Wheat varieties grown all over the world may be classified as conventional, produced by genetic engineering, or generated by mutagenic techniques. With three such methods in place, Robert K.D. Peterson and Leslie M. Shama of Montana State University carry out “A comparative risk assessment of genetically engineered, mutagenic, and conventional wheat production systems” using the risk assessment paradigm. Their paper appears in the current issue of Transgenic Research.

Among others, researchers found that the herbicides glyphosate and imazamox, which are used to protect wheat, actually “present lower human health and ecological risks than many other herbicides associated with conventional wheat production systems.” The researchers acknowledge that their assessment is not comprehensive, but state that the approach they presented “demonstrates the potential risk trade-offs (especially for herbicides) when implementing the newer biotechnologies.”

Click HERE to access the abstract. Subscribers to Transgenic Research can read the full article through the same link.

Source: CropBiotech Update