Archive for September, 2007

Cornell helps develop pest-resistant eggplant, the first genetically modified food crop in South Asia

Source: Chronicle Online
Date: September 25, 2007
Cornell researchers and Sathguru Management Consultants of India have successfully led an international consortium through the first phase of developing a pest-resistant eggplant. By about 2009 this eggplant is expected to be the first genetically engineered food crop in South Asia. Farmers have grown genetically altered cotton in India since [...]

Ministers back plans to grow genetically modified crops in Britain

Source: Daily Mail
Date: September 25, 2007
Several government ministers are throwing their weight behind a campaign to get genetically modified crops back on the public agenda, it has been reported.
Some senior ministers now believe the public is ready to embrace the controversial technology, which will enable crops to produce a higher yield and be used [...]

GM Potatoes with Improved Freezing Tolerance

Source: Meridian Institute
Date: September 25, 2007
U.S. and Korean researchers have developed genetically modified (GM) potatoes with increased freezing tolerance of up to -5 °Celsius. To develop the potatoes, researchers introduced the genes AtBCF for freezing tolerance from Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as a promoter that acts to promote expression of the genes under cold conditions. [...]

European Court of Justice rejects Austrian biotech ban, supports right to choose biotech crops

Source: SeedQuest
Date: September 14, 2007
Yesterday, the European Court of Justice confirmed that statutory GMO-free regions are illegal. The Court dismissed the appeals of Upper Austria and the Austrian Government against their ban on the use of biotech crops in the region of Upper Austria.
“This is great news for farmers, for the scientific based [...]

Developing countries’ interest in agri-biotech research encouraging

Two weeks ago in this blog, I applauded a group of scientists from South Africa for discovering a maize (corn) variety genetically modified to resist Maize Streak Virus (MSV). Their discovery was first reported by the ScienceDaily.com.
MSV is, perhaps, the second gravest threat facing maize farmers in Africa and elsewhere after the stem [...]

Deep Sequencing May Lead To Hardier Strains Of Rice

Source: Science Daily
Date: September 20, 2007
Using a novel “deep sequencing” technology that can in one fell swoop decode 50 million sequences representing well over a billion bases of DNA, a research team led by University of Delaware scientists is working to unmask where, why and how certain genes are switched on or off in rice–a [...]

GM corn ‘improves animal feed, cuts pollution’

Source: SciDev.net
Author: Jia Hepeng
Date: September 13, 2007
[BEIJING] Chinese scientists have developed a genetically modified (GM) corn that could help improve the nutritional value of livestock feed and reduce pollution.
The research was announced by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) this week (10 September). The corn has now entered pre-production field trials. More….

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Gene-modified eucalyptus ingests more CO2

Source: CheckBiotech
Date: September 14, 2007
TAIPEI, Taiwan - Eucalyptus trees genetically modified by a team of Taiwanese and U.S. biologists have proven capable of ingesting up to three times more carbon dioxide than normal strains, indicating a new path to reducing greenhouse gases and global warming, team members said yesterday.
Under the auspices of National Science Council, [...]

Organic food: a luxury or the way of the future?

Source:Namibian
Author: Absalom Shigwedha
Date: September 20, 2007
ALTHOUGH it is widely believed that organic farming is environmentally friendly and its produce much healthier than if chemicals are used, some Namibians do not think it can satisfy the country’s food needs.
Organic produce are considered healthy because this method of farming does not use artificial fertilisers, pesticides or growth [...]

Court halts introduction of GM rice in the Philippines

Author: Imelda Abano
Source: SciDev.Net
Date: September 20, 2007
A Philippine court has temporarily halted an application to bring genetically modified (GM) rice to the country, pending a study of possible health and environmental effects.
A temporary restraining order was issued yesterday (18 September) after Greenpeace, together with other nongovernmental organisations, challenged the Philippine government’s right to approve Bayer [...]