing 8.6 million cars from the roads.