GMO Food for Thought

In many regions around the world, simple grains, such as cereal grains, cannot be grown because of the climate, soil conditions, or other factors. So, people ion these areas often rely upon roots, tubers, and starchy vegetables for the majority of their calories and nourishment. One of the more prominent starchy staples is cassava, a tropical plant of South American origin whose roots are a vital staple for over 600 million people in regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Now, scientists and researchers in the United States have genetically modified cassava plants to produce dramatically larger roots that could ultimately help alleviate hunger in developing nations around the world.

Scientists from Ohio State University, the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), and BASF Plant Science, a plant biotechnology company, have inserted a bacterial gene that affects starch production into a cassava plant’s DNA. After months of growing these biotech plants in glasshouse conditions, the genetically modified cassava plants produced more roots that were up to 2.6 times bigger than their non-modified counterparts. These genetically modified cassava plants also produced more leaves, which are often consumed by people in many regions of Africa as a source of protein, minerals, and vitamins.

The scientists’ findings were published online in the Plant Biotechnology Journal earlier this month.

Throughout the world, cassava is cultivated for its tuberous roots and a variety of food products are produced from the plant including breads, flour, an alcoholic beverage, and tapioca. The cassava’s starchy roots produce more food energy per unit of land than any other staple crop. Nutritionally, the cassava is comparable to the potato, except that it has twice the fiber content and a higher level of potassium.

In addition to helping alleviate hunger in developing countries, the scientists hope there will be an interest in releasing these biotech cassava plants to African nations free of charge.

From creating rice crops that have been genetically engineered to produce proteins to help infants avoid death from diarrhea to developing drought resistant corn and other crops, scientists and researchers all over the world have been working to address this vital need of alleviating hunger in growing populations around the world. The development of genetically engineered cassava roots is a great step in helping to end this problem because so many people rely upon this food for their nourishment. My hope is that vital research continues and that new genetically modified foods can be developed in order to help these developing nations thrive into the future.

Posted by AC Baumer at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The state of Florida is one of the leading growers of citrus in the United States, having an over $9 billion industry that produces millions of orange, grapefruit, and specialty citrus crops each year. However, the industry has not been without its share of problems. Orange and grapefruit production forecasts have declined over the past two seasons, primarily due to fruit losses to hurricanes that have struck the region.

The industry has also been affected by citrus canker, a bacterium that weakens trees and mars its fruit, according to the Florida Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Earlier this year, the state put an end to its spare-no-tree eradication program after burning about 10.6 million affected commercial trees in 24 counties in Florida over the past 10 years. Now, in an effort to save and rebuild the citrus industry, researchers and scientists in the state are working to stop further spread of citrus canker with several potential projects using genetic engineering.

Researchers and scientists at the University of Florida Citrus Research Center have been developing genetically engineered commercial citrus trees modified to resist canker. Much of their lab work has revolved around cell fusion. Researchers are growing these cells in a nutrient rich culture in the Citrus Research Center’s labs, then genetically modifying the cells and growing them in Petri dishes for several months until they progress to the embryo stage, where they germinate.

Researchers and scientists also have several projects involving a technique known as transformation, where one gene or a small number of targeted genes from any source are introduced into a citrus variety. With this effort, any problematic traits such as canker susceptibility can be fixed. In one project, University of Florida Citrus Research Center researchers have inserted a gene found in rice into cells of Hamlin oranges. The rice gene, known as Xa21, is resistant to a bacterium that causes blight, a related bacterium that causes canker. The first genetically modified citrus plants containing the gene were recently put into quarantine and exposed to canker. The results of their efforts are still pending.

In addition, researchers have been trying to map the citrus genome for about two years, and the work is going well. Researchers are also working to genetically modify related fruits such as the kumquat and the Ichang Papeda, a citrus native to China that was brought to Florida in 1918.

A big question remains, however. Can the citrus industry survive until these projects come to its rescue?

The Florida Citrus Commission is confident that federal dollars that once went to canker eradication and compensation for growers will be redirected to lab work. Without this biotech research, growers will spend more money on things like sprays and tree replacements. With more research dollars coming from sources other than the citrus industry itself, the more money growers can spend doing other things to keep themselves afloat, including keeping markets open, the Commission said.

As a child, my family always went on vacation to Florida and one of the things I looked forward to seeing on each trip were the groves and acres of citrus tress and stopping with my family to pick up bags of oranges and grapefruits to take back home. It’s distressing to read that the citrus industry has been having problems, and I firmly believe these biotech research efforts by scientists and researchers in Florida are an important step in the right direction and should to be supported by state and federal funding. My hope is that the Florida citrus industry will be able to survive and thrive once again through these research efforts.

Posted by AC Baumer at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When the first genetically modified crops were introduced ten years ago, the technology was seen as a new advancement that could help struggling farmers improve their crop yields and ultimately, reduce hunger in developing nations around the world. Over the next several years, new and innovative advancements in agricultural biotechnology occurred and numerous studies and reports were published by leading scientific and research organizations touting the safety and benefits of these crops. Now, another benefit of biotechnology is being touted: controlling erosion and pollution around the world.

