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Agnet Oct. 4/05
Potatoes came from Peru, US study finds
Finding rewrites the evolutionary history of the origin of potatoes
Tips to pick the perfect pumpkin
Attitudes towards biotechnology are now too complex for simple for and against decisions by Australian public
Biotechnology: big opportunity, big challenge
Bolivian 'supergrain' quinoa gets boost at BYU labs
Project to evaluate corn grain for livestock feed quality announced
Indian cotton exports to rise on output, prices
Billionth acre of biotech crops harvested
Minister won't rule out GM canola trial
Disturbing the soil as little as possible
GM food feed - authorisation
how to subscribe
Potatoes came from Peru, US study finds
October 4, 2005
Reuters
Maggie Fox
WASHINGTON - David Spooner, a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher at the University of Wisconsin and colleagues were cited as reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the first cultivated potato was grown in what is now Peru, and it originated only once, not several times, as some experts had proposed.
The researchers were further cited as saying their genetic study shows the first potato known to have been farmed is genetically closest to a species now found only in southern Peru, writing, "The origin of crop plants has long fascinated botanists, archaeologists, and sociologists with the following fundamental questions: When, where, how, why, and how many times did crop domestication occur? What are the wild progenitors of these crops?"
The study did not address when the first potato would have been cultivated, but other research suggests it would have been between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago.
Potatoes are a major food staple around the world and mostly belong to a single species, Solanum tuberosum. Baking potatoes, red potatoes, golden potatoes and other favorites all originated in southern Chile, neighboring Peru, Spooner said in a telephone interview.
Spooner was further cited as saying that the Chilean potato that gave rise to modern potatoes is probably a hybrid of the ancestral Peruvian potato and a wild species found in Bolivia and Argentina.
Finding rewrites the evolutionary history of the origin of potatoes
October 4, 2005
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Katie Weber
http://www.news.wisc.edu/
MADISON - Humans have cultivated potatoes for millennia, but there has been great controversy about the ubiquitous vegetable's origins. This week, writing in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, a team led by a USDA potato taxonomist stationed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has for the first time demonstrated a single origin in southern Peru for the cultivated potato. The scientists analyzed DNA markers in 261 wild and 98 cultivated potato varieties to assess whether the domestic potato arose from a single wild progenitor or whether it arose multiple times - and the results were clear, says David Spooner, the USDA research scientist who led the study. "In contrast to all prior hypotheses of multiple origins of the cultivated potato, we have identified a single origin from a broad area of southern Peru ," says Spooner, who is also a UW-Madison professor of horticulture. "The multiple-origins theory was based in part on the broad distribution of potatoes from north to south across many different habitats, through morphological resemblance of different wild species to cultivated species, and through other data. Our DNA data, however, shows that in fact all cultivated potatoes can be traced back to a single origin in southern Peru ." The earliest archaeological evidence suggests that potatoes were domesticated from wild relatives by indigenous agriculturalists more than 7,000 years ago, says Spooner. Today, the potato - an international dietary staple - is a major crop in both the United States and in Wisconsin , which is fourth in the nation for potato production. Potato diseases such as late blight can cause significant economic damage to farmers in America and throughout the world. "As a taxonomist, my job is to help determine what is a species and to classify those species into related groups," Spooner explains. "Other scientists use these results as a kind of roadmap to guide them in the use of these species based on prior knowledge of traits in other species." Spooner spends about two months each year trekking through the mountains of South America , collecting and identifying wild potatoes and researching them. "When researchers discover an important trait - for example, that a certain species is resistant to disease - then everything related to that species becomes potentially useful," Spooner says. "We can screen samples to see if related germplasm has similar resistance, in which case we may be able to guide plant breeders to germplasm to use in breeding programs." And beyond the agricultural benefits, Spooner's study has helped to rewrite a small but important chapter of evolutionary history. "Books are written about questions of how crops originate," he says. "Sometimes statements are repeated so often that they are accepted as fact. This is a way to get people to reconsider long-held assumptions of the origin of the potato, and stimulate us to reconsider the origins of other crops using new methods." Spooner's collaborators included colleagues from the Genome Dynamics Programme at the Scottish Crop Research Institute in Scotland . The work was supported financially by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, and by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department.
