Saturday, March 29, 2014

Food Crops News 210


Food Crops News 210
FoodCrops.VN Hệ thống Cây Lương thực Việt Nam
Cây Lương thựcHọc mỗi ngàyDanh nhân ViệtChào ngày mới Dạy và học


Business Recorder
No water shortage for Kharif season crops: Bosan
ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Food Security and Research, Sikandar ... after every three months to review the position of Rabi and Kharif crops.
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Indian scientists to lead world meet on nutritious food
HarvestPlus, a global program to improve nutrition and public health, has worked with partners to develop new varieties of nutritious food crops that ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Washington Post
Drought in Haiti Ravages Crops for Farmers
After months of drought in northwest Haiti, the subsistence farmer struggles to find food for his 13 children. To earn a little money, he must turn to work ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Times of India
Indians consuming imported GM-processed food, parliamentary panel says
NEW DELHI: India doesn't allow commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops but Indians may well be consuming GM processed food- ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



VietNamNet Bridge
High-yield crops to replace rice
The old concept of food security is no longer appropriate for the current times, ... In the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, there are three main crops in a year:.
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Mexico: Measures to mitigate risks to potato crops
The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) published in the Federation's Official Gazette the norm ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Parliamentary panel slams Moily over field trials issue of GM crops
NEW DELHI: Recent government's decision to allow field trials of genetically modified (GM) food crops has come under severe attack of a ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Phys.Org
Exploring the natural enemies of insect pests
... organisms interact, and potentially help protect important food crops. Aphids are capable of causing considerable damage to crops by sucking out ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


GM crops: time to counter the scare stories and relax barriers
Many people, including me, are pretty fed up with the continuing fuss about GM food and crops. Are they too dangerous to eat? Are they a hazard to ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Boulder Weekly
Serving the Towns of Wawarsing, Crawford, Mamakating, Marbletown, Rochester and ...
The nine GM food crops are soy, corn, cotton (oil), canola (oil), sugar beets (sugar), zucchini, yellow squash, Hawaiian papaya and alfalfa. This also ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


SA's new agriculture minister questions GM crops
Member for Mawson Leon Bignell has taken on the agriculture, food, ... South Australia has a moratorium on growing GM crops, unlike most other ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Farming UK
UN reports increased incidences of GM cross-contamination
Incidence of GM cross-contamination in shipments of food and feedstuffs ... about low levels of GM crops in international food and animal feed trade.
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Net farm income expected to decline - FAPRI
... prices for most crops are likely to remain below recent peaks for the next 10 years, according to the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute's ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Indus climate
In addition, being a predominantly agricultural country, climate change is estimated to decrease crops' yields in Pakistan not only as a result of ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


GM Crops for Food Animals
Biotech turns to DNA editing technology to engineer easier-to-digest plants ... Agrivida in 2002 with a focus on engineering plants for use in biofuels.
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Farm Futures
New Study Will Review Available GE Data in Food and Ag Context
The National Research Council on Wednesday announced plans to conduct a study to review available information on genetically engineered crops ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


New international partnership aims to unlock wheat's potential
It is the most widely grown staple food crop and new varieties with increased yield will be vital to feed the world's growing population." The world's ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Neonicotinoids: EPA regs change on-farm insecticide spraying
New regulations apply to foliar applications only, not to seed or in-furrow applications with a focus on food crops, among others. In a nutshell, products ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



The Guardian
Carbon briefing: changing views on biofuels reflected in forthcoming climate report
They suggested biofuels could damage the environment, drive up food ... for places to grow food crops - a process known as indirect land use change.
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Arizona State University
Climate change will reduce crop yields sooner
Due to increased interest on the impacts of climate change in global food security, the study was able to create the largest dataset to date on crop ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Greenpeace moves EC for annulment of GM crop field trials
Greenpeace moves EC for annulment of GM crop field trials ... Over 70 new proposals, including of many food crops, will also be examined by GEAC ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


