Biotech News

Fear of genetically modified crops slows Bt corn adoption

February 13, 2019

Anti-GMO sentiment has repercussions for developing world’s food supply. Anti-GMO sentiment holds back agricultural advancement in the developing world, but an Iowa State University agronomist hopes his research will clarify the scientific consensus and spark wider acceptance of the technology in Africa. A paper recently published in the academic journal Global Food Security analyzed dozens…

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Nobel laureates dismiss fears about genetically modified foods

December 11, 2018

Winners of chemistry prize say excessive concerns could limit scientific progress. Winners of this year’s Nobel prize for chemistry say overblown fears about genetically modified foods risk preventing society benefiting from the technology. Prof Frances Arnold, from the US, and Sir Gregory Winter, from Britain, made the comments on Friday ahead of Monday’s presentation of…

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Genetic engineering and IPM aid pink bollworm eradication

November 13, 2018

Genetic engineering and integrated pest management prove useful in eradicating dangerous agricultural pest. Growers and industry leaders across the cotton belt, particularly those in California and Arizona, rightly hailed the announced eradication of an invasive pest that once threatened to wipe out the U.S. cotton industry. Eliminating the pink bollworm (PBW) from cotton fields is…

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Genome editing could change the way the UK does fresh food

November 8, 2018

Tomatoes could benefit from a review to gene-editing policy, as it would be easier for British growers to produce good-tasting, low-cost tomatoes if there were better varieties available Last summer, the European Court of Justice ruled that ’genome edited’ crops should be categorised as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), meaning huge costs for licensing and trials. This…

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GM sugar beets revolutionize industry

November 8, 2018

Growers say the glyphosate-tolerant varieties have eased crop management and reduced crop’s environmental impact Alberta sugar beet growers embraced glyphosate-tolerant varieties when they first became available about 10 years ago. They’ve never looked back. The technology has revolutionized crop management and growers say it has also reduced the environmental impact of producing the labour-intensive crop.…

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Kenyan President Okays Planting of Bt Cotton

November 8, 2018

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has instructed the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Trade, Industry and Cooperatives to explore the possibility of farming Bt cotton to revitalize the country’s cotton sub-sector. In his Heroes’ Day address to the nation, President Kenyatta directed the three ministries to work together and come up with a quick mechanism to…

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First GM Crop in Indonesia Soon to be Commercialized

November 8, 2018

The Government of Indonesia has approved the first genetically modified crop which will soon be commercialized in the country.  The biotech sugarcane event NXI-4T which contains betaine gene was developed by the state-owned sugar company, PT Perkebunan Nusantara XI (PTPN XI). The gene expressed osmoprotectant compound which was introduced using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated plant transformation.  The…

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Edible cotton? USDA approves biotech seeds that can be spread like peanut butter

November 8, 2018

Americans may soon be eating cotton for the first time — not just wearing it — as a new edible variety is poised to enter the market. On [October 16], the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the green light to commercialize a biotech version of the cotton plant whose seeds can be eaten, according to Texas A&M…

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New GM canola varieties on way

October 12, 2018

New genetically modified canola varieties could be commercially available in Australia by March next year, just shy of a decade since Roundup Ready was first grown in WA in 2010. TruFlex technology has been designed to eventually phase out Bayer’s Roundup Ready counterpart, which Bayer Crop Science regional business manager Hugh Trenorden said was because…

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Calyxt Harvests High-Fiber Wheat Field Trials

October 12, 2018

Harvest Brings Calyxt One Step Closer to Commercializing First High Fiber Wheat Product for Consumers MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Calyxt, Inc. (CLXT) (NASDAQ:CLXT), a consumer-centric, food- and agriculture-focused company, today announced that the Company has completed the inaugural harvest of its high-fiber wheat product, the world’s first gene-edited, consumer-focused wheat product. The high-fiber…

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