This e-seminar on  "Plant biotechnology in the 21st century: the challenges 
ahead" will be presented by Prof. Arie Altman of the Robert H. Smith 
Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew 
University of Jerusalem). He will be available to respond to your
questions between 15 and 26 March.

The background material for the discussion is available at
http://www.ejbiotechnology.info/content/vol2/issue2/full/1/

As a pre-seminar activity, you are now welcome to introduce yourself and
elaborate your work if it concerns plant biotechnology. Thank you.

Regards
Jacky Foo
Listowner

>>> Posting number 2
Date:         Thu, 11 Mar 2004 07:47:04 +0100
Subject:      INTRO - Jasper Buijs (Peru)
From: "Buijs, Jasper (CIP)" <j.buijs@cgiar.org>

Dear participants,

My name is Jasper Buijs. I am agricultural biotechnologist at the
International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima, Peru.

My research is focussed on analyzing socio-economic and agro-ecological
issues and the potential impacts of the use of transgenic potato.

I wanted to reflect on the background article that states that
biotechnology needs to be fully integrated with classical physiology and breeding.

This statement is true: the strength of biotechnology will be seen much
more upon its integration with other scientific fields. But the
integration must go much further than solely with breeding and physiology.

I believe that biotechnology (actually any technology) must now for once
and for all be seen as part of society. It is important to realize that
the technologies we create are shaping society, and that society can
shape technology as much. Every technology has a (kind of invisible) set
of characteristics that dictate where, under which circumstances, and by
whom a technology can be used. With some technological inventions this
has been realized unwillingly, and with other it was a conscious choice.

As an example I would like to name the future use (or non-use) of GM
potato in the Andean regions. These regions are known to be the origin
of diversity of the potato, which makes deployment of GM potato a very
very difficult decision.

How can we avoid the flow of transgenes into the wild populations?

With potato biotechnology we wish to improve the livelihoods of small
farmers. Unfortunately, by their agricultural practices (mixing
varieties, field rotation) and their geographical location, many of the
marginal farmers form an additional geneflow mechanism. A sterile GM
potato variety might solve the geneflow problem, but not the mixing of
transgeic and non-transgenic varieties on such farms. This is an
important issue with respect to consumer choice of GM-free food.

Could we introduce a transgenic variety that is not used by such marginal farmers?

This raises the following concerns:

1,  we aim to improve the lives of exactly these marginalized farmers and
2,  they might obtain the transgenic varieties through unofficial
     routes if they are really good varieties.

My point:
Next to integrating with breeding and physiology, biotechnology needs a
very strong integration with social scientific research, and with
environmental sciences, to be able to create the technologies that will
really work. It probably requires a change in how biotechnologists are
educated and are performing their work.

With regards to all,

Jasper Buijs
Agricultural Biotechnologist
Crop Improvement and Genetic Resources Department
International Potato Center - CIP
Apartado 1558, La Molina,
Lima, Peru
Tel.: 51 1 349 6017
Fax: 51 1 317 5326
email: j.buijs@cgiar.org
website: www.cipotato.org

>>> Posting number 3
Date:         Thu, 11 Mar 2004 15:28:10 +0100
Subject:      INTRO - Jacky Foo (Sweden)
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

I am not doing research in the area of plant biotechnology but just to
express my interest in the topic due to my earlier associations with
(a) the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (New Delhi) when I was a
student of agricultural microbiology in the early 70's. It was here that
Prof. M.S. Swaminathan started his work on wheat that led to the Green Revolution.
(b) at the tissue culture lab (taro, coconut) at the Nuu Crop
Development Station of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries (MAFF) in Western Samoa that served as a research partner for
a project on the use of brewery spent grains (2000-2002) that I coordinated.

I have always been fascinated by new horticultural products and always
remember the breeding efforts to find the super sugar bamboo but which
ended up with the sweetness of the bamboo and the size of the sugar cane instead.

I will look forward to an e-seminar that will be educational to me.

regards

Jacky Foo
Dept of Biotechnology
Roya Institute of Technology
Stockholm, Sweden
www.biotech.kth.se

>>> Posting number 4
Date:         Mon, 15 Mar 2004 08:29:48 +0100
Subject:      opening of e-seminar
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

I like to extend a warm welcome to Professor Arie Altman from the Robert
H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture of The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has kindly agreed to be with us
between 15 and 26 March to interact with you at this e-seminar on "Plant
biotechnology in the 21st century:  the challenges ahead". The seminar
is based on Prof Altman's review article that was published in 1999 in
the EJB Electronic Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 2 issue 2. This paper
is available on the web at
http://www.ejbiotechnology.info/content/vol2/issue2/full/1/
The paper serves as the background paper for our discussion.

20 participants from 12 countries have registered in this virtual
seminar room. I am specially happy to see participants from Australia,
Canada, India, Israel, Korea, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Russian
Federation, Sweden, Turkey and the USA.

