GMO Research
Abstract: Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl glycine) is registered as a herbicide for many food and non-food crops, as well as non-crop areas where total vegetation control is desired. Glyphosate influences the soil mycobiota; however, the possible effect of glyphosate residues in animal feed (soybean, corn, etc.) on animal mycobiota is almost unknown. Accordingly, the present study was …
Abstract: Background, aim, and scope: Basically, technological innovations are associated with benefits and risks. This is also true for the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO) into agriculture. In Germany, precautionary regulations currently demand isolation distances (i. e. buffer zones) for the cultivation of genetically modified maize (Bt-maize) in the vicinity of conventional (150 m) and organic …
Abstract: The Elbe River is one of the biggest European rivers discharging into the North Sea. It also transports high amounts of nutrients and pollutants like pesticides. Important source regions of both nutrients and pollutants are located within the river catchment, which is dominated by agricultural land-use. From these agricultural soils, pesticides can be carried …
Abstract: The acreage of genetically modified (GM) crops decreased in the European Union by 12% in 2009, as compared to the preceeding year, corresponding to 0.7‰ of the world GM crop production. Within the EU, national moratoria on sowing given GM crop varieties were announced in Austria (1999), Hungary (2005), Greece (2005), Poland (2006), Italy …
Abstract: Purpose Feral oilseed rape has become widespread in Europe on waysides and waste ground. Its potential as a source of GM impurity in oilseed rape harvests is quantified, for the first time, by a consistent analysis applied over a wide range of study areas in Europe. Methods The maximum contribution of feral oilseed rape …
Abstract: Transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.; OSR) is estimated to be environmentally and economically problematic because volunteers and ferals occur frequently and because of its hybridisation potential with several wild and weedy species. A proposed mitigation strategy aims to reduce survival, in particular in conventional OSR crops, by coupling the transgenic target modification with …
Abstract: Background. It has been hypothesised that farmers in countries that do not adopt GM crops do or will have fewer seed options. By extension, there is concern that the choices made by countries that have so far rejected GM crops have had an impact on their productivity. To estimate how much real world choice …
Abstract: Health risk assessment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) cultivated for food or feed is under debate throughout the world, and very little data have been published on mid- or long-term toxicological studies with mammals. One of these studies performed under the responsibility of Monsanto Company with a transgenic corn MON863 has been subjected to …
Abstract: Genetic engineering is a technological approach that allows for the application of new genetic material across species borders. It is assumed to yield specific benefits, e.g., increased food production, decreased use of pesticides and herbicides, and improved food quality. However, after more than a decade of commercial experience in some countries outside Europe, it …
Abstract: This paper analyzes the issue of consumer freedom of choice regarding nongenetically modified food. The paper first analyzes in detail the judgment of the European Court of Justice pertaining to honey infected by the pollen of genetically modified corn, as well as the current practice of German courts. The judgment of the European Court …
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 potential impact of transgenic crops on community ecology will depend on the distribution and establishment of the new transgenic traits, on the sexual transfer of their new genes to the environment (Bartsch & Pohl-Orf, 1996) and on the potential ecological impact of the transgenic trait. Flowering and pollen dispersal is important for outcrossing …
Abstract: Politics of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture must remain in reasonable compliance with the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union. We have to bear in mind that, as of now, Poland is obligated to reduce production in many branches of agriculture. Thus, there is no requirement to increase productivity by implementing GMO technology. In …
Abstract: During the last 10-15 years, an increase of Clostridium botulinum associated diseases in cattle has been observed in Germany. The reason for this development is currently unknown. The normal intestinal microflora is a critical factor in preventing intestinal colonisation by C. botulinum as shown in the mouse model of infant botulism. Numerous bacteria in …
Abstract: Background. Risk assessment for GMOs such as Bt maize requires detailed data concerning pollen deposition onto non-target host-plant leaves. A field study of pollen on lepidopteran host-plant leaves was therefore undertaken in 2009–2012 in Germany. During the maize flowering period, we used in situ microscopy at a spatial resolution adequate to monitor the feeding …
Abstract: Background. Information on pollen dispersal is essential for the risk assessment and management of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) such as Bt maize. We analyzed data on maize pollen deposition at 216 sites in Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium from 2001 to 2010. All data were collected using the same standardized sampling method. The distances between …
Abstract: Background. In 2008/2009, Schmidt and colleagues published a study reporting lethal effects of the microbial Bt toxins Cry1Ab and Cry3Bb on the coccinellid biological control organisms Adalia bipunctata. Based on this study, in concert with over 30 other publications, Mon810 cultivation was banned in Germany in 2009. This triggered two commentaries and one experimental …
Text: In a lawsuit over genetically modified (GM) modified rice, jury members in an Arkansas circuit court ruled in March in favor of Riceland Foods of Stuttgart, Arkansas, a rice milling and exporting company, and against Bayer CropScience of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and Monheim, Germany. The jury recommended that Bayer pay Riceland $136.8 …
Abstract: Feral oilseed rape populations on roadsides and along other semi-natural habitats contribute to the uncertainty regarding the potential risk of transgene escape from genetically modified (GM) oilseed rape to wild or weedy populations. Knowledge about the underlying mechanism of establishment, persistence, and the evolutionary potential of feral populations is a prerequisite for a successful …
Text: Since they were first commercially grown in the mid-1990s, genetically engineered (GE) crops have expanded across the globe, offering farmers the advantages of genetically enhanced resistance to drought, herbicides, and insects. According to the International Service for the Acquisition of AgriBiotech Applications (ISAAA), a crop biotechnology advocacy organization, farmers in 29 countries grew nearly …
Text: Honey producers may be forced to test for exposure to genetically modified (GM) pollen after a decision from the high court of the European Union (EU) in Luxembourg. The court ruled in September that honey found to contain traces of pollen from GM corn must receive regulatory approval before it can be sold in …