State to receive specialty crop grant money
The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service defines specialty crops as "fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Franchise Herald
Heat Waves and Global Warming Threaten Food Supply
A new study in the U.K. has shown that heat waves can cause significant damage to food crops and threaten global food supply if climate change is ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Globalised diet: more food, less diversity, heighten risks to nutrition
The worldwide spread of a standard globalised diet is putting more food on the table, but at the expense of nutrition and farming of diverse local crops ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



GoodFood World
Western agricultural scientist touts GMO safety, benefits
GMO crops provide the same nutrition, or possibly more, than ... way to produce high quality food and fiber to help feed and clothe an exponentially ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Nottingham Post (blog)
Mike Fay: How Nottm University helps solve food problems
Bags more food: Researchers are helping to increase the yield of crops in ... Against the odds, he produced crops that were more resistant to a wider ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


You don't want GM food? Apply pressure
And even if small areas in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and South America decide to go GM-free in their agricultural practices, GM crops are so widely ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


GM, organics can coexist: Farm Bureau
Mr Stallman said for decades, a hallmark of US agriculture has been the ability of farmers to pursue innovation, utilise diverse cropping systems and ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Business Standard (blog)
CACP recommends moderate increased in MSP of kharif crops
The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Practices (CACP) has recommended moderate increase of 1-5% in minimum support prices (MSP) of ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



ASEAN to promote food crops resiliency
Pattaya, Thailand – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has committed to enhance collaboration among its member-states in the ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Sri Lanka to Achieve Self-Sufficiency in Supplementary Food Crops
The Sri Lankan Government has decided to utilize 35% of paddy land during the 2014 Yala Season for the cultivation of supplementary food crops ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


South Africa to Monsanto: GMO Crops Aren't Producing More Sustainable Food
In the radio spot, Monsanto claims that its biotech crops “enable us to produce more food sustainably whilst using fewer resources; provide a healthier ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Research reveals value of cover crops to farmers, environment
“This research presents a framework for considering a suite of ecosystem services that could be derived from agricultural land, and how cover crops ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Telegraph.co.uk
Biofuels do more harm than good, UN warns
The United Nations will officially warn that growing crops to make “green” biofuel harms the environment and drives up food prices, The Telegraph can ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Modi sits on fence on GM food
Modi last week took his advocacy of genetically modified (GM) crops to a ... Confined field trials have been permitted for some food crops like brinjal, ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Sioux City firm in demand to build grain silos, food plants
History: Founded in 1896 by John Fremont Younglove in Mason City, Iowa; moved to Sioux City in 1908; became a subsidiary of Sioux City-based ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Why is soil missing from the 'big five' environmental questions of our time?
Crop yields are determined by many factors such as crop varieties, ... In so-called developed countries up to 40 per cent of food is thrown away.
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Radio Australia
Climate change to disrupt food supplies, brake growth says UN climate report draft
The latest draft UN report on climate change points to options for disaster planning, drought and flood-resistant crops, and water and energy saving.
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Learn how to grow organic food
BOOST your backyard food crops by finding out how plants really feed at this month's Redland Organic Growers meeting on Tuesday, April 1, at 6.15 ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant




SPC and Partners Collaborate to Develop Integrated Crop Management Strategies for Sustainable ...
To further strengthen the research, a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) is funding parallel ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Climate change warning over crops
Future heatwaves could threaten key global food crops if climate change is not addressed, according to a British study. Researchers came to the ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



NDTV
Future heat waves threaten global food supply
Future heat waves threaten global food supply Heat waves could significantly reduce crop yields and threaten the global food supply if climate change ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



Independent Online
Which foods are worst for environment?
The report includes a chart that ranks various foods according to the ... inappropriate for row crops, to produce human food (with grazing cows or ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant


Governor Cuomo Announces $1.1 Million Federal Funding for...
"New York's agricultural sector offers a diverse array of specialty crops as part of an already robust and thriving industry that has grown continually ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant



The Unionville Times
Celebrate National Ag Day: Thank a farmer
In preparation for National Agricultural Day on Tuesday, March 25, the ... crops and coping with whatever the weather brings, resulting in food that ...
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant

 
NEWS

Global
• ISAAA Annual Network Meeting
• FAO Paper: Asia-Pacific's Agri Workers Should be Prime Beneficiaries of Sustainable Agriculture

Africa
• Rice Experts Roll Out New Stress-Tolerant Rice Varieties for Africa
• South Sudan becomes 194th Party to Convention on Biological Diversity

Americas
• Scientists Model Photosynthesis to Find Room for Improvement
• Scientists Hack Plant's Internal Timepiece to Combat Global Warming

Asia and the Pacific
• Chinese AG Minister Eats GM Food
• ISAAA Releases Borlaug Centennial Emblem
• USDA GAIN Report on Agribiotechnology in Australia
• Researchers Sequence Pepper Genome
• Unlocking the Genetic Secrets of Wheat

Europe
• Researchers Create Fire-Blight Resistant Apples
• CST Releases Letter for the UK Prime Minister Regarding GM Technologies
• UK Public Attitudes to Science Revealed
• EFSA's Opens GMO Plenary Meeting to Observers

Research
• Study Shows Bt Rice Does Not Affect Green Lacewing

Beyond Crop Biotech
• First Genetic Clues to Fight Dieback

Announcements
• 13th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms

Document Reminders
• ISAAA Publishes E-poster on Bt Brinjal
  
Research and Development
• Researchers Find Economical Way to Remove Lignin from Biomass
• Researchers Extract Oil from Algae Without Wasting Them
• Researchers Produce Sugars from Biomass Sans Enzyme

Production and Trade
• French Company Shows Viability of Biomass-based Ethanol with Bacterial Process
• New Biodiesel Plant Set in Switzerland
• Missouri Firm to Implement Enzymatic Biodiesel Processing Technology
• New Initiative to Develop Biofuel Supply Chain in UAE
• Australian and Indian Firms to Build Biofuel Facility in India

Policy and Regulation
• New Study Emphasizes Ecological Benefits from Biofuel Crops

Latest Communication Products

Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2013
ISAAA Brief 46-2013 is now available! Get your copy now!
ISAAA Brief 46-2013: Infographic
Download Infographic 1 (PDF) : Chinese , English
Download Infographic 2 (PDF) : English

News

Global

[Top]
Some 38 members of the ISAAA network from 15 countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa gathered together in Hanoi, Vietnam on March 18-19, 2014 to evaluate and discuss their knowledge sharing initiatives on biotechnology. Mr. Le Van Tien, director of AgBiotech Vietnam acknowledged ISAAA as the leading organization sharing knowledge on biotechnology. Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Genetics Director General, Dr. Le Huy Ham, said that it is a great experience that representatives of Biotechnology Information Centers (BIC) from different parts of the globe convene to strategize on how facts on biotechnology will move forward to the stakeholders. He stressed that the efforts of the BICs will all lead to a greater impact for the future, especially for Vietnam where food security is at risk due to shortage of land, increasing population, and climate change.
ISAAA Chair, Dr. Paul Teng, held a facilitated discussion to synergize the efforts of ISAAA and the BICs to achieve individual and institutional targets. Popular techniques in disseminating information were also discussed during the hands-on workshops on videography and infographics. Highlights of research on farmer adoption in Asia, science communication among scientists and academics in Asia, and biotech approvals were also shared with the team.

For details of the meeting, send an email to knowledgecenter@isaaa.org.

