Multiple items c/o ISAAA - International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, a U.S.-centered, GM promotion and 'transfer' agency which has multi-million dollar funding by Bayer, Cargill, Dow, Monsanto, Novartis, Pioneer, and Syngenta, in addition to foundations and Western governmental funding agencies.

for more on ISAAA:
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=66&page=I
for more on Muffy Koch:
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=271&page=K
for more on the John Innes Centre:
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=67&page=J
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CropBiotech Update
http://www.isaaa.org/kc/

A weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA), and AgBiotechNet

AFRICA FORGES AHEAD WITH GM POTATOES

Despite the debate on genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe, South Africa is keen on pursuing its work on GM potatoes. Muffy Koch of Golden Genomics in South Africa said that the country has shrinking farm land and an expanding population. To address this problem, "smarter farming methods" need to be used. She noted that experience with approved GM crops can be better for local commercial production in some areas and even be better for small-scale farmers in specific growing areas.

South Africa has been conducting field trials with tuber moth resistant potatoes for the last three years. Research has shown that the new technology provides good protection against this pest in South Africa. New trials will test whether the technology works in different parts of the country and will be used to collect data on how the GM potatoes will impact on the growing environment.

For more details on the Bt potato project in South Africa, email Cobus Coetzee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Muffy Koch of Golden Genomics at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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MEASURES FOR IMPORTING GM CORN IN SOUTH AFRICA

Five measures were highlighted by Dr. Julian Jaftha, registrar of the GMO Act in South Africa, regarding the importation of genetically modified corn that have only commodity clearance in South Africa. According to the June 2004 issue of the Animal Feed Manufacturers' Association (AFMA) publication, the measures include the following:

To address spillage or unintentional release during the importation of GM grain with only commodity clearance in South Africa, the transportation of imported whole GM grain is limited. Immediate milling of all consignments imported for use as commodity in SA is necessary.

Not all GM corn that have commodity clearance status (food and feed), have general release status as well. Thus, if only one event in the consignment does not have general release status, it means that the whole consignment is subject to immediate milling.

Milling is to be done as close as possible to the port of entry to minimize the transportation of whole grain. The grain must be transported from the port of entry directly to the miller on a single trip without offloading and reloading until delivered at the miller.

When applying for clearance, the importer must indicate where the grain is going to be milled and the mode of transport to be used. This information will help the Department of Agriculture to trace any spillage into the environment and to identify the responsible company.

To prevent the purchase of GM material without informed consent, the seller of GM grains or grain products, e.g. animal feeds must clearly indicate the GM status of the consignment to buyers, as this may influence further trade negotiations and the use of these products.

For more information on the import of GM corn in South Africa, email Hensie Bekker of AFMA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Michelle Vosges of the Directorate Genetic Resources, Department of Agriculture at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. A text version is available at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.

SURVEY ON GM CROP REQUIREMENTS IN INDIA

A survey conducted among scientists in India suggested breeding objectives and requirements for producing transgenics for major field crops in the country. Crops analyzed were rice, wheat, corn, sorghum, pigeonpea, urdbean, chickenpea, mungbean, cotton, potato, mustard and soybean.

Some of the highlights of the survey revealed that:

Development of transgenics for resistance to stemborer, leaffolder, sheath blight and sheath rot need to be given highest priority in rice research. Work also needs to be done to solve abiotic stresses like drought and flooding.

Transgenic approaches would be useful to deal with problems related to stem borer, leaf blight, and sensitivity to waterlogging in corn.

GM research in sorghum need to focus on developing lines with resistance to grain mold, stem borer and shootfly in sorghum.

Substantial efforts on pigeonpea transgenic research have to consider the absence of a reproducible protocol for its genetic transformation.

The survey was conducted by Anil Grover and Deepak Pental of the Department of Plant Molecular Biology and Department of Genetics, respectively, at the University of Delhi, India. The full paper is published in Current Science, Vol. 84, No. 3. Email Deepak Pental at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

BIOTECH OUTSOURCING FAVORS INDIA

From information technology, India has found a new money maker in biotechnology outsourcing. The Times of India reported that biotech outsourcing in India is currently valued at US$120 M mainly in contract and clinical research activities. It is estimated that it is growing at a rate of 75% and experts predict the business will reach US$1 B in the next five years.

Goutam Das, head of Syngene, considered as India's most successful contract research house, said that "India along with Russia and the East European block will become outsourcing destinations of the world."

CHEAPER AND QUICKER GENE IDENTIFICATION

Researchers can now isolate a gene in one-tenth of the time, and for one-tenth the cost of existing techniques. Giles Oldroyd's team from John Innes Centre (JIC) in the United Kingdom and their collaborators at Stanford University, USA, said that transcript-based cloning is a major breakthrough as it makes it practical to look for "genes in some important, but genetically complex crop plants where using conventional gene detection methods would, it not actually technically impractical, be a hugely laborious and costly process."

Transcript-based cloning is an innovation based on DNA microarrays and the instability of RNA microarrays from genes damaged by mutation. According to an article in the JIC and Sainsbury Laboratory newsletter Advances (Issue 4, Summer 2004), transcript-based cloning relies on taking "snapshots" of gene activity in normal plants and plants with genetic mutations. By comparing snapshots it is possible to identify and isolate the gene affected by the mutation.

Further details about transcript-based cloning can be found at http://www.jic.ac.uk/staff/giles-oldroyd/index.htm.