In the next 2 weeks, I welcome you to pose questions related to Prof.
Altman's paper as well as the large number of issues related to
challenges of plant biotechnology in the agricultural scene. The paper
also covers techniques in plant biotechnology, how plant growth can
controlled  and their resistance to pests. New plants in agriculture can
provide food, biochemicals and pharmaceuticals. How can we create them
and where do we go from here ? I welcome you to raise issues for general discussion.

I also encourage the audience to introduce yourself. Tell us about your
research on plant biotechnology and any educational activities which
your organization may offer. 

I look forward to your active participation.

Regards
Jacky E.L. Foo, Chairman of E-seminar,
IOBB (Intl Org for Biotechnology and Bioengineering)
Web: http://www.biotech.kth.se/iobb

>>> Posting number 5
Date:         Mon, 15 Mar 2004 09:32:26 +0100
Subject:      GM potato
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

>A GM potato will solve Third World hunger, said
>pro-GM scientists in India and Britain.
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GMPEM.php

The GM potato has 2,5 % protein (3 times more than the non-transgenic
varieties). This was done by inserting protein genes from amaranth into potatoes.

India is a country that consumes a number of pulses (17-25 % protein) in
their daily diet. But when Dr. Manju Sharma, Head of the Department of
Biotechnology (DBT), said that she plans to incorporate it (2,5% protein
GM potato) into the government’s free midday meal programme in schools,
this statement unfortunately generated a lot of protest. The GM potato
is a poor candidate and choice as a free meal to schools when compared
to many other more nutritious food sources.

Increasing the quality and protein content of foods is a strategic
approach to malnutrition. Prof. Altman stressed this in his introduction
of the review article.

>The world population is expected to reach 7 billion
>within 25 years, over 10 billion in the year 2050,
>while agricultural production is growing at the
>slower rate of about 1.8 % annually.

>About 12 % of the world’s land surface is used
>to grow crops, and the agricultural area required
>to support food production -- 0.44 ha / capita in 1961
>-- will probably have been reduced to
>0.15 ha / capita in 2050.

How can we grow more food in countries with unfavorable climates and how
can we produce more food with less land ? Are there examples and what are they ?

Regards
Jacky

>>> Posting number 6
Date:         Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:16:32 +0100
Subject:      GM potato
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

Jasper Buijs wrote:
>My research is focussed on analyzing socio-economic and
>agro-ecological issues and the potential impacts of the use
>of transgenic potato.
>.......How can we avoid the flow of transgenes
>into the wild populations?

As I understand, the possibility of risks  that is associated with
transgenic crops is that if wild plants acquire transgenes coding for
resistance to herbivory, disease, environmental stress, and/or commonly
used herbicides. In such a case, they could become more abundant in
their natural habitats or invade previously unsuitable habitat. Wild
populations containing such transgenes will not eaten up by herbivores.
Resistance to disease or effects of natural insect and pathogen
populations will mean that weedy species will survive better.

What are the transgenes in the GM potato that we wish to avoid in wild
populations ?

Regards
Jacky

>>> Posting number 7
Date:         Mon, 15 Mar 2004 15:08:35 +0100
Subject:      GM potato
From: "Buijs, Jasper (CIP)" <j.buijs@cgiar.org>

With respect to Jacky Foo's question:

I was talking in general about GE crops, but concerning the example of
geneflow from GM potato I had Bt-potato in mind.

Bt (Cry1A(b) confers resistance to the potato tuber moth, a major pest
of cultivated potato worldwide. It is not known whether wild plants that
obtain this gene will have a fitness advantage in their habitat. My
guess is most probably not, since insect pest pressure on potato growing
in the wild might not be so high as to limit these populations. Potato
does not form the only source of food and reproduction of the potato
tuber moth (and other leaf and tuber eating insects).

Concerning Andean highlands environment, probably traits such as
tolerance to frost or drought very well could have an impact on the
fitness of receptor wild potato plants, since drought and frost are
factors that really affect potato survival.
Unfortunately, these are also a couple of traits that would help
especially the potato farmers that perform agriculture in marginal environments.

With best regards,
Jasper Buijs
Agricultural Biotechnologist
Crop Improvement and Genetic Resources Department
International Potato Center - CIP
Apartado 1558, La Molina,
Lima, Peru
Tel.: 51 1 349 6017
Fax: 51 1 317 5326
email: j.buijs@cgiar.org
website: www.cipotato.org

>>> Posting number 8
Date:         Mon, 15 Mar 2004 15:57:29 +0100
Subject:      stress-tolerant maize varieties
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

Source:
http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/whatiscimmyt/recent_ar/D_Support/drought.htm
>More than 2.5 million hectares are planted each year to
>hybrid maize in eastern and southern Africa (excluding South Africa).
>Most hybrid seed is produced by private companies and
>grown by smallholders. SADLF (Southern African Drought
>and Low Soil Fertility Project) developed several hybrids
>that produce over 50%more grain
>The SADLF project’s goal—to provide smallholder farmers
>with more appropriate stress-tolerant maize varieties—
>to drought and poor soils (low nitrogen, acidic, low phosphorus)
>and resistance to diseases and insect pests.

