GMO Research
Abstract: The adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops has increased dramatically during the last 3 years, and currently over 52 million hectares of GM crops are planted world-wide. Approximately 41 million hectares of GM crops planted are herbicide-resistant crops, which includes an estimated 33.3 million hectares of herbicide-resistant soybean. Herbicide-resistant maize, canola, cotton and soybean …
Abstract: Genetically modified herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape or canola (Brassica napus L.) is at the forefront of being introduced into European agriculture. Concerns have been raised about how genetically modified oilseed rape cultivation and the modified cropping practices might impair the agro-environment. The present review compiles and categorises evidenced and potential agro-environmental effects of cultivating genetically …
Abstract: Background. Genetically modified glyphosate-tolerate cultivar varieties (GM-crops) have been a commercial success widely known as Roundup-ready plants. As new glyphosate-tolerant varieties are introduced to satisfy agriculture demand, it is relevant to review the scientific evidence that documents the quality and safety of such biotechnology. Assessment of genetically modified glyphosate-tolerant plants is partly based on …
Abstract: A field in which Brassica napus volunteers were not controlled by several applications of glyphosate was investigated in 1998. This field had been planted with glufosinate-resistant and imidazolinone-resistant B. napus in 1997 and was adjacent to a field that had grown glyphosate-resistant B. napus.Mature volunteer B. napus were collected on a 50- by 100-m …
Text: Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not high on most physicians’ worry lists. If we think at all about biotechnology, most of us probably focus on direct threats to human health, such as prospects for converting pathogens to biologic weapons or the implications of new technologies for editing the human germline. But while those debates …
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: Gene targeting (GT) is a technique used to modify endogenous genes in target genomes precisely via homologous recombination (HR). Although GT plants are produced using genetic transformation techniques, if the difference between the endogenous and the modified gene is limited to point mutations, GT crops can be considered equivalent to non-genetically modified mutant crops …
Abstract: A field in which Brassica napus volunteers were not controlled by several applications of glyphosate was investigated in 1998. This field had been planted with glufosinate-resistant and imidazolinone-resistant B. napus in 1997 and was adjacent to a field that had grown glyphosate-resistant B. napus. Mature volunteer B. napus were collected on a 50- by …
Abstract: One of the lay public’s concerns about genetically modified (GM) organisms (GMO) and related emerging technologies is that not all the important risks are evaluated or even identified yet–and that ignorance of the unanticipated risks could lead to severe environmental or public health consequences. To some degree, even the scientists who participated in the …
Abstract: This review evaluates scientific studies published in peer-review journals during the last 3-4 years that considered ecological effects of insect resistant (Bt) and herbicide tolerant maize. The majority of the scientific studies deal with ecological effects of maize containing the Cry1Ab toxin. In contrast, very few studies are available that considered other Cry toxins …
Abstract: Introduction of glyphosate resistance into crops through genetic modification has revolutionized crop protection. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide with favorable environmental characteristics and effective broad-spectrum weed control that has greatly improved crop protection efficiency. However, in less than a decade, the utility of this technology is threatened by the occurrence of glyphosate-tolerant and glyphosate-resistant …
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: Sudden death syndrome of soybean, caused by Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines, is a disease of increasing economic importance in the United States. Although the ecology of sudden death syndrome has been extensively studied in relation to crop management practices such as tillage, irrigation, and cultivar selection, there is no information on the effects …
Abstract: Biocides, such as herbicides, are routinely tested for toxicity but not for sublethal effects on microbes. Many biocides are known to induce an adaptive multiple-antibiotic resistance phenotype. This can be due to either an increase in the expression of efflux pumps, a reduced synthesis of outer membrane porins, or both. Exposures of Escherichia coli …
Abstract: Roundup is the most popular glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) worldwide. These formulations kill a wide range of plants. Despite that, non-target species can be jeopardized by GBH, such as the annual fish Austrolebias nigrofasciatus. This species occurs in wetlands that dries annually. Key-adaptations permit them to live in such harsh habitats, e. i. Elevated fertility, …
Abstract: A series of rotation experiments at five sites over four years has explored the environmental and agronomic implications of growing herbicide tolerant oilseed rape and sugar beet. This paper reports on the population dynamics of volunteer rape (Brassica napus). The experiments compared four winter oilseed rape (WOSR) cultivars: a conventional cultivar (Apex) and three …
Abstract: Roundup® is a glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) used worldwide both in agriculture and private gardens. Thus, it constitutes a substantial source of environmental contaminations, especially for water and soil, and may impact a number of non-target organisms essential for ecosystem balance. The soil filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans has been shown to be highly affected by …
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 effects of two silvicultural herbicides (Vision®, Release®) on bryophytes and lichens were studied in a harvested boreal mixedwood ecosystem. A completely randomized design with 115 plots of 1 m2 allowed direct comparison between herbicides and their effects on community dynamics. Regression models were used to analyze the relationship between herbicide application rates (0.71-6.72 …
Abstract: Background Herbicide resistance in weedy plant populations can develop through different mechanisms such as gene flow of herbicide resistance transgenes from crop species into compatible weedy species or by natural evolution of herbicide resistance or tolerance following selection pressure. Results from our previous studies suggest that sub-lethal levels of the herbicide glyphosate can alter …
Abstract: The herbicide glyphosate, N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine, has been used extensively in the past 40 years, under the assumption that side effects were minimal. However, in recent years, concerns have increased worldwide about the potential wide ranging direct and indirect health effects of the large scale use of glyphosate. In 2015, the World Health Organization reclassified …
