MONSANTO - NO CHANGE TO ROUNDUP READY WHEAT APPROVAL STRATEGY/GM CROPS COULD PASS RESISTANCE TO WEEDS

1. Monsanto: no change to Roundup Ready approval strategy;
2. Genetically modified crops could pass resistance to weeds

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1. Monsanto: no change to Roundup Ready approval strategy

Biotechnology; Roundup Ready wheat
Binkley, Alex
Ste 506, Washington, DC 20006-1401.
IAC (SM) Newsletter Database (TM) Food Chemical News
Publishing (FCN Publishing) Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News
August 26, 2002 SECTION: No. 44, Vol. 30; Pg. 8; ISSN:
0146-0501 IAC-ACC-NO: 90893145

Despite media reports to the contrary, Monsanto says it has no plans to change its strategy for the introduction of Roundup Ready wheat in the United States and abroad. The company is still aiming to present regulators in Canada, the United States and Japan with a formal application this summer for approval of its Roundup Ready wheat, company spokesperson Trish Jordan told Food Chemical News. "Our strategy for the introduction of RR wheat has not changed," she said. "We have always argued that the manner in which we introduce RR wheat will provide a platform for further improvements in wheat such as improved quality characteristics and improved disease profile." Confusion over Monsanto's plans arose when a Reuters article suggested that Monsanto was delaying the introduction of the wheat and trying to shift the focus of the debate over it to the benefits the wheat could offer to farmers, millers and bakers and consumers. The story quoted Michael Doane, another Monsanto spokesperson. But Jordan said that wasn't the message Doan was trying to impart, and the company has been trying to set the record straight ever since. Jordan said it was always Monsanto's intention to work on the varietal development of its GE wheat "so we can offer enhancements down the food chain such as better milling and baking characteristics." The company is also talking to potential buyers of the wheat "to see what else would appeal to them."

 In Canada, Monsanto faces opposition from the Canadian Wheat Board and many farm groups to the introduction of Roundup Ready wheat--at least until foreign customers indicate they are prepared to buy it. So far, the Board says that a majority of the countries buying Canadian wheat have said they don't want any GE varieties. The Board is also concerned about the cost of developing a handling system that can keep conventional and GE varieties separate.

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2. Genetically modified crops could pass resistance to weeds

IAC (SM) Newsletter Database (TM) Food Chemical News
Publishing (FCN Publishing) Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News
August 26, 2002 S
Ste 506, Washington, DC 20006-1401.

A research project is pointing to the alarming possibility that genetically engineered crops could provide weeds with insect resisting genes. The results of the ongoing study on sunflowers, which are considered a weed, were presented at the Aug. 8 meeting of the Ecological Society of America.

 USDA, Pioneer Hi-Bred and Mycogen Seeds are funding the work. The study is focused on sunflowers that have been genetically engineered to produce Bacillus thuringiensis.

 The researchers from Ohio State, Nebraska and Indiana universities are trying to find out if the GE sunflowers passed their genes onto non-engineered sunflowers. Less insect damage The results show that non-engineered sunflowers had more insect damage if they were grown near other non-engineered plants. Non-engineered plants grown near engineered plants had less insect damage. This implies, the researchers believe, that the Bt gene was working to prevent insects from eating the plant. Ohio State ecology professor Allison Snow said the results were "the first example of what might happen if a beneficial transgene accidentally spread to a wild population and then proliferated in subsequent generations."

 The researchers focused on the second generation of wild sunflowers that contained the transgene. The experimental populations were grown at two sites: a pasture in Nebraska and an intensively farmed area in Colorado. The plants in Nebraska, the researchers say, benefited more from the Bt transgene than those in Colorado--most likely due to differences in pest pressure. "Many genetically modified crops could potentially crossbreed with weeds," Snow said.

 "Weeds are already hardy plants. The addition of transgenes could just make them tougher."

 Questions remain Snow notes that Bt sunflowers haven't been approved by USDA, and adds that there are still many questions about other effects from genetic exchanges.

 "While it's obvious that a single gene could have a huge impact on plant reproduction in a natural setting, there are still a lot of unknown effects, like whether or not the weed could spread at a faster rate."

 Adding a transgene could also weaken a plant's ability to reproduce. To find out if the reproductive abilities of Bt sunflowers were affected, researchers grew three populations of wild transgenic sunflowers in a greenhouse.

 One group was subjected to drought, a second was deprived of nutrients and a third served as a control. Researchers determined the transgene didn't weaken the sunflowers. No proof yet To keep the sunflowers from spreading beyond the field tests, researchers removed all non-sterile plants that carried the Bt gene. They also collected seed heads from the remaining Bt sunflowers before the seeds had a chance to fall. During the two years following the study, the experimental plots and surrounding areas were sprayed with herbicides to kill wild sunflower seedlings. Although researchers have yet to prove that superweeds could develop by picking up insect resistance from GE crops, Snow and her colleagues will continue to investigate the risk. Snow may be reached at: Snow.1@osu.edu.