1 ton per hectare is the typical yield in many farmers’ fields. The best
hybrids can however produce up to the 10 ton per hectare level. Dr.
Marianne Bänziger, a maize physiologist based in Zimbabwe says that “The
right choice can result in a yield increase of 20–35% for recipient farmers”

In view of future prognosis that desertification will decrease in land
and agricultural productivity and increased salinization will result in
up to 50 % in the year 2050, Arie Altman writes in
http://www.ejbiotechnology.info/content/vol2/issue2/full/1/
that "breeding for plant tolerance to drought and salinity stress should
be given a high research priority in all future agbiotech programs".

Q: If I am a smallholder maize grower in Zimbabwe and I have access to
some trial seeds, is it possible for me to produce my own seeds for
continued use for several years or must I buy fresh seed supply every year ?

Regards
Jacky

>>> Posting number 9
Date:         Mon, 15 Mar 2004 18:57:44 +0100
Subject:      agricultural production
From: Uwe Brunjes <ubrunjes@yahoo.com>

just like all of us, I thank Prof. Altman for sharing
his time and knowledge with us. And I guess that his
busy schedule is the reason for a little incongruence
in his introductory statement.

>The world population is expected to reach 7 billion
>within 25 years, over 10 billion in the year 2050,
>while agricultural production is growing at the
>slower rate of about 1.8 % annually.

If the agricultural production is increasing at 1.8 percent anually,
than it's actually faster than the population growth. At this ratio,
population would be more than 9 billion in 25 years, and more than 14
billion in 50 years. That would mean that the present anual increase in
agricultural production is more than adequate. Or what did I get wrong?

Uwe Brunjes

>>> Posting number 10
Date:         Tue, 16 Mar 2004 11:24:18 +0100
Subject:      agricultural production
From:         Paul Harris <Paul.Harris@adelaide.edu.au>

G'day All,

At the current population (a bit over 6 billion people) we are each
entitled to just 2.8 Ha of the total land surface. I think we have to
change our direction and aim to feed 6 billion people or less using far
less resources than we do at present, rather than feeding 7 or 10
billion people from whatever resources we can exploit. This is supported
by Mathis Wackenagel's estimate that we are currently using resources at
about 1.2 times planet earth's ability to generate the resources.

All the best,
HOOROO
--
Mr. Paul Harris
Faculty of Sciences, DP710
The  University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, AUSTRALIA 5371
Ph    : +61 8 8303 7880
Fax   : +61 8 8303 7979
mailto:paul.harris@adelaide.edu.au
http://www.ees.adelaide.edu.au/people/soil/pharri01.html
Member IOBB http://www.biotech.kth.se/iobb

>>> Posting number 11
Date:         Tue, 16 Mar 2004 23:31:24 +0100
Subject:      GM potato
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

This is a question that has been asked before .

Q: "The release and agricultural use of transgenic crops has raised
public concerns about environmental issues and food safety. Is there any
scientific substance for these concerns? "

Regards
Jacky Foo
Dept of Biotechnology
Royal Inst of Technology
Stockholm.

>>> Posting number 12
Date:         Wed, 17 Mar 2004 04:12:00 +0100
Subject:      Plant-soil relationship
From: doelle <doelle@ozemail.com.au>

Why do Plant Breeders and Plant Biotechnologists always have to hide
behind the term 'Food shortage' to justify their scientific work ?

FAO has indicated more than once that we have no food shortage in this
world but rather a very bad distribution system and a worst trading system.

The real problems are pesticides and plant biotechnologists must solve
that problem. Here again one should not forget that the pesticide
problem has arisen through changes in farm management , giving the pests
a better chance to develop.

What I am always missing in discussions with plants biotechnologists is
the relationship between plant and soil. One of the biggest problems we
are having is
(a) ever increasing soil infertility;
(b) increasing populations in areas with poor soils, eg many areas in Africa.

If we can get pest resistant plants as well as plants growing in poor
soils and under water stress, that would be an enormous achievement.
Starvation exists mainly in these areas because of the problems in distribution.

I was very impressed when I saw during my visit to Israel in 1996, how
arid land can be utilised through soil treatment in combination with
plant breeding, since plants from the Northern Hemisphere certainly do
not do too well in the Tropics.

Any comments on the plant-soil problem ?

The GM plant may be as good as the scientists believe it is, but if the
soil is poor, you have to get everything grown in a greenhouse.