FAO Paper: Asia-Pacific's Agri Workers Should be Prime Beneficiaries of Sustainable Agriculture The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released a paper titled "Meeting Farmers' Aspirations in the Context of Green Development" which was presented in the 32nd FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on March 14, 2014. The paper examines the current efforts of some Asia-Pacific countries that address the increasing income difference between farm and non-farm incomes.
According to the paper, the region and its agricultural sector are facing two "momentous and complex transitions", a structural change that is related to fast, if uneven, economic growth, which leaves agricultural incomes stagnant, and a transition to sustainable agriculture targeted at hampering the degradation of the region's limited base of natural resources. It was recommended that there should be a search for green development that involves not just agriculture and natural resource management. It must tackle urbanization policies, patterns of public investment in infrastructure services, as well as education and development of economic sectors in rural areas not related to agriculture.
The paper suggests that the International Year of Family Farming — which aims to raise the profile and importance of family and smallholder farms - should also focus on how to manage transitions in the region to include green development based on wider environmental values, while advocating increased farm incomes to levels similar to other sectors, so the poorest and most vulnerable people in rural areas will not be disadvantaged.
Read the original article at http://www.fao.org/archive/from-the-field/detail/en/c/216838//

Rice Experts Roll Out New Stress-Tolerant Rice Varieties for Africa
The Rice Breeding Task Force convened by the Africa Rice Center has recently nominated six rice varieties with improved tolerance to environmental stresses under the brand ARICA, or Advanced Rice Varieties for Africa. The ARICA varieties are selected through rigorous multi-environment testing process including regional and national trials as well as participatory varietal selection involving farmers.
The six varieties were developed with tolerance to iron toxicity, cold, and salt. One variety is notable as it combines tolerance to two stresses, namely, iron toxicity and cold.
Dr. Baboucarr Manneh, AfricaRice Irrigated Rice breeder said that more than 30 stress-tolerant rice varieties have already been released in nine African countries with support from the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa project, with more varieties in the pipeline.
For more details, read the news release at: http://www.africarice.org/warda/newsrel-STRASA-Mar14.asp.

South Sudan becomes 194th Party to Convention on Biological Diversity
South Sudan becomes the 194th Party to theConvention of Biological Diversity (CBD) after submitting its instrument of accession on February 17, 2014. The CBD will be implemented in the country on May 18, 2014. South Sudan is endowed with natural resources such as soil, minerals, and biological resources, with the Nile River as its major natural feature. The fertile lands of the country produce many crops and livestock.

Read the media release at http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2014/pr-2014-03-07-cbd-south-sudan-en.pdf.

Scientists Model Photosynthesis to Find Room for Improvement
University of Illinois scientists used a digital model to simulate how adding genes from cyanobacteria might improve photosynthesis inplants. Cyanobacteria, which are photosynthetic algae, contains small structures called carboxysomes that concentrate carbon dioxide in the area where photosynthesis occurs. The research team led by Prof. Stephen Long found  that adding a gene for bicarbonate transporter that carries the carbon dioxide across the carboxysome membrane leads to improvement in photosynthesis by 6%. The model also showed that when about 8 components of the carboxysome system is added to plant,s photosynthesis could be improved by up to 60 percent.
Modeling photosynthesis in crop plants has proven to be an efficient way to identify which genetic manipulations would be most fruitful. It prevents a lot of wasted time and money spent trying things in the laboratory that could just lead to failure.
Read more details athttp://news.illinois.edu/news/14/0303photosynthesisStephenLong_JustinMcGrath.html

Scientists Hack Plant's Internal Timepiece to Combat Global Warming
Scientists at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are studying what happens in the plant's biological processes at different times to learn how to hack its internal clock and develop more resilient crops and faster-growing biofuels using genetics. For instance,commercial varieties of barley which have exhibited altered clock function are now under study. Scientists have also found a way to trick the clocks of sorghum plants to think into thinking it's constantly the season for growing and not the season for flowering. These non-flowering hybrids produce three times as much stem and leaf matter, which can be then converted into biofuel. Otherr esearch shows that soybean plants can increase yield if they are imbued with altered clock genes from other plants.
They measure how well a plant absorbs energy through a highly meticulous and complex conveyor belt system. The Center's facility for phenotyping can allow 1,200 individually potted plants to live on a constantly moving, 671-foot conveyor belt that provides them with everything they need.
Read more information about the study at http://danforthcenter.org/news-media/in-the-news/in-the-news-item/(the-week)-how-the-tick-tock-of-a-plant's-clock-could-help-fight-the-effects-of-global-warming.