Tips to pick the perfect pumpkin
October 4, 2005
American Phytopathological Society
St. Paul, Minn.– A number of plant diseases may be haunting the pumpkin patch this Halloween. While plant diseases don’t pose a health risk to humans, plant diseases do affect a pumpkin’s quality, from appearance to taste.
“The plant disease that is having the biggest impact on this year’s pumpkin crops is downy mildew,” said Daniel S. Egel, extension plant pathologist at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center, Vincennes, IN. “Downy mildew affects the foliage of the plant and, while it doesn’t directly hurt the fruit, it can affect the overall quality of the pumpkin,” Egel said. Pumpkins with downy mildew may be smaller in size and may be lower in quality. For example, because downy mildew causes the plant to lose its leaves, infected pumpkins may have areas that are sunken due to exposure to the sun.
Another disease that affects pumpkins is Phytophthora blight. This disease is usually found in regions that have experienced heavy rainfall. Pumpkins with Phytophthora blight will have areas of white mold that appears fuzzy. Another disease, bacterial fruit spot, will cause scabby lesions to appear on the fruit.
Plant doctors with The American Phytopathological Society (APS) suggest the following tips to help you select a healthy Halloween pumpkin:
Visually check for moldy areas or soft spots on the fruit (remember to check the bottom).
Check the stem; healthy stems are green in color. A good stem will support the weight of the fruit.
Most pumpkin varieties are a bright orange when mature. A yellow pumpkin may not be completely mature.
If possible, keep your pumpkin in a dry, shady place and try to prevent it from freezing. This should increase the ‘porch life’ of your pumpkin.
Once pumpkins are carved, the process of decay will become more rapid. To help insure that a Jack-o-Lantern lasts through Halloween, don’t carve it until a few days before the event.
The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is a non-profit, professional scientific organization. The research of the organization’s 5,000 worldwide members advances the understanding of the science of plant pathology and its application to plant health.
Attitudes towards biotechnology are now too complex for simple for and against decisions by Australian public
October 5, 2005
Biotechnology Australia
Research shows that it is no longer sufficient to ask simplified for or against questions relating to biotechnology, as the way in which the Australian community rate biotechnology applications as diverse as genetically modified foods or stem cells has become more complex.
In the fourth of a series of biennial tracking surveys, conducted since 1999 for the Australian Government agency Biotechnology Australia, results show there has been a trend towards increasingly complex analysis of applications of biotechnology by the public.
According to Mr Craig Cormick, the Manager of Public Awareness for Biotechnology Australia, it is no longer relevant to seek simplified black and white answers so as to gauge attitudes as they are clearly more in depth than this, and will change depending on different scenarios.
He said, “When asked if people are for or against applications such as GM foods and crops, we are finding people want more information, and that their attitude can change depending on how that information impacts upon their values.”
“In answer to the question “will people eat GM food”, the responses vary depending on the type of food it is, and who has produced it and what technology is involved.”
Issues that influence attitudes include:
Is the process of development harmful to humans, animals or the environment?
Is the process controlled or regulated?
Does the outcome benefit humanity or can it save or improve human life?
Is the outcome simply increased corporate profit or scientific career advancement?
What are the long-term outcomes likely to be?
What potential exists for unforeseen outcomes to occur?
The study, conducted by the Sydney firm Eureka Strategic Research, involved a sample size of 1067 and 13 focus groups, asking questions relating to GM foods and crops, health and medical applications, stem cell uses and cloning of humans, animals and plants.
“The key trends in attitudes over the four studies is that support for GM food has remained lower than for many applications, with mixing human and animal genes having the lowest approval, but support for health and medical applications of gene technology has been consistently high,” Mr Cormick said.
