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C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y :
Plant 'birth control' keeps GM plants from spreading
Last Updated Wed May 7 16:24:28 2003
SWIFT CURRENT-- A team of Canadian scientists say they've developed
a way to prevent genetically modified crops from spreading their
genes to nearby fields. The system is a kind of contraception for
plants that stops genetically modified crops from crossbreeding
with wild relatives in other fields. The controversial issue of
genes spreading concerns some farmers and consumers.
Johann Schernthaner of Agriculture Canada's Eastern Cereal and
Oilfeed Research Centre in Ottawa led the study, which appears in
this week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences. Schernthaner told CBC Newsworld the system includes
two components: * a "seed lethality" gene that prevents seeds from
germinating but allows the plant to grow normally and produce seeds
* a second component the represses the seed lethality gene, keeping
it in check The contraceptive trick is that a genetically modified
plant produces pollen that receives only one component, not both.
That means farmers can continue to reuse the modified seeds, but
if they are crossed with a normal plant the resulting seeds won't
grow. The researchers say the simple system doesn't require any
special chemicals. It was demonstrated in the lab with tobacco plants
but it needs to be refined and tested to ensure it works reliably
in the field. Agronomists add the researchers need to show if the
system is fully maintained in seeds from subsequent generations.
Ron Depauw is a scientist and wheat breeder with the Swift Current
research station, one of a handful of Agriculture Canada facilities
that will grow Monsanto's Roundup Ready wheat this year. Depauw
hasn't fully reviewed the research. He said it is creative way to
control pollen drift but it's only one piece of the puzzle. "This
system does not address any of the other ways by which genes move,
for example through volunteering, wind dispersal, contamination
of equipment, movement by birds, animals, people &." Schernthaner
said it could take several years before the technology is available
to farmers.
In the meantime, grain farmers like Cameron Weppler near Swift
Current say their markets aren't ready for GM wheat. Written by
CBC News Online
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