GMO Research
Abstract:The potential for seed-eating birds to disperse viable canola (Brassicaceae: Brassica napus) seeds and establish feral populations or disperse genetically modified cultivars was investigated in captive feeding trials determining the: 1) acceptability of canola as food, 2) passage time of canola through the gut (PT), and 3) viability of passed seed. Four dove/pigeon, one finch, …
Abstract: We simulated the effects of the introduction of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops on weed populations and the consequences for seed-eating birds. We predict that weed populations might be reduced to low levels or practically eradicated, depending on the exact form of management. Consequent effects on the local use of fields by birds might …
Abstract: The inevitable escape of transgenic pollen from cultivated fields will lead to the emergence of transgenic crop-wild plant hybrids in natural patches of wild plants. The fate of these hybrids and that of the transgene depend on their ability to compete with their wild relatives. Here we study ecological factors that may enhance the …
Abstract: The effects of potential risk factors for Hodgkin’s disease (HD) and for non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) were evaluated in a case-referent study encompassing 54 cases of HD, 106 cases of NHL, and 275 referents, all alive. Exposure information was obtained by questionnaires posted to the subjects. Crude rate ratios were increased for various occupational exposures …
Abstract: Agriculture forms a basis for survival and advancement of civilization of mankind and economic growth. The production and quality of food depends on nature of cultivars that have hitherto been obtained by mutation and hybridization of selected plants. Since the productivity of many crops has reached a plateau the gene transfer technology is used …
Abstract: Possible transfer of DNA fragments from genetically modified Roundup Ready soybean, containing transgene for tolerance against herbicides with glyphosate, from fodder into blood of broilers ROSS 308 was studied. Three feeding experiments were performed. Totally, 118 blood samples were analyzed. Detection of DNA fragments was divided into two parts. First, we were looking for …
Abstract: Pesticides and herbicides gained popularity due to a strong need to curb the starvation of billions of humans. Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide and was considered to be non-toxic. But its use in excess in agricultural lands has polluted soils and waters. Nowadays, glyphosate residues are found in soil, water and food. …
Introduction: Residues of the commonly-used herbicide glyphosate have been found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Residues can be detected long after glyphosate treatments have been made. Lettuce, carrots, and barley planted a year after glyphosate treatment contained residues at harvest. In California, where reporting of pesticide-caused illnesses is more comprehensive than in other …
Abstract: Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) is a live microorganism that kills certain insects and is used to kill unwanted insects in forests, agriculture, and urban areas. In a purified form, some of the proteins produced by B.t. are acutely toxic to mammals. However, in their natural form, acute toxicity of commonly-used B.t. varieties is limited to …
Abstract: The Ecological Society of America has evaluated the ecological effects of current and potential uses of field‐released genetically engineered organisms (GEOs), as described in this Position Paper. Some GEOs could play a positive role in sustainable agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, bioremediation, and environmental management, both in developed and developing countries. However, deliberate or inadvertent releases …
Abstract: The frequency of gene flow from Brassica napus L. (canola) to four wild relatives, Brassica rapa L., Raphanus raphanistrum L., Sinapis arvensis L. and Erucastrum gallicum (Willd.) O.E. Schulz, was assessed in greenhouse and/or field experiments, and actual rates measured in commercial fields in Canada. Various marker systems were used to detect hybrid individuals: …
Text: The results are in from the largest investigation so far into the ecological impact of transgenic crops — and they’re bad news for agricultural biotechnology. Keywords: transgenic crops, genetically modified crops, spring oilseed rape, beet, harmful impacts, farmland biodiversity, weeds, seeds, insects, birds, herbicide-spraying Citation: Giles, J. (2003) Biosafety trials darken outlook for transgenic …
Abstract: Bt maize, a genetically modified variety of corn, produces a natural toxin made by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This species of bacteria has been engineered to target the digestive lining of a small variety of insects such as worms and caterpillars, for pest control. Although there is strong insect specificity in Bt maize, it is …
Abstract: Glyphosate-based herbicides are leading products of the current pesticide market, and this trend has further strengthened outside Europe with the spread of glyphosate-tolerant GM crops. Glyphosate forms complexes with metal ions (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn) in the soil, but precipitation washes it into deeper soil layers. Its primary metabolite, AMPA, is more mobile than …
Abstract: The GMO panel of EFSA published a statement on June 8, 2005, regarding the temporary moratorium ordered by the Hungarian Minister of Agriculture on Jan 20, 2005, on maize variety based of MON 810 genetic event, and regarding the corresponding environmental analytical and ecotoxicological survey performed. In its statement the GMO panel debated whether …
Text: Maize or cotton pollen from Bt transgenic plants has been shown not to harm Coleopterans (ladybirds) and Hymenopterans(honeybees and bumblebees), even when they are exposed to large amounts of the anti-lepidopteran Bt maize or cotton pollen (Malone and Pham-Dèlègue, 2001; Hanley et al., 2003). Hanley et. al. (2003) suggested that the Bt pollen could …
Abstract: The movement of transgenes from crops to weeds and the resulting consequences are concerns of modern agriculture. The possible generation of “superweeds” from the escape of fitness-enhancing transgenes into wild populations is a risk that is often discussed, but rarely studied. Oilseed rape, Brassica napus (L.), is a crop with sexually compatible weedy relatives, …