Other key findings from the study include:
· When compared to other current issues, such as pollution of the environment and greenhouse effect, GM foods and cloning are rated as a lesser concern by the largest proportion of people (pollution 34.8%, greenhouse effect 26%, GM foods 11.0%, cloning 11.6%);
· While the majority of people have heard of the use of stem cells (93%) and support their use in research to treat diseases (79.8%), very few were aware of the use of gene technology in producing medicines (37.7%);
· A majority of people believe it should be illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of their genetic make-up(80%);
· A majority also believe that embryonic stem cells left over from IVF treatments should be made available for research purposes (73%);
· Slightly above half of respondents felt that Australian farmers need access to gene technology to stay internationally competitive (56%) while a similar proportion agreed that Australian farms and foods need to be free of genetically modified organisms to stay internationally competitive (51%); and
· When prompted, the greatest proportion of respondents was confident in information provided by the CSIRO (87.7%), followed by universities (84.1%) and scientists (77.9%). Sources which the fewest people had confidence in included religious organisations (15.2%) and the media (21.6%).
The full report Public Awareness Research 2005 Overview, can be obtained from www.biotechnology.gov.au/reports
file://www.biotechnology.gov.au/reports
Biotechnology: big opportunity, big challenge
October 4, 2005
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?type=mediaRelease&id=185biotechnology&style=mediaRelease
The use of new scientific technologies to increase livestock productivity is providing answers to some of the world's major social dilemmas, according to the Assistant Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) Agriculture Department, Professor Louise Fresco.
Speaking at CSIRO's 'Horizons in Livestock Sciences 2005 Conference' continuing today on Queensland's Gold Coast, Professor Fresco said that while there are enormous opportunities for modern technology, there are challenges as well. She distinguished between GMOs and biotechnology in science which also includes tissue culture, gene sequencing and marker-assisted breeding.
Biotechnology may help to produce high-yielding breeds, but it is possible that loss of genetic diversity may occur. While encouraging selection for high yield, countries should simultaneously have policies in place for genetic conservation.
“Science has a moral mandate to guide modern technology to minimise negative impacts while maximising potential benefits,” she said.
“So far there is little global evidence that GMO crops may cross with wild relatives and induce long-term ecological changes. However, the absence of evidence is not proof of the contrary and monitoring will be needed.”
The already strict labelling requirements on internationally-traded livestock products may expand to include information about the GM status of the food these animals eat – currently, an impossible requirement for most exporters.
Consumers have expressed concern about the direct physiological affects of eating animals that have been fed on currently available GM feed and while recent trials suggest that these concerns are unfounded, long-term monitoring for positive and negative nutritional effects will be essential.
“The question should always be: For what purpose will biotechnology be used?” Professor Fresco said.
“In Australia there is a tendency to try to reduce risk to zero but this is not always possible. We need a sense of the order of magnitude of relative risk in order to be making decisions about trade-offs between different options.
“The reductions in pesticide use achieved through biotechnology have positive implications for environmental and human health. Rather than generalising, we should look at specific applications of biotechnology: what crop or animal; what genes are targeted; and for what application?
“Perhaps some may think that Australia does not need biotechnology, but many other countries have already taken the step and they cannot be denied the right to do so.”
Bolivian 'supergrain' quinoa gets boost at BYU labs
October 4, 2005
The Salt Lake Tribune
Todd Hollingshead
Five Brigham Young University scientists have, according to this story, become the unofficial defenders of a Bolivian "supergrain."
The story says that the scientists have been tapped to enhance and strengthen breeds of quinoa, a grain that boasts a balance of protein that is native to the highlands of Bolivia and a staple of the Bolivian diet and, unlike most of its cousins, it has sufficient amounts of every essential amino acid the human body can't produce itself.
Rick Jellen, a biologist on the team, was quoted as saying, "Wheat, barley, potatoes - all these crops have been bred by humans for centuries. Since the late 1700s, they have been the subject of intensive improvement. Quinoa hasn't [been improved] - it's locked still in the 15th century because it's been neglected by breeders" who, over the centuries, have focused on improving other more common crops.
Already the scientists say they are helping to shape a promising future for Bolivian farmers by producing new, hardier varieties of quinoa that can result in doubled and tripled yields of grain.
Daniel Fairbanks, a scientist on the team, was quoted as saying, "By giving the Bolivian farmers a genetically superior plant, we hope they will reap increased yields that will lead to better nutrition and potentially a new source of income. All they need are improved seeds."
