German study finds GM crops good for economy, environment

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  An international study has found that genetically modified crops are good for the economy and reduce the amount of pesticides us

  From WATTAgNet:
  An international study funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program FOODSECURE has found that genetically modified (GM) crops are good for the economy and reduce the amount of pesticides used in agriculture.
  The study – the largest ever conducted on the effects of GM crops on farming – found that GM crops are a “promising technology.” The study’s authors found that GM crops have reduced chemical pesticide use by 37 percent, increased crop yields by 22 percent, and increased farmer profits by 68 percent.
  Yields are larger and pesticide use is reduced more for insect-resistant crops than for herbicide-tolerant crops, the study says. The study also found that yield and profit gains are higher in developing countries than in developed countries.
  The study’s authors say they hope their findings will help build public trust for GM technology.
  The study is a meta-analysis – a rigorous study of the numbers inside past studies on the topic -- that included studies of GM crops conducted from 1995 to March 2014 that were published in English. The study was published November 3 in PLOS ONE, the peer-reviewed, open-access publication for the Public Library of Science.

Genetically modified corn plants losing resistance to rootworms in Iowa

Corn plants in Iowa that were genetically modified by Monsanto Co. to be resistant to pests are being attacked by these very bugs, marking the first time a major Midwest bug has developed a resistance to genetically modified crops, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Iowa State University entomologist, Aaron Gassmann, discovered that western corn rootworms in four northeast Iowa fields have evolved to become resistant to the natural pesticide produced by Monsanto's genetically modified corn plants.
"These are isolated cases, and it isn't clear how widespread the problem will become," said Dr. Gassmann. "But it is an early warning that management practices need to change."
Dr. Gassmann says the Iowa fields infested with the Cry3Bb1 toxin-resistant rootworms have been growing Monsanto's Bt-expressing corn continuously for more than three years. In his study, Dr. Gassmann collected rootworm beetles from four Iowa cornfields with plant damage in 2009. He then fed containing Monsanto's Cry3Bb1 toxin to the larvae, which he found to have a survival rate three times that of control larvae that ate the same corn. 
Monsanto said its rootworm-resistant corn seeds are working as expected "on more than 99% of the acres planted with this technology" and that it is still too early to judge the impact of Gassman's study on farmers.
However, these findings from Dr. Gassman may provide even greater incentive among biotechnology rivals to develop a new generation of genes that would be resistant to further insect adaptations. Technologies like RNA interface may be able to make crops deadly to insects that eat them, essentially ingesting genetic code that turns off a vital gene.

German wheat, potato field trials destroyed

Two German field trials involving genetically modified plants were destroyed by unknown attackers, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research reported.
The trials in Gross Lüsewitz and in Üplingen (Saxony-Anhalt) were being funded by the German Ministry of Research to develop new risk assessment methods. The vandalism caused damage worth hundreds of thousands of euros and politicians from almost all political parties condemned the attacks, according to the report. In Gross Lüsewitz, trial fields of potatoes and wheat, each 265 square meters, were destroyed. In the Üplingen display garden, trial fields of potatoes were destroyed.

Chicken labeling leads to GM controversy

According to reports, New Zealand’s Commerce Commission warned poultry producer Inghams about false advertising under the Fair Trading Act. This stems from company advertising stating its poultry contains no genetically modified (GM) content, even though the birds were eating a feed with 13% GM soy.
University of Canterbury professor of genetics and molecular biology, Jack Heinemann, researched whether chickens fed GM feed could contain GM ingredients in their meat. The professor said GM plant material can transfer to animals fed GM feed.
This goes against an international scientific consensus that states animals that eat GM feed are themselves not genetically modified.

GM research urgent

The UK’s national academy of science, The Royal Society, is calling for a GBP2 billion (US$3.28 billion) “Grand Challenge” research programme on global food security.
It has, today, published a report arguing that the UK should lead international research efforts to achieve the massive increase in food crop production (at least 50 percent) that will be required by 2050 to meet global food demands without damaging the environment.
The Royal Society says that implementing a research programme that directs at least GBP200 million in funding annually for the next 10 years to science that improves crops and sustainable crop management must be a priority for the UK government. This would see the addition of at least GBP50 million to what is already spent on science for food-crops each year.
The programme should support areas of research that have been neglected in recent years, the Society says, including exploring new methods of crop management to increase yields and minimize environmental impact. It should also support the development of improved crop varieties by both conventional breeding and genetic modification.
The report’s authors discuss a variety of possible solutions to the impending food shortage. ... Read the full blog.