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July 18, 2008
Source:
GMO Compass
In Australia, the
Victorian Department of Primary Industries has obtained
approval for further limited and controlled field trials with
drought-resistant genetically modified wheat.
Farmers in drought-plagued Australia have set their hopes on the
development of new wheat lines that one day might deliver high
yields under field conditions that are rain-fed and
drought-prone. According to Joe Helper, Victorian Minister for
Agriculture, some types of genetically modified wheat grown last
year at Government sites produced up to 20 per cent higher
yields than do conventional crops under similar circumstances.
This year, his Department obtained approval for the trials of
approximately 50 GM wheat lines under limited and controlled
conditions. The releases will take place between now and March
2010 and will cover a maximum area of 0.4 hectares per growing
season.
The purpose of the release is
proof-of-concept experiments that evaluate the agronomic
performance of the new wheat lines. These lines have been
modified to contain one of fifteen genes originally isolated
from maize (Zea mays), thale cress (Arabidopsis
thaliana), the moss Physcomitrella patens and the
yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae. The introduced genes
encode proteins that are intended to improve the tolerance to
drought. All wheat lines in question contain an antibiotic
resistance gene (bla) and a herbicide tolerance gene (bar),
which were used as selectable markers during initial plant
development in the laboratory.
The
decision to issue the trial licence is the responsibility of the
Office of the Gene Technology
Regulator's (OGTR). A Risk Assessment and Risk Management
Plan (RARMP) forms part of this decision and concluded that the
release poses negligible risks to people and the environment.
Nevertheless, in order to restrict the dissemination or
persistence of the modified plants, the approval is subject to
strict safety conditions. Applicable measures include the
establishment of a 10 m monitoring zone free of plants around
each release site, as well as of an additional isolation zone
that is free of Triticaceae species for at least 490 m in
breadth. Release sites also will be surrounded with a wire fence
that prohibits entry to animals such as rabbits and all plant
material will be harvested by hand to minimise GM seed spillage.
The GM wheat will not be permitted for use as human food or as
animal feed and must be destroyed after analysis, with the
exception of seeds that are kept for further research. Also,
trial sites must be monitored for 24 months after harvesting.
The OGTR
previously has issued licences to Victoria for the conduct of
field trials of GM drought-tolerant wheat that involved six of
the fifteen genes in the current application. In the past, the
Regulator also has issued field-trial approvals for
salt-tolerant GM wheat and for GM wheat with an altered starch
content. According to the Regulator's Office, there have been no
reports of adverse effects on human health or the environment
resulting from any of these releases.
See also on
GMO Compass:
Further
information:
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