A grain harvested high in the mountains of Bolivia and Peru, quinoa can be boiled like rice or pounded into a flour for use in various foods. Still, Bolivians themselves value other grains, such as rice, over quinoa, even though the plant is better for them.
The story explains that armed with funds from a $900,000 McKnight Foundation grant supplemented by private donations, the scientists are breeding stronger strains of quinoa by crossing varieties with the right complementary traits - a process used for centuries to bolster plant products.
Project to evaluate corn grain for livestock feed quality announced
October3, 2005
Biotech Business Week
Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., and CHS Inc. have, according to this story, announced a cooperative pilot project to evaluate incoming corn grain for more complete information on its livestock feed quality and to develop more efficient channeling of defined grain to specific end-use customers.
The project will be conducted over 2 years at a minimum of four CHS grain-handling locations, beginning in 2005.
The pilot system will incorporate proprietary near infrared (NIR) technology from Pioneer that measures digestible energy (DE) of the grain for monogastric animals such as swine and poultry. Knowing the DE concentration of corn grain allows feed compounders to better manage ration formulations and, hence, energy delivery to the herds and/or flocks they are feeding.
Introduction of an NIR measurement system in this pilot this year marks the first time in which corn grain DE can be directly measured and managed in a commercial grain supply chain.
The story says that this pilot is part of the Pioneer IndustrySelect program that develops and characterizes seed products and grain supply chain systems to channel grain for targeted end-use markets on the basis of specific end-use driven functionality. The goal is to provide efficient value delivery to customers through information management and targeted product development and production of grain.
The system will potentially allow CHS grain handlers to better manage corn shipments to its livestock customers with DE concentration of the shipment as part of the information package. This will allow end-use customers to better source input materials for more efficient livestock feeding programs. Initially, four grain-handling facilities will be involved in the program; they include those at Winona , Minnesota ; Savage, Minnesota ; Davenport , Iowa ; and Myrtle Grove , Louisiana . Grain channeled in this system will be positioned to export destinations in Asia and Latin America where the cost of supplying feed energy has a heightened focus.
In addition, corn growers bringing grain to the facilities will be provided with information that shows the DE content for the grain they sell, along with standard grade and non-grade factors such as test weight, damage, foreign material and moisture. The goal is to gain recognition of the amount of variation in grain nutritional functionality that exists in today’s corn hybrids and provide information and management assistance to make improvements over time.
Indian cotton exports to rise on output, prices
October 4, 2005
Reuters
Naveen Thukral
NEW DELHI - Traders were cited as saying on Tuesday that India , the world’s third largest cotton producer, is expected to nearly double its exports in the year to September 2006 because of a record crop and lower prices, and that the country is likely to sell more than 2 million bales of 170 kg each during the crop year compared with an estimated 1.2 million bales last year.
A leading dealer in Ahmedabad, the main city of the largest producing Gujarat state, was cited as saying that India is expected to sell close to 1 million bales of cotton to China , up from around 300,000 to 400,000 bales last year.
India ’s cotton production is likely to zoom to about 25 million bales this year, from an estimated 21.5 million bales with more area under cultivation and the use of transgenic seeds.
Billionth acre of biotech crops harvested
October 4, 2005
Brownfield
Gary Truitt
http://www.brownfieldnetwork.com/
Dean Kleckner, an Iowa farmer and Chairman of Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT) was cited as estimating that on Sunday the one billionth acre of biotech plants was harvested, adding, "True to the biblical adage ‘you reap what you sow’, somewhere in the world, the one billionth acre of biotech crops is being harvested."
The story says that a counter designed to track biotech crop acres as they are planted and harvested around the world, researched by Ross Korves, economist and policy analyst for TATT, has indicated that the one billionth acre was harvested somewhere in the northern hemisphere on Sunday, October 2, 2005.
Kleckner was further quoted as saying, "While we don’t know exactly where this milestone-setting harvested acre is located – it could be soybeans grown in Iowa, canola produced in Canada, a corn field in Spain or cotton in California, China or India – we do know that it is being harvested this weekend. This year, my organization has researched and tracked agricultural statistics from around the world, establishing that the one-billionth acre of biotech crops was planted in early May. The astonishing speed with which farmers from around the world have adopted this technology is significant. And soon, China will approve biotech-enhanced rice. A tipping point moment. As China goes (the number one populated nation) and rice goes (the number one global food staple) so goes the world."
