GE lessons from Britain - 8

by

CARROLL DU CHATEAU

THE ORGANIC/GM OPTION

Biotechnology and the new science of

genomics

offer a whole new range of options. For the first time in our history we will be able to design crops to suit the land and purpose rather than having to adapt land and purpose to suit the crop. We need to break free from the paradigms of the past where advances in agricultural yield have always meant retreats in sustainability. This is also important for the developing world. (43)

Dr Phil Dale of the John Innes Centre, who did the first experiments with UK GM crops just down the road from Cambridge, back in 1987, believes the stance taken by the Soil Association "that 1% of GM food in a crop means that it is unacceptable as organic," is ideological and has no place in careful, measured scientific analysis.

"I believe that any form of pest and disease resistance fits beautifully with organic production. That’s why I think there’s a sub-text [the anti-GM conspiracy] in all of this."

Brian Johnson agrees that biotechnology can make a real contribution to organic farming. "The Soil Association is throwing the baby out with the bath water."

Johnson points to the Austrian government which has a policy of having 60% of its agricultural production in organic by 2010. "And already theirs is turning out to be one of the most profitable agricultural systems in Europe." As he says, "There are some basic problems with intensive agriculture and organic agriculture. GM could reduce our dependence on herbicides and fungicides without adding [toxic] pesticide genes."

How? Plants could be made resistant by making them hairier, or with thicker skins so insects couldn’t eat them. They could make plants resistant to fungi by simply switching on genes that are accidentally switched off in the adult plant. Maybe one day we’ll reach the Holy Grail -- nitrogen fixation.

Despite the rise in organic agriculture, there are also safety problems in some of the 'natural' products they use to keep pests and spoilage under control.

Explains Phil Dale: "The negative side of organics is copper sulphate used as a fungicide. In some parts of Spain the land is contaminated with copper. Also aafatoxin a very toxic fungus that can proliferate in stored food if not controlled. Not to mention the things used to mutate DNA in the 50s.

"Back then scientists got a bag full of barley, threw it into a nuclear reactor then grew it. A lot didn’t grow, a lot grew badly and one variety grew much better. So they selected that. It was called Golden Promise and today it’s widely used by organic producers. Once in a while something comes along." (44)

A highly placed official in the agriculture regulation area who did not want to be named warned that two or three new agro chemicals are being produced every year. "Is there a risk attached that? Sure. Are they possibly overdoing it? Yes."

Says Brian Johnson, "The irony is that biotechnology may hold the key to less damaging forms of agriculture, yet it appears that it is currently being used by some parts of the industry in some countries to produce the opposite effect. We are challenging the industry to change direction in research and development, towards producing crops which contribute to more sustainable forms of agriculture, demonstrating the real, and tangible benefits for the invironment." (45)

Environmentally friendly GM technology in development or on the wish list includes:

* Creating fungal resistance in adult plants by "switching on" resistance genes which are active in the seed, but not currently in adult plants. (Could lead to a significant reduction in fungicide use.)

* Achieving insect resistance by creating hairiness, thicker skins. This could reduce insecticide use without using in-plant toxins.

* Altering the growing characteristics of crops. For example, shortening the growing season or changing the types of harvests, offers the prospect of more fallow land and less autumn planting. The recent discovery of dwarfing genes by the John Innes Institute could be a significant step towards the production of higher yielding and more reliable spring sown crops.

* Developing crops(including trees) which can tolerate high levels of natural herbiviory yet remain viable.

* Preventing outcrossing by engineering pollen compatibility and other mechanisms into crops. This could significantly reduce the risk of spread of GM traits into native species. (Many of these traits could be simply transferred from one crop variety to another or be accomplished by switching on or off genes already present in the plant. Such transformations are likely to be more acceptable to the public than moving genes between phyla.)

* Drought-resistant plants for water short countries, created by "knocking out a single gene that acts as a handbrake on the stomate cell system of the plant, reducing water loss during drought." (46)

* Using plant root systems to take up heavy metals through their roots. (47)

* Genetically modified plants that could fix their own nitrogen in the soil, so eliminating the need for phosphate fertilisers. (Still at research stage, but a possibility in 5/10 years time.) (47)

* Increased pest and disease resistance, stress tolerance (tolerance to cold, heat, lack of water).

* Functional foods: using plants to make biodegradable plastics (that’s CO2 neutral as well), detergents, polystyrene beads made out of starch.

* Bio-remediation – trying to develop plants and bugs that can remove toxic substances and oil spills. (50)

* Crops that have an inhibiting effect on cancer such as brassicas, glucosinolates from the brussel sprout family, broccoli. (51)

Footnotes:

Read the rest of this report:

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