Chinese AG Minister Eats GM Food
Agriculture Minister Han Changfu told a press conference of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), Chinese top legislature, on March 6, 2014 that he himself eats genetically modified (GM) food, mainly soybean oil. "Whether the GM food is safe or not should not be decided by departments or individuals, it should be decided by scientists following strict standards and procedures," Han said.
"Chinese soybean oil is mainly processed from imported GM soybean, which has passed the safety assessment of producing country and strict validation of Chinese National Security Committee of Genetically Modified Organisms," Han added. He stressed that China has established laws and regulations which cover transgenic research, production, processing, marketing and import licensing as well as mandatory product identification. The minister reiterated China's position on transgenic technology that the country must strive to keep up with the world's advanced level and that it must possess its own intellectual property rights.
See the news at http://epaper.jinghua.cn/html/2014-03/07/content_70689.htm

ISAAA Releases Borlaug Centennial Emblem
As part of the world-wide centenary celebrations of the birth of the Nobel Peace Laureate, Norman Borlaug, ISAAA commissioned a Borlaug Emblem "Celebrating Borlaug's 100 Years" embodying the life and legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug, 25 March 1914 to 25 March 2014. The ISAAA Borlaug emblem features the US Congressional gold medal he was awarded, and a sculpture of Borlaug, designed by the renowned sculptor, Benjamin Victor; the original 7 ft tall bronze sculpture will be unveiled in the US Capitol in Washington DC on 25 March 2014 during the centenary celebration. Dr. Clive James, founder and emeritus Chairman of ISAAA, was a long-time associate of Borlaug and dedicated ISAAA Brief 46 ("Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops 2013"), to Borlaug as the founding patron of ISAAA. Dr. Norman Borlaug is credited with saving 1 billion people from hunger and is known as the father of the Green Revolution. The closing paragraphs of ISAAA Brief 46 feature a special tribute dedicated to 'Norman Borlaug's Legacy and Advocacy of Biotech Crops'.
Prof. Paul Teng, Chairman of ISAAA Board of Directors officially released the ISAAA Borlaug Centennial Emblem on 18th March 2014 in the presence of directors of the Biotechnology Information Centers (BICs) from 23 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America during ISAAA's Annual BIC Network meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam from 17-21 March 2014. The celebration of the release was joined by Dr. Randy Hautea, ISAAA Global Coordinator based in the Philippines; Dr. Margaret Karembu, Director of ISAAA Afri Center based in Kenya; Dr. Mariechel Navarro, Director of ISAAA Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology based in the Philippines; Dr. Le Van Tien, Director of AgBiotech Vietnam, Dr. Le Huy Ham, Director General of Vietnam's Institute of Agricultural Genetics and Bhagirath Mr. Choudhary, Director of ISAAA Strategic Initiatives based in India.
 
Download ISAAA Borlaug Emblem "Celebrating Borlaug's 100 Years" from www.isaaa.org/india The Borlaug Centennial @ Borlaug100 U.S. Capitol Statue Announcement & Interactive Map; http://www.worldfoodprize.org/norm/#.UxVN7uM_BI2 CIMMYT Borlaug Quiz: http://borlaug100.org/quiz/ For hard copies of ISAAA Borlaug Emblem email: b.choudhary@cgiar.org

USDA GAIN Report on Agribiotechnology in Australia
The Agricultural Biotechnology Report for Australia showed that the Australian government is very supportive of biotechnology and has committed considerable long-term funding to research and development. Crops such as cotton, canola and carnation are the only biotech crops approved for commercial release into the environment in Australia. Australia requires that food products derived from genetic engineering get prior approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand before they can be sold, if they contain more than one percent biotech product. Such products must also be labeled to indicate that they contain biotech products.
The complete report is available at: http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Agricultural%20Biotechnology%20Annual_Canberra_Australia_12-11-2013.pdf.

