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Plant: GMO brings back good insects in Philippine farms





PART 1


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TITLE:  GMO BRINGS BACK GOOD INSECTS IN PHILIPPINE FARMS

SOURCE: The Philippine Star, Philippines

URL:    http://www.philstar.com/philstar/business200612214501.htm

DATE:   17.12.2006

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GMO BRINGS BACK GOOD INSECTS IN PHILIPPINE FARMS

Many of the "good guys" in the insect world are back in Philippine farms. 

In corn fields, particularly. 

Credit for this encouraging development goes mainly to genetically modified organisms (GMO), specifically the so-called Bt corn. 

Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium that naturally occurs in soil. 

Through biotechnology (genetic engineering) technique, a specific gene of Bt has been introduced or inserted in a corn variety. The Bt corn produces its natural pesticide against the Asian corn borer, one of the most destructive pests attacking corn in the Philippines and in other Asian countries. 

Considering that a GM crop has a built-in defense mechanism against crop pests, it needs less pesticide. 

Before the Bt corn’s introduction in Philippine farms about half a decade ago, farmers excessively used chemicals in controlling destructive insects that attacked their corn fields. 

Distressingly, in the process, it was the "good guys" or beneficial insects that considerably succumbed to the toxic chemicals sprayed on them. The "bad guys" had often been the more resilient ones or survivors. 

But now comes Bt corn and there is now less or minimal use of pesticides or insecticides to protect the corn plants from their attackers. 

This has been confirmed by actual farmers themselves, among them Rosalie Ellasus, president of the Philippine Maize Federation (PhilMaize), which is composed of multipurpose cooperatives in the country’s corn-producing regions. 

Ellasus, a successful corn farmer from San Jacinto, Pangasinan, detailed her encouraging and productive experiences with Bt corn at an international conference on biotechnology held recently at the InterContinental Manila Hotel in Makati City. 

Billed "Biotech Issues and Communication Workshop Enhancing Communication Skills of Southeast Asian Decision Makers on Biotechnology," the conference was sponsored by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and the Los Baños-based, government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) through the SEARCA Biotechnolgy Information Center (BIC). 

Supported by the United States Grains Council (USGC), the science forum was attended by about 60 scientists, researchers, and communicators from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, the United States and Kenya. 

In her report, Ellasus noted the increase in population of beneficial insects, notably spiders, on her farm. 

Even dragonflies and fireflies can now be observed in Bt corn-planted fields, she said. 

Ellasus echoed the similar observations of members of PhilMaize, a good number of whom are now planting genetically modified corn. 

A gentleman-farmer from Pililia, Rizal, Edgardo Reyes, also told the conference participants of the proliferation of beneficial insects on his Bt corn farm. 

The corn field of Reyes, an engineer, was among the farms and research and academic institutions visited by the participants in the biotechnology forum. 

The testimonials of Ellasus, Reyes and members of PhilMaize boosted results of earlier studies conducted on the benefits of GM crops. 

"More beneficial insects are found in Bt corn fields than in non-Bt corn fields sprayed with chemical insecticides," stressed Dr. Stephen Reyes of the University of the Philippines Los Baños-College of Agriculture (UPLB-CA). 

Dr. Reyes studied the impact of Bt corn MON810-Yieldgard corn hybrid, DK818YG, on the variety and community of insects in farmers’ fields in Barangay Villaluna in Cauayan, Isabela and Panagan in Tigaon, Camarines Sur during the 2001-2002 wet cropping season. 

"A corn field is a dynamic community where different groups of insects live together," the UPLB scientist explained. 

The phytophagous (those that feed on the different parts of the corn plant) had the most number. This group includes Asian corn borer, cutworms, corn silk beetles, earworms, mired bugs, locusts, aphids, leafhoppers and planthoppers. 

"Corn silk beetles were very abundant at the Tigaon site during silking (flowering), while the migratory locusts were numerous at the Villaluna site," Dr. Reyes reported. 

The Bt corn fields were least infested with corn silk bettles, he added. 

The next abundant group were the neutrals, followed by the predatory and parasitoid species. 

The neutral species include midges, mosquitoes, and Sarcophaga species. 

The predatory insects found were the green lacewing, brown lacewing, and coccinellid beetles. 

