Journal or Publishing Institution: International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms
Date of Publication: 10/10/2002
Author(s): Alvarez-Morales, A.
Article Type: Report
Abstract:
In November 2001 a report was published indicating that transgenes had been found in landraces of corn grown in the sierra of Oaxaca, Mexico (Quist, D. & Chapela, I.H., 2001 Nature 414:541-543). This report initiated a long debate on three main subjects: 1) The technical qualification of the report; 2) The validity of the results presented and 3) The possible consequences and implications that such an event could have. As a consequence of such report the Mexican Government initiated a preliminary sampling and analysis through the National Institute of Ecology which indicated the presence of transgenes in corn in two states. Based on these findings, the Secretary of Agriculture, requested an investigation into the subject. An “ad hoc” committee was formed which included experts from different areas of expertise. The first step was to devise an approach to obtain representative samples from the State of Oaxaca and the neighboring State of Puebla. Once the sampling strategy had been planned it had to be implemented ensuring the “chain of custody” and that all relevant information was obtained for each sample at each location. The samples where then processed and distributed to the institutions that were going to carry out the testing. Tests performed on the samples included PCR for general transgenic traits such as the 35S promoter, NOS terminator or cry genes; protein analysis using “strip tests” and ELISAs for specific proteins such as PAT, CP4, Cry1A and Cry9C; sequence and Southern blot analysis to confirm the findings and identity of some of the genes found. Up to this moment, the results presented by the Mexican Government have shown that transgenes such as cry1A can be found extensively in land races throughout the State of Oaxaca. The presence of cry9C has not been detected in any of the samples tested. As for any apparent consequences to the landraces themselves, this so far has not been the case. The small growers have not reported any phenotypic changes in their crops that could suggest that a major modification could take place. The changes observed are those expected when the farmers use a hybrid to “enhance” or improve their landraces, a practice that is very common among small growers in this area.
Keywords: Mexico, Oaxaca, National Institute of Ecology, landrace, genetically modified (GM) maize, genetically modified (GM) corn, genetically engineered (GE), transgenic crops, GMO, Bt corn, Bt maize, Bt crops, Bt toxin, Bacillus thuringienus, Cry proteins, Cry toxins, endotoxins
Citation:
Alvarez-Morales, A., 2002, 10-16 October. Transgenes in maize landraces in Oaxaca: Official report on the extent and implications. The 7th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Beijing, China, p. 65.
Category:
- Environmental effects
- Regulatory issues
Record ID: 51