Researchers Sequence Pepper Genome
Researchers from Sichuan Agricultural University in China have sequenced the genomes of wild and domesticated peppers and found that more than 81% of the pepper genome consists of transposons, or "jumping genes" that change position within the genome. These transposons probably were responsible for the pepper's great degree of genetic diversity.
Pepper belongs to the Solanaceae family, which also includes tomato, potato and eggplant. To gain a better understanding of pepper evolution, the team led by Cheng Qin generated and analyzed the genomes of two types of peppers: a cultivated pepper known as Zunla-1, and its wild ancestor, Chiltepin. The team found that most of the transposons in the pepper appeared about 300,000 years ago and concluded that pepper's genomic expansion would have begun then. They also found that the Solanaceae family first appeared almost 156 million years ago, and the pepper diverged from the tomato and potato about 36 million years ago. Qin's team was able to identify genes associated with seed dormancy, disease resistance and the ripening process, which affects shelf life. The researchers also identified the genes that affect the synthesis of capsaicin, the chemical that makes pepper spicy.
The results of the study appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the abstract is available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/02/26/1400975111.abstract.

Unlocking the Genetic Secrets of Wheat
Scientists at Swinburne University of Technology have discovered how wheat seedlings defend themselves against bacteria in their exploratory work on wheat genes and their resistance to bacteria and fungi.
The proteins puroindoline a and puroindoline b (Pina and Pinb) determine grain hardness. While peptides are known for their antimicrobial properties, how they defend seedlings from diseases is not known. The team of Rebecca Alfred, Professors Mrinal Bhave, and Enzo Palombo, designed artificial peptides that mimic the ones found in grains and tested them against various bacteria, fungi and mammalian cells. They found that the peptides were aggressive towards a range of bacteria and fungi, but left mammalian cells unharmed, and could be used in any area that aims to reduce microbial contamination, such as food safety, hygiene and surface decontamination. The peptides also tolerate high heat and can be used as preservatives in food applications, such as milk or orange juice.
Read more about this research in the latest edition of Venture at http://www.swinburne.edu.au/media-centre/news/2014/03/unlocking-the-genetic-secrets-of-wheat.html. The news release is available at: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/media-centre/news/2014/03/unlocking-the-genetic-secrets-of-wheat.html.

Researchers Create Fire-Blight Resistant Apples
Researchers from ETH Zurich and Julius Kühn Institute have created the first fire-blight resistant apple. The researchers identified and isolated the gene for fire-blight resistance in a wild apple for the first time and confirmed its function as a resistance-mediating gene. The newly discovered gene carries the genetic code for a protein that recognizes a surface protein of the pathogen, triggering a defense response in the affected plant. They said that this single gene can protect the plant against the disease.
Led by ETH-Zurich plant pathologist Cesar Gessler, the team used cis-genetic engineering and tested the fire blight resistance properties of the cis-gene apple trees in Switzerland and in Germany by infecting them with fire blight. The results revealed that the resistance gene took effect and prevented the trees from becoming infected.
For more details about this research, read the news release available at: https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2014/03/resistent-gegen-feuerbrand.html.

CST Releases Letter for the UK Prime Minister Regarding GM Technologies
UK Council for Science and Technology released a letter to the Prime Minster about the risks and benefits of biotechnology and what the government can do to enhance the quality of debate, decision-making and regulation in the UK and Europe.
It was stressed in the letter that the public should have confidence in the consensus on the scientific evidence that GM products are as safe as their conventional counterparts. Despite this growing evidence, regulations of GM commercialization remain to be stringent than that imposed on crops developed through conventional breeding.
The letter cited reports of highly-credible institutions about biotechnology. One report mentioned was the 2009 Royal Society report titled "Reaping the benefits" which provides sound bases of evidence on GM in food production. CST also endorsed the EASAC report which recommended re balancing of the EU regulatory process to focus on products rather than technologies, and on risk-benefit instead of the risk per se. Thus, CST asked for a right regulatory framework that will encourage continued research into solutions to current and future problems facing UK agriculture.
Read the letter at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288823/cst-14-634-gm-technologies.pdf.

