Crop Genetics News
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Why I turned from GM opponent to advocate
Just under 20 years ago, when the issue of GMOs was first hitting the news, I was a dedicated anti-biotech activist. I believed that genetic modification was a dangerous technology that would harm the environment and dispossess farmers around the world. Accordingly, I joined with others in organising protests and even crop vandalism — I personally destroyed GMO field trials on multiple ...
By SciDev.Net
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Battle over genetically modified foods in Oregon
Unable to find a good solution to protecting their certified organic seed crops from potential contamination from genetically engineered crops, small organic farmers in this Oregon valley are appealing to a higher power: voters. They wanted to protect their crops from being cross-pollinated by genetically modified ones, and asked voters in two counties to ban the cultivation of GMOs - a move ...
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Potential of insects as resources for animal feed
Insects can provide a sustainable and environmentally-friendly option for animal feed, in addition to already being a mainstay of human diets for 2 billion people worldwide, FAO Assistant Director-General Eduardo Rojas-Briales told an international gathering of researchers in The Netherlands. Rojas spoke during the opening session of the conference, “Insects to Feed the World,” ...
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Hawaii is genetically engineered crop flash point
You can trace the genetic makeup of most corn grown in the U.S., and in many other places around the world, to Hawaii. The tiny island state 2,500 miles from the nearest continent is so critical to the nation's modern corn-growing business that the industry's leading companies all have farms here, growing new varieties genetically engineered for desirable traits like insect and drought ...
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Engineered salmon may be a tough sell
Don't expect to find genetically modified salmon - or any other engineered fish or meat - on store shelves anytime soon. The Obama administration has stalled for more than four years on deciding whether to approve a fast-growing salmon that would be the first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption. During that time, opponents of the technology have taken advantage of ...
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Steady increase in incidents of low levels of GM crops in traded food and feed
The increased production of genetically modified crops around the globe has led to a higher number of incidents of low levels of GMOs being detected in traded food and feed, FAO said today. The incidents have led to trade disruptions between countries with shipments of grain, cereal and other crops being blocked by importing countries and destroyed or returned to the country of origin. The ...
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Bee pollination improves crop quality as well as quantity
Bee pollination improves the shape, weight and shelf-life of strawberries, contributing a staggering €1.05 billion to the European strawberry market per year, new research suggests. By blocking bees from a set of plants, the researchers demonstrated the substantial effects of bee pollination on the quality of the fruit. It is well established that insect pollination increases the quantity ...
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Research confirms first glyphosate resistant wild radish
The world’s first populations of glyphosate resistant wild radish will be announced at Perth’s Agribusiness Crop Updates, but researchers stress further cases can be minimised if farmers adopt diverse control strategies. Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) research has confirmed glyphosate resistance in three populations of wild radish, all from different locations in ...
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NRDC Petitions EPA to Save the Monarch Butterfly
Skyrocketing use of the weed-killer glyphosate, first marketed as “Roundup,” is devastating monarch butterfly populations, and new safeguards should be put in place immediately to save the iconic species from further decline, the Natural Resources Defense Council said today. In a petition filed with the Environmental Protection Agency, NRDC said current uses of glyphosate are causing ...
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Genetically modified benefits
Despite the proclamations of the so-called “organic” movement and the anti-industry activists, small farmers in developing countries are benefiting significantly from genetically modified crops, according to a large review of the peer-reviewed research literature by US consultants. Writing in the International Journal of Biotechnology, Janet Carpenter of JE Carpenter Consulting LLC in ...
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The dire need to support ‘orphan crop’ research
In spite of debate over its definition, the term ‘orphan crops’ refers to crops that are under-researched and underfunded due to their limited importance in the global market. These include cereals, legumes, vegetables, root crops, fodder crops, oil crops, fibre crops and medicinal plants that are largely indigenous to Africa, Asia and Latin America. They are characterised by their ...
By SciDev.Net
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Monsanto to cease marketing of new GM crops in EU
US biotech and chemical company Monsanto has confirmed that it will withdraw all current applications for genetically modified (GM) crops in the EU, citing their commercial unviability and public resistance. While welcoming the announcement, Greenpeace notes that the company will seek to continue sales of its controversial MON810 maize, the last remaining GM crop grown in Europe. The EU-wide ...
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Food security depends on sustainable nutrient management of soils
Food security is being threatened by loss of soil nutrients that are essential for the high yield of crops. A recent study outlines strategies to ensure the sustainable production of food through a holistic approach to soil nutrient management. In response to the rising demand for food from an increasing world population, high-yielding crops are being grown with the help of artificial ...
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Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding Launch of U.S.-EU Trade Negotiations
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2013 – “The beginning of comprehensive trade negotiations, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), between the United States and the European Union holds the promise of expanded market access and an improved, science-based regulatory approach for agriculture and food. A constant commitment to removing barriers to agricultural trade is ...
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Give young people the tools to solve hunger, says expert
Young people are the key to innovations that could help feed billions of people in the decades ahead, according to Calestous Juma, an internationally recognised development expert. "Today's youth have access to new types of knowledge that were not available to their parents, such as genomic and geospatial data. The challenge is searching for this knowledge, adapting it to local conditions and ...
By SciDev.Net
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FAO urges end of malnutrition as priority
Denouncing the huge social and economic costs of malnutrition, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva today called for resolute efforts to eradicate malnutrition as well as hunger from around the world. In a recorded statement marking the launch of FAO's flagship annual publication The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA), Graziano da Silva said that although the world has registered ...
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Burundi set to embrace hybrid maize seeds
Farmers in Burundi are set to benefit from new high-yielding, fast-maturing hybrid maize seeds that are also resistant to maize streak virus. The varieties are being tested by the Burundi Institute of Agronomic Sciences (ISABU) and should be available to farmers in September. Two seed companies, Pannar and Naseco, based in Kenya and Uganda respectively, have developed the seeds. "These ...
By SciDev.Net
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Invasive alien species: a growing problem for environment and health
Invasive alien species pose greater risks than previously thought for biodiversity, human health and economies, according to two new reports from the European Environment Agency (EEA). An alien or non-native species is an organism which humans have introduced –intentionally or accidentally -outside its previous range. It is deemed ‘invasive’ if it has negative effects on its ...
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Committee advises halt to Indian Bt crop trials
A technical expert committee, appointed by the Supreme Court of India to advise upon open field trials for genetically modified (GM) crops, has recommended a ten-year moratorium on all Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) food crop trials. Bt crops are GM plants that kill insects using a toxic protein from the Bt soil bacterium. Currently there is a moratorium in India on Bt brinjal (eggplant) — ...
By SciDev.Net
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Ceres Showcases Energy Crop Advances at Field Day
Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERE) today hosted a bioenergy field day at the company’s 200-acre research center near Houston, Texas. The outdoor event, which draws industry representatives, policymakers and investors, highlighted innovations in the company’s development pipeline that are expected to increase yields and enable greater use of ...
By Ceres
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