GM/Biotech Crops Report – August 2019

More than 50% of Icelandic people have had their genome sequenced and so medicines can be specifically tailored to their needs but there are clearly differences in different populations. Will baby’s genomes be routinely sequenced at birth in future?  More.
Pic: miss-ohara

Finding no genetic resistance to sheath blight in the rice genome, Chinese scientists looked further afield and found that the chitinase gene in bitter lemon does the job when spliced in to the rice genome. More.
Pic: Kurtis Garbutt

The Sainsbury Laboratory is part of a group that is concerned about food security and is proposing that a global system to detect future crop disease epidemics is developed to monitor food staples such as wheat, potato, maize, rice, beans and cassava amongst others. More.
Pic: Clare Black

Potatoes are attacked by viruses and when exposed to cold conditions can convert their sucrose to glucose and fructose but both defects could be avoided by a little gene editing. More.
Pic: Dave McLear

A professor at Wageningen University is concerned that much of what we grow is thrown away once the edible parts are segregated and suggests that crops such as tomatoes could be engineered so that the stems and leaves are edible in addition to the fruits. No mention is made of how we stop pests eating the whole crop before we get to it. More.
Pic: akito-fu

Rather than grow food crops, gene edited tobacco plants could be used to produce specific proteins for industrial or medical use. Cornell and Illinois Universities are proposing that instead of producing specific proteins via fermentation vats, it would be more efficient and cheaper to grow them in the field. A high value crop such as this would be a welcome new income stream to some lucky farmers. More.
Pic: Mangrove Mike

Scientists at California University have decoded the genome of the black-eyed pea. It contains high levels of protein and low levels of fat, is extremely robust and is a food staple in sub-Saharan Africa. These attributes make it an ideal candidate for further development as climate change degrades important crop production areas. More.
Pic: Jacqueline

A small company in America has developed a gene-edited yeast that can be used to produce a new type of animal-free ice cream. Their first batch was sold out in just a few days as vegans enjoyed the fruits of their labour. More.
Pic: Liliana Fuchs

A professor at Wageningen University is concerned that much of what we grow is thrown away once the edible parts are segregated and suggests that crops such as tomatoes could be engineered so that the stems and leaves are edible in addition to the fruits. No mention is made of how we stop pests eating the whole crop before we get to it. More.
Pic: Jimmy Smith

Some plants do not form symbiotic relationships with soil fungi due to the absence of the necessary gene but this gene has now been identified and can be built in to transgenic crops. More.
Pic: Elvis Ripley