Since 1996, farmers planting GM crops have been able to reduce and, in several cases, completely stopped plowing or tilling the soil to eliminate weeds and prepare fields for planting. Using this technique, known as conservation tillage, farmers leave stubble or plant residue on the soil’s surface, rather than plowing or disking it into the soil. The new crops are planted directly into the stubble, and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant plants make it possible for farmers and growers to control weeds in the crop by applying an herbicide rather than plowing.

The benefits of conservation tillage include less erosion. In Brazil, according to Almir Rebelo, a grower advisor and president of the Brazilian grower organization Friends of the Earth, the problem with erosion was very damaging to the environment to the extent that, in order for growers to produce one ton of grain, 10 tons of soil per hectare were lost per year. This problem was eliminated through conservation tillage.

Conservation tillage has also decreased the number of times a tractor drives across a field, resulting in fuel savings and a reduction in greenhouse gases. In the United Kingdom, the technology has helped deliver important savings. According to Graham Brookes, an agricultural economist and director of UK-based PG Economics, 10 billion kilograms less carbon dioxide were released into the atmosphere in 2004.

“That’s equivalent to taking 20 percent of the cars in the United Kingdom off the road for a year,” Brookes said.

In the United States, farmers have increased their no-till crop acres by 35 percent since 1996 when the first genetically modified crops were first planted. By using conservation tillage, farmers no longer have to plow their fields to control weeds, when previously they would have to plow several times during a planting season, using more diesel fuel and thereby putting the soil at risk for more erosion. By keeping the plant residue on their fields, according to the article, farmers have a new opportunity to see wildlife emerge once again in their landscapes.

The impact of conservation tillage has also been significant to farmers in developing nations. According to the article, farmers in these countries no longer have to burn the residue in their harvest and now can let it decompose in their fields to become fertilizer.

It’s great that farmers and growers around the world are adopting conservation tillage in their planting. Clearly, there are so many benefits that the technique can bring just by using genetically modified crops. I believe that more farmers and growers should take advantage of using conservation tillage when planting their crops. It can certainly help environment, which would calm the hypothetical fears of environmental advocates and, in the end, help the future of the world.

Posted by AC Baumer at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I read an interesting article on the Internet the other day that was written by an agriculture graduate student at Tufts University entitled “A ‘Modified’ Debate over GMOs.” The piece attempts to answer the common questions that are raised about genetically modified foods, but points out that these questions remain largely unanswered because of the debate over biotechnology that continues to rage on.

In the article, the author explains the basics of GMOs, including defining what they are, how GMOs are created through genetic engineering, and that genetic engineering is part of biotechnology. The author also states that the public regularly comes into contact with products that have been created through biotechnology every day, pointing out that biotechnology is used to brew beer, produce antibiotics, and improve food crops and livestock.

The author talks about the benefits of genetically modified foods, saying that supporters stress that GMOs are safe and an important humanitarian tool that could bring life-saving benefits to developing countries, mentioning “ golden rice”, a man-made rice strain that has been used to combat Vitamin A deficiency in developing nations. The author also states that GMO technology is used to increase the shelf life of crops and provide resistance to drought, disease, pesticides, and herbicides. By increasing a plant’s resistance, the author points out, supporters of genetically modified foods believe that adoption of the technology by developing nations could lead to increased crop yields, and therefore, could combat hunger.

The author also discusses the criticisms of genetically modified foods, stating that since the technology is in its relative infancy and that long-term consequences are still unclear, those against biotechnology want developers of GMO technology to halt research until more studies are conducted. The author also discusses the environmental concerns that advocacy groups continue to raise over GMOs, their fear of developing allergies from genetically modified foods, and their constant requests for mandatory labeling of biotech products.

Sure, modern biotechnology and the commercial release of genetically modified foods have been around a little over ten years, but the technology actually dates back centuries and, according to reports, even as far back as 7,000 years ago when early Mesopotamian farmers noticed which plants yielded the most food and replanted those seeds. The author should have also noted many of the countless studies over the past few years that have proven that genetically modified crops pose no health risks and are safe, including the 2005 World Health Organization study or the 2004 U.S. National Research Council report that called the fears of the critics of biotechnology and GMOs “scientifically unjustified.”

The article also suggests that a more integrative approach to genetically modified foods should be required, including maintaining biodiversity and improving the socioeconomic status of individuals suffering from malnutrition, with biotechnology acting as one component of many potential solutions to addressing these problems.

Despite the fact that the genetically modified food debate between biotech industry and environmental and advocacy groups continues, I think more consumers are looking for balanced and fair information about GMOs and biotechnology and I feel this article attempts to address this need. Individuals are looking for more nutritious foods to consume in their daily lives and are seeing the benefits that genetically modified foods can provide them as well as the rest of the world.

Posted by AC Baumer at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)