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CROP DROUGHT TOLERANCE IMPROVED
Crop
drought tolerance in plants is increased by lowering the
amount of an enzyme that is responsible for recycling
vitamin C. This was according to Daniel R. Gallie, a
professor of biochemistry, and Zhong Chen, researcher,
at the University of California, Riverside, in the
United States. Gallie added that by decreasing the
amount of the enzyme dehydroascorbate reductase or DHAR,
this would reduce the ability of plants to recycle
vitamin C, making them more drought tolerant through
improved water conservation. Vitamin C serves as an
important antioxidant in plants - similar to its
function in humans. It also destroys reactive oxygen
species that can otherwise damage or even kill cells.
Once used, vitamin C must be regenerated before it is
entirely lost. The enzyme DHAR plays a critical role in
this recycling process. "This reduction in vitamin C
recycling causes plants to be highly responsive to dry
growth conditions by reducing the rate of water that
escapes from their leaves. Thus, they are better able to
grow with less water and survive a drought. Our
discovery should be applicable to most if not all crop
species as the role of vitamin C is highly conserved
among plants," said Gallie.
Read
the full article at
http://www.africabiotech.com/news2/article.php?uid=72.
Little Impact Expected as Europe's Labeling Rules for
Genetically Modified Food Come into Force
New EU regulations for the labeling and traceability of
genetically modified (GM) products went into effect on
April 18. Foods with GM ingredients already had to be
labeled in the EU, but the new labeling requirements are
stricter than before. They now include GM animal feed
and ingredients like vegetable oils and other highly
refined products, such as soy lecithin, in which the GM
DNA and resulting protein is no longer present or
detectable in the final product. The rules are also
more strict on traceability, requiring a paper trail
"from the farm to the fork" to deter fraud. Supporters
of the biotechnology industry, which had fought for less
stringent rules, have expressed hope that the rules'
implementation will, "as promised," clear the way for
the lifting of the EU's 6-year-old de facto moratorium
on approving new GM products. GM opponents, however,
have pledged to continue their campaign and are pushing
for labels on any meat or dairy products originating
from animals fed on GM feed. Monsanto Co. has said that
it still has concerns about the "workability" of the new
regulations and the cost of complying with traceability
requirements. Monsanto spokesman Tom McDermott said
"one positive consequence" would be if the labels help
"normalize" GM foods once consumers start seeing them on
store shelves. But the article says that McDermott did
not sound optimistic. "Our concerns outweigh our hope
right now," McDermott said. The article can be viewed
online at the link below.
http://www.agbios.com/main.php?action=ShowNewsItem&id=5441
From GloFish to Purple Carnations
(SRC:The
Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology -- ATH:n/a)
This article highlights a range of new research in the
development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
It says that researchers at the International Centre for
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi,
India, are working to introduce saline resistance genes
from a variety of plants into wheat and rice.
Researchers with the International Crops Research
Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), based in
Hyderabad, India, have launched field trials of a Bt
pigeon pea that is resistant to the legume pod borer.
In Kenya, researchers are developing a sweet potato
resistant to sweet potato feathery mottle virus, which
accounts for 80 percent of crop losses there, and in the
U.S., researchers at the University of Hawaii are trying
to create a pineapple with resistance to nematodes and
mealybugs through the introduction of rice genes. The
article says that researchers are also considering the
development of GM "sentinel plants" that could be used
to detect insect infestations, diseases, poor soil
conditions, or early drought conditions. By developing
plants that could tell farmers when such conditions
exist, farmers could more precisely combat these
problems. The article is available online at the link
below.
http://pewagbiotech.org/buzz/display.php3?StoryID=119
Rhamnolipid Expression: The Potential for Edible
Phytoremediation Crops and Beyond
(SRC:ISB
News Report -- ATH:Brian R. Shmaefsky)
According to this article, crops that have been genetically
modified to produce rhamnolipids could be used to
degrade pesticide residues in soil and wetlands.
Rhamnolipids are natural compounds produced by the
bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa; U.S.
researchers have found that when placed in soil or water
rhamnolipids bind to pesticides and promote their "solubilization"
and degradation. Researcher Nickolai Kartel of the
Nations Academy of Sciences in Belarus has successfully
developed genetically modified (GM) Arabidopsis
thaliana plants that express rhamnolipid-coding
bacterial genes. In an experiment, Kartel found that
over the course of 45 days the GM plants reduced
petroleum content in surrounding soil by 25 to 34
percent. Unmodified plants had no effect on soil
petroleum levels. The article says that the experiment
sends a promising signal about the potential for GM
plants to degrade organic chemicals with low water
solubility, including pesticides. Pesticide residues in
soil can cause serious agricultural problems, reaching
levels that are toxic to crop seeds and seedlings.
The article can be viewed online at the link below.
http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2004/news04.Apr.html
Biotech Events
May
16 - 17
Food Safety Genomics
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Contact: Symposium Secretariat, Bastiaanse
Communication; Tel: +31 (30) 229 4247; Fax: +31 (30) 225
2910;
Email:
info@bastiaanse-communication.com;
URL:
http://www.bastiaanse-communication.com/FSG/fsg.html
May
16 - 24
BIoscience Week - Includes:
Co-existence:
The Challenges and Opportunities.
Saskatoon.
Contact: Bio-Science Week, Suite 101 – 111, Research
Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R2, Canada;
Email:
events@Bio-Science.sk.ca;
URL:
www.bio-science.sk.ca
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