Minister won't rule out GM canola trial
October 4, 2005
ABC Rural
http://www.abc.net.au/
Western Australia Agriculture Minister Kim Chance was cited as saying that a genetically-modified (GM) canola trial will not happen in the short-term because it contravenes state government policy, but he has not ruled out an eventual trial, adding, "The approach that the Government is taking to resolve that is to establish within Western Australia a working group to advise [the] Government on issues such as this. I'm not far away from announcing the appointment of the body and I'm hopeful that they can work through the issues that would be presented by such a proposition."
Disturbing the soil as little as possible
October 3, 2005
FAO Newsroom
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/107839/index.html
Conservation agriculture holds promise for food production in Africa Rome - Conservation agriculture holds considerable promise for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa because it can control soil erosion, reverse land degradation, give more stable yields and reduce labour and fuel needs, FAO said today on the eve of the Third World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Nairobi (3-7 October 2005). The meeting aims to examine evidence of recent experience in Africa and other parts of the globe and to promote discussion of it among decision-makers in governments, farmers, civil society, international agencies and donor countries. Unlike conventional farming methods, conservation agriculture disturbs the soil as little as possible. Instead of ploughing, farmers plant their seed directly into the soil and the soil is kept covered. "With conservation agriculture, farmers can produce more food on a sustainable basis, they spend less time and labour on land preparation, fuel consumption for machinery is lower and there is a reduced need for chemicals," said Shivaji Pandey, Director of FAO's Agricultural Support Systems Division. "The concept contributes directly to the fight against hunger and poverty." Traditional farming in Africa often impoverishes the soil: intensive digging with hand hoes or ploughing has often damaged the soil structure, reduced its ability to hold moisture and has caused wind and water erosion. Water cannot soak into the soil and runs off, carrying topsoil and nutrients with it. Furthermore, many families living with HIV/AIDS and malaria can no longer farm enough land to grow the food they need. Conservation agriculture offers help: * Instead of labour-intensive ploughing, farmers can plant their seed directly into the soil. They can use a simple hoe, inexpensive jab-planters or animal-drawn direct seeders. * Crop residues or a special cover crop keep the soil covered. This protects the soil from erosion, adds organic matter, fixes nitrogen and most importantly, conserves soil moisture. The soil cover also suppresses weeds - so less work is needed to remove them. * Instead of planting a single crop time after time, farmers should sow several crops in rotation. This raises fertility and prevents pest and disease outbreaks. The system has also been adapted for vegetables and root crops. Conservation agriculture is especially attractive for women because it reduces the amount of work they traditionally do in land preparation and weeding. For families living with HIV/AIDS, conservation agriculture offers a way to grow a diversified diet using less labour. Conservation agriculture is already practised successfully on around 90 million hectares worldwide but particularly in North and South America and the rice-wheat system of South Asia . Spreading in Africa Conservation agriculture has started to spread in Africa and is being adopted in Burkina Faso , Cameroon , Chad , Eritrea , Ghana , Kenya , Lesotho , Madagascar , Mali , Mozambique , South Africa , Swaziland , Tanzania , Uganda and Zambia . Some farmers have doubled or even tripled their grain yields. In Kenya and Tanzania , FAO is implementing a conservation agriculture project with small-scale farmers in eight districts. The project is financed by Germany . In Zambia , conservation agriculture has helped vulnerable households pull through drought and livestock epidemics. Over 200 000 farmers are now practising this technique. In the 2000-2001 drought, farmers who used conservation agriculture managed to harvest one crop, others farming with conventional methods faced total crop failure. In Ghana , more than 350 000 farmers now use conservation agriculture.
GM food feed - authorisation
October 4, 2005
European Commission, Health and Consumer Protection
The complete document of the following is available for donwload at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biotechnology/authorisation/index_en.htm
Directive No 2001/18/EC on deliberate release of GMOs into the environment Updated
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