Parasitoids are insects that eat or parasitize the eggs of other insects. The dominant species of egg parasitoid is Trichogramma evanescens Westwood noted in Isabela. 

"Natural enemies like the predatory insects and parasitoids are important because they reduce the population of insect pest species," Dr. Reyes said. "Presently, Yieldgard (Bt corn) does not appear to have a harmful effects on insect diversity, guild structure, and abundance of natural enemies." 

Another study done by UPLB researchers Dr. Jose Yorobe Jr., Cesar Quicoy, Edwin Alcantara, and Blanda Sumayao detailed the experiences of farmers attesting benefits of using Bt corn such as resistance to corn borer and high yield. 

The study, titled "Impact Assessment of Bt Corn in the Philippines," was done during the wet and dry seasons of crop year 2003-2004 in four major corn-producing provinces: Isabela, Camarines Sur, Bukidnon, and South Cotabato. 

Other advantages of Bt corn cited by the farmers were low expenditure on pesticides and high premium price of Bt corn in the market owing to better quality and less impurities. 

Another report authored by four scientists – Dr. Reynaldo Ebora, Amparo Ampil, Merle Palacpac, and Carlo Custodio Jr. – concluded: 

"Farmers reported that Bt corn technology gave them higher yield with high quality grains. They also reported needing less pesticide or none at all, as expected since Bt corn is resistant to corn borers. In general, Bt corn farmers were able to reap good quality crop during harvest."


PART 2


------------------------------- GENET-news -------------------------------

TITLE:  FIELD TRIALS ON FOR FLOOD RESISTANT RICE

SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

URL:    http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Field-trials-on-for-flood-resistant-rice/2006/12/22/1166290720143.html

DATE:   22.12.2006

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FIELD TRIALS ON FOR FLOOD RESISTANT RICE

 

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Though the flood resistance rice on trial is not genetically modified, they used genetic engineering to identify the submergence-tolerant gene after decades of attempts to do so via conventional methods, they said. [...] Mackill and Ronald said they used the non-GMO species for field trials partly due to consumer concerns over the safety of GMO products.

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Flood resistant rice, developed this year with the help of genetic engineering, may reach farmers as soon as 2009, helping them cope with global warming and the extreme weather it is expected to bring.

Scientists, led by David Mackill at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, announced in August that they had identified a gene that enables rice to survive for up to two weeks in water.

It is regarded as one of the top breakthroughs in rice research this year as flooding causes annual losses of over $US1 billion, with south and southeast Asia the hardest hit.

Mackill said they were already conducting field trials in India and Bangladesh and that they planned to extend it next year to Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar.

"It's going pretty well," he told Reuters via telephone on Thursday, referring to the tests in India and Bangladesh that could lead to commercialisation of the variety.

"If everything goes well, we might see it in two years. That would probably be in 2009," he said.

Mackill and Pamela Ronald at the University of California at Davis said they were also sending the rice seed to China, the world's top rice producer and consumer, which faces many floods and droughts each year.

Though the flood resistance rice on trial is not genetically modified, they used genetic engineering to identify the submergence-tolerant gene after decades of attempts to do so via conventional methods, they said.

"We are quite excited," said Ronald, adding the technique could also be used to identify other complex genes for traits such as drought- or salt-tolerance.

"I think this is really the first case where we've been able to successfully identify one of the key traits," said Ronald.

The scientist is also known for her disease-resistant Xa21 rice - one of the top candidates to become the world's first GMO rice grown commercially, possibly in China.

The breakthrough came in a year full of renewed warnings about the devastating effects of climate change.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research also said new crops were needed to prepare the most vulnerable.

Mackill and Ronald said they used the non-GMO species for field trials partly due to consumer concerns over the safety of GMO products.

"What we would like to do is get something we can use quickly," said Mackill.

"Right now, there is really no GMO rice approved for commercialisation. So the countries would have to develop safety guidelines and all that. That may take time."

But looking further ahead, the scientists did not exclude the possibility of also developing GMO species.

"Consumers are not aware of the huge potential of genetic engineering," Ronald said.

"The marker assisted breeding is quite limited because you can't change the gene. We can only attain a tolerance of about two weeks under water ... We are trying to enhance that tolerance for in the future when people are not so worried about GMO."

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