[Ngo-sanrm] Fwd: Crop Biotech Update (February 11, 2015)

Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Working Group ngo-sanrm at ngocentre.org.vn
Wed Feb 11 12:33:59 GMT 2015


Monsanto's (and other GMO companies') lobbying pressure and money seem to
be paying off in Vietnam.  CS


*CHUCK SEARCY*

*Project RENEW / VFP Chapter 160*

*Agent Orange Working Group*
*71 Trần Quốc Toản, Hà Nội, Việt Nam*

*M    +8 490 342 0769*

*E     chuckusvn at gmail.com <chuckusvn at gmail.com>*

*Sk   chucksearcy*

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Crop Biotech Update <cropbiotechupdate at isaaa.org>
Date: Wed, Feb 11, 2015 at 4:17 PM
Subject: Crop Biotech Update (February 11, 2015)
To: Chuck <chuckusvn at gmail.com>




<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=11011ebbf6&e=9c14d9ad52>
Crop Biotech Update
February 11, 2015
www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=786a93c8ec&e=9c14d9ad52>

<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=8bde161a02&e=9c14d9ad52>
      ISAAA Brief 49 Launched in Hanoi, Vietnam
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=52d1cc8cf8&e=9c14d9ad52>
Section: News from Around the World <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_section1>

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam Academy of
Agricultural Sciences in cooperation with ISAAA, held a conference on
February 3 in Hanoi on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM
Crops: 2014
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=1ed9954152&e=9c14d9ad52>
(ISAAA Brief 49). Dr. Clive James, author of the report and Founder and
Emeritus Chair of ISAAA presented the highlights of the ISAAA Brief 49
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=bb30af6e36&e=9c14d9ad52>,
showing that in 2014, 181.5 million hectares of biotech crops were planted
by 18 million farmers in 28 countries. It was also reported that
Bangladesh is the latest country that adopted a biotech crop, particularly Bt
eggplant
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=2a5cf26a58&e=9c14d9ad52>
(Bt brinjal).

Dr. Randy Hautea, Global Coordinator of ISAAA discussed the application and
benefits of biotech corn
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=29dd316f5e&e=9c14d9ad52>
in the Philippines
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=078c016901&e=9c14d9ad52>,
while Dr. Mahaletchumy Arujanan, Executive Director of Malaysian
Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC) highlighted the role of the media
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=b4d5cd3790&e=9c14d9ad52>
in providing correct and objective information about biotech crops against
the misconception of this technology.

Distinguished heads of ministries graced the occasion including Dr. Nguyen
Thi Thanh Thuy- General Director of Department of Science and Technology of
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Prof. Dr. Trinh Khac
Quang, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences and
participated by more than 100 regulators and scientists from science,
environment and agriculture ministries, members of the academe and research
institutes, representatives of businesses, associations and media agencies.
Discussions on the Q and A revolved around management of biotech seeds
after commercialization and effective methods of communication on biotech
crops to the public.

​​
For details of the program, contact Hien Le of Agbiotech VN at
htttm at yahoo.com.

     Public and Scientists' Views on Science
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=acc0c042c1&e=9c14d9ad52>

<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=333ed6aaff&e=9c14d9ad52>
 <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_>
Section: News from Around the World <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_section1>

Pew Research Center conducted a survey on the views of scientists
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=aa2c0342af&e=9c14d9ad52>
associated with American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
and the general public on certain science-related issues. Results showed
that there is a wide gap between the beliefs of the public and scientists
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=04d25b200c&e=9c14d9ad52>
on biomedical sciences.

More than half of the general public (57%) says that GM
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=11b1891d0d&e=9c14d9ad52>
foods are generally unsafe to eat. On the other hand, majority (88%) of the
AAAS scientists says that GM foods are generally safe
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=d19725c88c&e=9c14d9ad52>.
In this particular item, there is a 51 percentage points gap between the
public and the scientists, which is the largest opinion difference found in
the study.

Read more about the study at
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=6df31e2ad9&e=9c14d9ad52>
.
     China to Enhance Public Awareness of GM Technology
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=b3f24668a6&e=9c14d9ad52>

<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=3021505f35&e=9c14d9ad52>
 <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_>
Section: News from Around the World <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_section1>

China
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=024640a3ac&e=9c14d9ad52>
will step up its efforts in improving public awareness of genetic
modification
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=61218ba2bd&e=9c14d9ad52>
(GM) technology in agriculture
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=87e0efd204&e=9c14d9ad52>
in 2015, according to a key policy document released by the Communist Party
of China and the government on February 2, 2015.

The country will strengthen technical study, safety management, and better
public awareness of GM technology
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=26f1f0c976&e=9c14d9ad52>,
as stated in the No. 1 Central Document. The No. 1 Central Document refers
to the first major policy document of the year, and focuses on agricultural
modernization in China
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=e436e08313&e=9c14d9ad52>.
It was released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
and the State Council.

