GMO Research
Abstract: CAN GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) CROPS help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa? To date, only two GM crops – insect-resistant forms of cotton and maize – have made it into the hands of African farmers. Of these, GM cotton has the longest empirical track record, having been the first GM crop ever introduced in Africa, …
Abstract: Bt maize has been grown at the Vaalharts irrigation scheme in South Africa since its first release during 1998. Interest in Bt maize refuge compliance, pest incidence and production practices at Vaalharts were recently stimulated by the first report of field resistance of Busseola fusca(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bt maize. Objectives of this study were …
Abstract: Based on surface area, South Africa is currently ranked the eighth in planting genetically modified (GM) crops in the world. Bt maize (MON810) has been grown to control lepidopterous stem borers in South Africa since its first release during 1998. The first report of resistance of the African maize stem borer, Busseola fusca (Lepidoptera: …
Abstract: The inclusion of genetically modified maize in food aid shipments to Southern Africa during the 2002 food crisis rekindled debates over agricultural biotechnology. As the region edged ever closer to famine – putting the lives to some 14 million Africans at risk – corporate pundits, government officials and biotech’s critics debated the health and …
Abstract: Despite much policy attention to agricultural development in South Africa, efforts since democratisation have failed to raise smallholder engagement in agriculture and to break the trend of persistent rural poverty. This paper presents results from a study of the Massive Food Production Programme (MFPP) in three villages in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The …
Abstract: The South African Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 was passed into law, which among other things, mandates the labelling of genetically modified (GM) ingredients in packed goods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of mandatory GM food labelling in terms of the Consumer Protection Act by determining what …
Abstract: The adoption of Genetically Modified (GM) cotton in South Africa’s Makhathini Flats in 1998 was heralded as a case in which agricultural biotechnology could benefit smallholder farmers, and a model for the rest of the continent to follow. Using historical, political economic and ethnographic data, we find the initial enthusiasm around GM technology to …
Abstract: There is intense debate about the role of genetically modified (GM) food crops in combatting low yields and food insecurity amongst smallholders in Africa. Bt maize is still the only commercialised GM food crop in Africa and thus provides an unique opportunity for an empirical evaluation on this matter. South Africa is the only …
Abstract: Small-scale subsistence farmers in South Africa have been introduced to genetically modified (GM) crops for more than a decade. Little is known about i) the extent of transgene introgression into locally recycled seed, ii) what short and long-term ecological and socioeconomic impacts such mixing of seeds might have, iii) how the farmers perceive GM …
Abstract: The first report of resistance of the maize stem borer [Busseola fusca (Fuller)] to Bt maize (MON810) was made in the Christiana area of South Africa during 2007. The objective of this study was to evaluate the status of resistance of other populations of B. fusca to Bt maize. One greenhouse and two laboratory …
Abstract: This paper documents the historical development of resistance of the African maize stem borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bt maize (Zea mays L.). This pest was one of the first to evolve resistance to Bt maize expressing Cry1Ab protein. A time-line of events and contributing factors are presented, from the commencement of …
Abstract: The debate on whether genetically engineered (GE) crops can alleviate poverty in Africa continues to intensify. Thus far only one GE crop has been commercialized among smallholders – a pest resistant form of cotton – and only in two sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. We present evidence from Burkina Faso to argue that GE cotton …
Abstract: Environmental effects of genetically modified plants are not yet fully understood. Experiments were conducted to determine relative amounts of the bioactive Bt protein in roots, leaves and stems of Bt maize and persistence of the protein in two soil forms (Shortlands and Oakleaf). The Bt protein activity was bioassayed using 2nd to 3rd instar …
Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) crops currently account for 29% of crop production worldwide. South Africa is currently the only country in Africa to commercially grow GM crops. Despite a lack of regulations to provide for food labelling that allows for consumer preference, many products carry negative or positive labels with regard to genetic modification. The …
Abstract: Policy makers, journalists and other commentators have hailed genetically modified (GM) crops as a ‘pro‐poor’ success in the developing world. Their confidence appears to be justified by the encouraging conclusions reached by academic studies on the performance and impacts of GM crops, which seem to provide convincing evidence of substantial benefits for smallholders in …
Abstract: There has been global concern about the effect of toxic chemicals on aquatic biota due to the upsurge in contamination of aquatic ecosystems by these chemicals, which includes pesticides. Roundup® and other glyphosate-based herbicides are frequently used in the chemical control of weeds and invading alien plant species in South Africa. These bio-active chemicals …
Abstract: One hundred and twenty normal post juvenile catfish (Clarias gariepinus) of both sexes with a mean weight of 135.44±1.99 g and mean length of 28.32±0.844 cm were purchased from Osayi farm. They were kept in 60 l aquaria at 27.5±0.4 ◦C, pH 7.3, with 12:12 h photoperiod, well aerated, provided with external filtration and …
Abstract: Prenatal exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors can affect development and induce irreversible abnormalities in both humans and wildlife. The northern part of Kibale National Park, a mid-altitude rainforest in western Uganda, is largely surrounded by industrial tea plantations and wildlife using this area (Sebitoli) must cope with proximity to human populations and their activities. …
Abstract: Nicotiana benthamiana was transformed with three different constructs (pCRA1, pCRA2 and pJC1) containing the coat protein coding sequence of African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV). Transformed plants were inoculated with a coat protein deletion mutant of ACMV that induces mild systemic symptoms in control plants. Several inoculated plants of transgenic lines CRA1/3, CRA1/4, CRA2/1 and …
