Search Results for: Canada

Abstract: BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) oilseed rape (OSR; Brassica napus L.) was approved for commercial cultivation in Canada in 1995 and currently represents over 95% of the OSR grown in western Canada. After a decade of widespread cultivation, GMHT volunteers represent an increasing management problem in cultivated fields and are ubiquitous …

Abstract: Our objective in the study was to investigate the putative associations of specific pesticides with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma [NHL; International Classification of Diseases, version 9 (ICD-9) 200, 202]. We conducted a Canadian multicenter population-based incident, case (n = 517)-control (n = 1506) study among men in a diversity of occupations using an initial postal questionnaire …

Abstract: The occurrence of transgenic herbicide-resistant oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in ruderal (non-crop disturbed) areas has not been investigated previously in Canada. The primary objective of this study was to document their occurrence in two main ruderal areas (along railways and roads) in the province of Saskatchewan, where half of all oilseed rape is grown, …

Text: A new report has criticized the federal government for its “scientifically unjustifiable” approach to the regulation of genetically modified (GM) products. The report, by a 15-member expert panel of the Royal Society of Canada, was commissioned by the federal government in November 1999 to investigate potential risks posed by biotech products. The director general …

Abstract: Between the years 1979 and 1984, investigations were conducted into 311 events of suspected contaminations of wells with pesticides. This involved the analyses of water from 359 wells where the suspected contamination originated from (i) spills (ii) spray drift or (iii) surface runoff waters carrying pesticides into wells. Investigations covered 83 spill events involving …

Abstract: The objective of this study was to survey pedigreed canola (Brassica napus L.) seedlots for contaminating herbicide resistance traits because of complaints from farmers regarding glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine]-resistant canola volunteers occurring unexpectedly in their fields at densities and in patterns that suggested that pollen-mediated gene flow from neighboring fields in previous years was not the …

Text: The herbicides Garlon 4 (butoxyethyl ester of triclopyr; 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid) and Roundup (glyphosate; isopropylamine salt) have been used primarily in agriculture. The Canadian Forest Service (Forest Pest Management Institute, Sault St. Marie, Canada) and the British Columbia Ministry of Forests (Victoria, Canada) have been evaluating these herbicides for control of deciduous trees …

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: …

Abstract: In Switzerland, the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and the use of its seeds for food and feed are not permitted. Nevertheless, the GM oilseed rape events GT73, MS8×RF3, MS8 and RF3 have recently been found in the Rhine port of Basel, Switzerland. The sources of GM oilseed rape …

Abstract: Pesticide regulation is examined in the context of Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s assessment of the chlorophenoxy herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) for turf. 2,4-D is the most common herbicide used to kill weeds in grass. The medical literature does not uniformly indicate harms from herbicides. However, the balance of epidemiological research suggests that 2,4-D can …

Abstract: We reviewed epidemiologic evidence related to occupational pesticide exposures and cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort. Studies were identified from the AHS publication list available at http://aghealth.nci.nih.gov as well as through a Medline/PubMed database search in March 2009. We also examined citation lists. Findings related to lifetime-days and/or intensity-weighted lifetime-days of …

Abstract: This manuscript presents the results of a review of the effects of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) on milk production, milk composition, dry matter intake, and body condition score that was carried out by an expert panel established by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). The panel was established by the CVMA in response to …

Abstract: This manuscript presents the results of a review of the effects of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) on dairy cattle health, reproductive performance, and culling, that was carried out by an expert panel established by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). The panel was established by the CVMA in response to a request from Health …

Text: B. thuringiensis (Bt) was discovered by Ernst Berliner in 1911 when a consignment of flour moths sent in from Thuringia was found to be infected by some contagious pathogen. After some more properties of this Bacillus species had been identified, including its host specifity, it did not take long until first experiments were being carried …

Abstract: The Eastern, migratory population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), an iconic North American insect, has declined by ~80% over the last decade. The monarch’s multi-generational migration between overwintering grounds in central Mexico and the summer breeding grounds in the northern U.S. and southern Canada is celebrated in all three countries and creates shared management …

Abstract: Chapter 1 is dedicated to outlining federal government policies and other pronouncements that serve to harness the vitality of the biotechnology sector as a motor for scientific innovation and economic growth. In addition to articulating the major elements of the CBS, I will introduce the players mobilizing against various aspects of agricultural biotechnology in …

Abstract: The ecological impacts of agriculture are of concern, especially with genetically modified and other intensive, modern cropping systems, yet little is known about effects on wild bee populations and subsequent implications for pollination. Pollination deficit (the difference between potential and actual pollination) and bee abundance were measured in organic, conventional, and herbicide‐resistant, genetically modified …

Abstract: BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: The possibility of gene transfer from genetically modified oilseed rape (OSR) to its cultivated or wild relatives is of concern since its commercial cultivation, because of its potential weediness and impact on the environment. Introgression of modified genes can affect conservation of agricultural crops, because there are many cultivars and …

Abstract: The global expansion in the development and cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops has increased international concern about adventitious presence of GM materials in non-GM seeds and grains. GM events in canola, corn, soybean, cotton, flax, papaya, potato, squash, sugar beet, and tomato have received regulatory approval in Canada. However, GM cultivars are only …

Abstract: Threats to migratory animals can occur at multiple periods of the annual cycle that are separated by thousands of kilometres and span international borders. Populations of the iconic monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) of eastern North America have declined over the last 21 years. Three hypotheses have been posed to explain the decline: habitat loss …

Abstract: Fusarium pathogens cause important diseases, such as root/crown rot and Fusarium head blight (FHB), in cereal crops. These diseases can be caused by similar Fusarium spp. Common root rot (CRR) is widespread in the western Canadian Prairies, whereas FHB has potential of becoming an important disease in this region. There are no commercially available …

Abstract: Glyphosate and AMPA residues in oversprayed and buffered streams were monitored following application of ROUNDUP (2.0 kg/ha) to 45 ha of a coastal British Columbia watershed. Maximum glyphosate residues (stream water, 162 pg/L; sediments, 6.80 pg/g dry mass; suspended sediments, C0.03 pg/L) were observed in two intentionally oversprayed tributaries, dissipating to <1 pg/L within …