UK Public Attitudes to Science Revealed
Results of the study on Public Attitudes to Science (PAS) 2014 has been released, which focused on looking at the attitudes to science, scientists, and science policy in UK. The study was conducted by Ipsos MORI in cooperation with British Science Association.
The study involved social listening and online research along with the nationwide face-to-face survey to build a picture of how the public engages with science online as well as offline. For the first time, it also explored public attitudes towards agri-science, robotics, and emerging energy technologies.
Results showed that the UK public is as enthusiastic to science as it has been, with attitudes to science having come a long way over the past 25 years. Major findings include:
  • More now agree that "it is important to know about science in my daily life" (72% agree, versus 57% in 1988).
  • People are now more comfortable about the pace of change – just a third (34%, versus 49% in 1988) now agree that "science makes people's lives change too fast".
Read more at http://www.europabio.org/news/public-attitudes-science-2014-uk-survey-ipsos-mori

EFSA's Opens GMO Plenary Meeting to Observers
The European Food Safety Authority has allowed observers to attend some of its plenary meetings as part of EFSA's commitment to openness and transparency. Through these meetings, observers would have access to how risk assessment is conducted by EFA's Scientific Committee and its Scientific Panels.They would also have the chance to ask the experts about issues of concern. One of the scheduled plenary meetings is about genetically modified organisms (GMO) to be held on April 9-10, 2014. Interested individuals must register on or before March 25, 2014.
For more information, visit http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/stakeholders/observers.htm.

Study Shows Bt Rice Does Not Affect Green Lacewing
Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Agroscope conducted a study to investigate the effects of insect resistant rice expressing Cry1C protein on green lacewing (Chrysoperla sinica) in laboratory assays. Results showed that the green lacewing larvae fed with diet containing purified Cry1C protein at worst exposure scenario did not exhibit any adverse reactions compared to those fed with avidin or potassium arsenate. The adults fed with Cry1C diets also had similar life table parameters with those fed with artificial diet not containing Cry1C. In all bioassays with lacewings, the bioactivity and stability of the Cry1Cprotein in the diet and Cry1C protein uptake by the lacewings were confirmed by ELISA and by bioassays with a Cry1C-sensitive lepidopteran. Based on the findingsof the study, larvae or adult green lacewing are not sensitive to Cry1C protein even at concentrations higher that those naturally occurring in the field. This indicates that Bt rice expressing Cry1C is unlikely to pose risk for green lacewing.
Read the abstract at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.2567/abstract.

First Genetic Clues to Fight Dieback
Researchers from the University of York in collaboration with John Innes Centre and other research institutions investigated the genetic clues that could help develop trees tolerant to ash dieback. Dr. Martin Trickfrom JIC used the data generated by The Genome Analysis Centre and developed a catalogue of genetic variations of most resistant Danish trees strain known asTree 35 that led to disease resistance. He also recorded how highly the genes were expressed, and found that the activity of some genes seems to be linked with disease resistance.
"We are now at the stage of being able to say that if specific genes in a certain tree are expressing at particular levels, that tree is likely to be less susceptible to ash dieback," said Professor Ian Bancroft. "We expect soon to be able to identify the genes that control the expression of these marker genes," he added.
The research teams will confirm that these markers are good predictors of disease susceptibility in the field and to start testing if UK trees exhibit similar genetic patterns linked with resistance.
Read the original article at http://news.jic.ac.uk/2014/03/ash-research-reveals-first-genetic-clues-to-fight-dieback/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewsFromTheJohnInnesCentre+%28News+from+the+John+Innes+Centre%29.

13th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms
What: 13th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms (ISBGMO13)
Where: Cape Town International Convention Centre
When: November 9-13, 2014
For more information, visit the ISBGMO13 website at: http://isbr.info/ISBGMO13.

Please visit Crop Biotech Update web pages (http://www.isaaa.org/kc) to view previous issues
of this newsletter and see other available resources for download.