Search Results for: Alfalfa

Abstract: The potential environmental risks of transgene exposure are not clear for alfalfa (Medicago sativa subsp. sativa), a perennial crop that is cross-pollinated by insects. We gathered data on feral alfalfa in major alfalfa seed-production areas in the western United States to (1) evaluate evidence that feral transgenic plants spread transgenes and (2) determine environmental …

Abstract: Pollen can function as a vehicle to disseminate introduced, genetically engineered genes throughout a plant population or into a related species. The measurement of the risk of inadvertent dispersal of transgenes must include the assessment of accidental dispersion of pollen. Factors to be considered include the rate of pollen spread, the maximal dispersion distance …

Summary: 1. A field study using transgenic plants with associated recombinant micro-organisms was conducted to assess the potential effects of genetically engineered organisms on soil ecosystems. Three genotypes of alfalfa plants (parental, transgenic aamylase-producing and transgenic lignin peroxidase-producing) were planted in an agricultural field plot. Immediately prior to planting, the roots of the alfalfa plants …

Abstract: In agriculture, the principle of coexistence refers to a condition where different primary production systems can exist in the vicinity of each other, and can be managed in such a way that they affect each other as little as possible. Coexistence policies aim to ensure that farmers are able to freely grow the crops …

Text: Genetically engineered (GE) crops have been a contentious issue from the start, with heated debate between supporters and detractors. Much of this exchange has taken place behind the scenes, inside regulatory bureaucracies. Recently, however, the debate about transgenic crops has re‐emerged into the public spotlight, driven by a convergence of environmental and economic concerns. …

Abstract: Balancing productivity, profitability, and environmental health is a key challenge for agricultural sustainability. Most crop production systems in the United States are characterized by low species and management diversity, high use of fossil energy and agrichemicals, and large negative impacts on the environment. We hypothesized that cropping system diversification would promote ecosystem services that …

Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) crops require allergenicity and toxicity assessment of the novel protein(s) to ensure complete safety to the consumers. These assessments are performed in accordance with the guidelines proposed by Codex (2003) and ICMR (2008). The guidelines recommend sequence homology analysis as a preliminary step towards allergenicity prediction, later in vitro experiments may …

Abstract: The increasing global market of genetically modified (GM) crops amplifies the potential for unintentional contamination of food and feed with GM plants. Methods proposed for disposal of crop residues should be assessed to prevent unintended distribution of GM materials. Composting of organic material is inexpensive and location-independent. The objective of this study was to …

Abstract: Widespread adoption of genetically modified glyphosate-resistant (GR) crops in the US has dramatically changed the agricultural landscape to one that selects for establishment and spread of weedy species resistant to glyphosate, a commonly applied herbicide. Weed species that possess the means to readily spread across the landscape will be contained by weed management strategies …

Text: There are periods when history changes, not just in little ways, or in ways confined to a single country or region, but in a manner such that fundamental shifts in human understanding occur. Here are two examples of what I mean… Keywords: Corporate Consolidation, Wealth Inequality, Family Farms, Industrial Agriculture, Genetically Modified Organisms, GMO, …

Text: To the editor – The assertion has been made recently by Daniell et al. that chloroplast (cp) transformation will be a practical solution to the problem of crop transgenes flowing to related weeds. This is an overstatement. They argued that transformed cp DNA, which they apparently assumed to exclusively maternally inherited, will not be …

Abstract: The broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate (common trade name “Roundup”) was first sold to farmers in 1974. Since the late 1970s, the volume of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) applied has increased approximately 100-fold. Further increases in the volume applied are likely due to more and higher rates of application in response to the widespread emergence of glyphosate-resistant …

Abstract: Hybridization among cultivars is a major issue among foreign pollinators during seed grain production. Our basic experiments were run modelling mass production, in parallel with studies for pollen competition. We followed flowering and productivity of 70–80 individual plants originating from different cultivars (Yellow DK-440, Yellow DK-440 BTY, Yellow Y, Yellow Y’, Yellow SU Zamora, …

Abstract: In this paper, we summarize several microcosm and field studies we have performed using different transgenic plants to evaluate the persistence of their products and their effects on soil and plant microorganisms. These studies used cotton, potato, tobacco, and alfalfa plants that were engineered for the production of pesticidal products (Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxins and …