In a speech to the Central Rural Work Conference last year, Chinese
President Xi Jinping said that GMOs
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=9ec503dfac&e=9c14d9ad52>
will finally be accepted in China and the technology should be allowed in
the country as long as necessary caution is exercised.

This year's document puts an emphasis on "strengthening reform and
innovation." It highlights the challenges
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=ac8a12a0f0&e=9c14d9ad52>
in China's agricultural sector, including surging production costs,
shortage of agricultural resources, excessive exploitation, and worsening
pollution.

For more details, read
http://english.agri.gov.cn/news/dqnf/201502/t20150203_24951.htm
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=0e1226a0a0&e=9c14d9ad52>
.
     Scientists Find Mechanism for Master Switch of Plant Growth
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=c2b7786467&e=9c14d9ad52>

<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=153211529d&e=9c14d9ad52>
 <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_>
Section: News from Around the World <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_section1>

Scientists from RIKEN in Japan and their colleagues from the University of
Tokyo have discovered a master switch
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=0306602f27&e=9c14d9ad52>
that controls plant growth. The group discovered a new cell mechanism,
centered around a protein called BSS1/BZR1, that allows precise control of
plant height by regulating plant brassinosteroid signaling. The group used
mutant plants and Brz, a brassinosteroid biosynthesis inhibitor, to study
the mechanism.

They focused on BIL1, a master switch that regulates some 3,000 genes
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=71ed43b7e7&e=9c14d9ad52>,
making up 10% of the 30,000 genes of the plant *Arabidopsis*. They
discovered a protein called BSS1, which interacts with BIL1 to negatively
regulate brassinosteroid signaling. As they examined the movement of BSS1
in brassinosteroid-deficient cells, they discovered that the creation of a
complex of large proteins suppressed plant stem elongation. They determined
the detailed mechanism through which BIL1 is captured by the formation of
this protein complex with BSS1, and discovered that its breakdown by
brassinosteroids seems to allow BIL1 to move into the nucleus.

It appears that the interplay between BSS1 and brassinosteroids leads to
the formation of the complex, resulting in shortened plant height, while
conversely the breakdown of the complex leads to stem elongation and
greater height. Takeshi Nakano of the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource
Science (CSRS), who led the study said, "Based on these findings, we hope
to be able to develop technologies to allow us to freely control the plant
height of plant biomass and useful crops, and contribute to reducing CO2 in
the atmosphere."

For more information, read: http://www.riken.jp/en/pr/press/2015/20150207_1/
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=6ed4d1d29f&e=9c14d9ad52>
.
    *Sections*
News from Around the World

   - Public and Scientists' Views on Science
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=7cc35eb37e&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - Cotton Farmers in Kenya Submit Petition to Lift GM Import Ban
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=2143b953e9&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - Reprogramming Plants for Drought Tolerance
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=1e660c3e40&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - Improving Sorghum's Yield
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=06c6403f45&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - Australia May Soon Import GM Carnation
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=065ebcab03&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - ISAAA Brief 49 Launched in Hanoi, Vietnam
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=a30d1fcd80&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - China to Enhance Public Awareness of GM Technology
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=7a6a727613&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - Scientists Find Mechanism for Master Switch of Plant Growth
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=037bd7fbd5&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - Scientists to Control Leaf Blotch Disease in Wheat
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=b89ccdb8b3&e=9c14d9ad52>

 Research Highlights

   - Overexpression of *MlNAC5* Enhances Drought and Cold Tolerance in
   Arabidopsis
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=3bae03bc0c&e=9c14d9ad52>
   - Proteins from *Trichoderma* Vital in Inducing Maize Resistance to Leaf
   Blight
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=9c7b243b0b&e=9c14d9ad52>

 Beyond Crop Biotech

   - Draft Genetic Code of Dog Roundworm
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=c2f7356a47&e=9c14d9ad52>

 From the BICs

   - Pakistan-China MOU to Develop Agriculture Sector, Biotechnology
   <http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=e60308a5c9&e=9c14d9ad52>

     Sections
News from Around the World <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_section1>
Research Highlights <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_section2>
Beyond Crop Biotech <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_section3>
>From the BICs <#14b77ee2d82bc1c3_section6>
  Biofuels Supplement
 February 4, 2015 issue
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=3404e4af59&e=9c14d9ad52>
  Events
 *The Plant Genomics Congress USA
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=53d7dd4104&e=9c14d9ad52>*
September 14 - 15 , 2015
Missouri , USA
  Resources
 Updated Pocket K on Ethics and Agbiotech
<http://isaaa.us5.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=90d9912fca3d624d294e24b28&id=2c9d4bcc78&e=9c14d9ad52>
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