GMO Research
Abstract: Risk assessment of the potential impact of Bt-corn pollen on protected Lepidoptera species in Hungary was studied. Pollination of the DK-440 BTY (event MON 810) occurs 74 – 88 day after sowing, and yielded 35 kg/hectare of pollen. The pollination of the cultivated corn varieties is in July to mid August in Hungary. Pollen …
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 …
Foreword: Novel crop varieties created by plant genetic technology are debated fiercely in Hungary since their occurrence on the market. A characteristic feature of this debate is that while critical voices are heard from scientific fields (e.g., environmental sciences and dietetics) surveying side-effects of the first generation GM plants (mostly Bt- and glyphosate tolerant maize …
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: Ninety % of first generation GM plants evaluated in EU serve plant protection purpose. Twenty % are “insect”-resistant (Bt), 30% are “herbicide”- tolerant (glyphosate) and the further 40% are the combination of the mentioned two types. Pesticide resistance for an active ingredient used in a longer period is developed sooner or later in treated …
Abstract: Fundamental differences between Cry1Ab-based Bt-bioinsecticides and MON 810 maize varieties render these technologies not equivalent. While the former contain at least five different crystalline (Cry) toxins, the latter produce a single Cry1Ab toxin as active ingredient. Moreover, the lectin type toxin protein produced by these plants is a truncated version of microbial Cry1Ab. The …
To the editor: As field ecologists involved in risk assessment research on Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Bt)-maize in Europe for several years now, we are very pleased that the publication last January of an article by Romeis et al. (Nat. Biotechnol. 24, 63–71, 2006) and an earlier paper by Firbank et al. Nat. Biotechnol. (23, 1475–1476, …
Abstract: Despite the fact that, on average, approximately 5–6 metric tons/ha of Bt maize stubble enter the soil on more than 170 million of hectares worldwide, the environmental impact of genetically modified maize plants on the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is poorly known. In this study, the mycorrhizal colonization on the roots of Bt maize …
Abstract: Environmental and toxicological characteristics of formulated pesticides may substantially differ from those of their active ingredients or other components alone. This phenomenon is demonstrated in the case of the herbicide active ingredient glyphosate. Due to its extensive application, this active ingredient was found in surface and ground water samples collected in Békés County, Hungary, …
Abstract: The success of the first generation of genetically modified (GM) crops for plant protection purposes in the US has not been followed by similar progress in Europe, where cultivation represents only 3‰ of the overall worldwide GM cultivation area. As for insect resistant GM plants, protection against numerous important maize pests is yet unresolved …
Abstract: At present there are 110 single or stacked event genetically modified (GM) plant varieties under EU registration. Bt plants emerged in Hungary considerably in maize, and their range was limited to varieties resistant to corn borer and corn rootworm. It has been mentioned as an advantage of Bt plants that they provide continuous protection …
Abstract: The proper GM legislation should not be for the current GM crops –as semifinished products– but proper transgenic plant varieties should be produced that meet the requirements of GMO law. Some Member States of the EU and also Hungary should legislate GMO that only allows the cultivation of transgenic plant varieties wherein gene flow …
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 …