Best regards
Horst Doelle

>>> Posting number 13
Date:         Thu, 18 Mar 2004 16:43:18 +0100
Subject:      Arie Altman
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

We are in the 4th day of this e-seminar and I have no clue from the
presentor Prof. Arie Altman is reading our messages. Thus your questions
to him are left unattended.

Please feel free to comment of questions asked in case there is further
delays from Prof. Altman.

The topic of the seminar is an interesting one and amidst the unproven
risks over GM foods, there is a great need to increase food production
in arid zone of countries and continents.

Are there GM crops that farmers living in such areas can use and  all
they need is to do is to use such "miracle" seeds and then they would
get a higher yield without having to change the farming methods?

Regards
Jacky

>>> Posting number 14
Date:         Thu, 18 Mar 2004 19:26:19 +0100
Subject:      Plant-soil relationship
From: Champtree <champtree@bigplanet.com>

Dear Colleagues,

Even though I am not an agricultural expert, at the suggestion of my
friend Jacky Foo, I am writing to introduce myself and comment on Horst
Doelle's plant-soil relationship message below.

As an urban forester/sustainable developer and the executive director of
the Champion Tree Project International (www.championtreeproject.org), I
am pursuing the mission of the Project to lead society towards
sustainability by protecting, propagating and planting a living legacy
of our champion trees.  As the largest and oldest living organisms on
earth, champion trees are the icon of sustainability and we seek to save
their genetics for future scientific study and public appreciation
(http://www.greenmediaonline.com/aa/2003/0312/0312tm2.asp).  These
champion tree clones start out as a value-added agricultural nursery
product and end up as a vital part of the green infrastructure of the
emerging urban ecosystem.

Jacky has invited me to lead a future IOBB seminar on Building a
Sustainable Urban Forest, but for now I would like to offer support for
Horst's concern about the lack of attention being given to the actual
cause of our food production problems.

With all due respect to the biotechnologists promoting improved
genetically modified plants, we have not yet demonstrated the ability to
make sustainable use of the natural plants that nature has blessed us
with.  My research of history indicates that a common element of most,
if not all, previous civilization declines is widespread deforestation
and the subsequent loss of top soil which leads directly to a loss in
agricultural production.  On a global scale, over 8,000 different tree
species are now threatened with extinction.  We are literally throwing
away working parts of our natural ecosystems before we understand how
the system works to sustain all life on the planet.

I look forward to working with the IOBB and all interested parties to
further the understanding of sustainable plant biotechnology.

Terry Mock
Executive Director
Champion Tree Project International
www.championtreeproject.org

>>> Posting number 15
Date:         Thu, 18 Mar 2004 21:21:09 +0100
Subject:      changing farming methods?
From:       "Buijs, Jasper (CIP)" <j.buijs@cgiar.org>

Dear participants,

I'm Jasper Buijs again, from the International Potato Center, Lima, Peru.

Jacky Foo raises a question about changing farming methods due to the
use of GM crops.

In first instance it could be said that, in principle, transgenics
technology is the ideal technology. In the sense that only a gene or a
couple of genes is added to a plant and this fact will not majorly
change the plant, and thus the farming practices.

Of course, one trait will give more reason to changing practices then
the other. A crop with an improved nutrient content or balance will
require no(?) adaptations, whereas an insect-resistant crop will
probably require the use of additional practices that contribute to
control of insects' resistance development against the GM crop (such as
the maintenance of refugee-plots with non-resistant varieties of the crop).

'Secondary traits' or 'GM-development practices' are going to become
more and more important. The control of geneflow will have major
implications for agricultural practices, such as the use of boundaries,
planting away from other crops, planting at specific times to avoid
flowering time overlap, et cetera. Traits leading to male sterility
would reduce the need for such practices, as would the development of GM
crops by plastid transformation, apomixis´development.

For potato and other vegetatively propagated crops it can be thought of
to develop lines that are completely sterile (male and female). It will
become more important to integratedly introduce traits of interest with
such 'secondary traits'. But on a more detailed look we will see that there
are more turning effects:
Always of importance is the choice of variety to put the transgenic trait into.
This choice will be dependent on farmer choice, and industry, trade and
biosafety issues playing in the country. This choice can certainly
affect farming style:
Earlier or later maturing varieties affect the number of successive
cultivations that can be made, and the type of rotations that can be used.

I think a key issue will be the deployment in a demand-driven way.

We will most probably see then, that GM traits will have to be
engineered in many different, locally preferred varieties, for being
able to adapt the technology to local circumstances.

The question is then, how to do that economically feasible (with an eye
on developing country capacities) and monitorable.

Best regards to all,

Jasper Buijs
Agricultural Biotechnologist
Crop Improvement and Genetic Resources Department
International Potato Center - CIP
Apartado 1558, La Molina,
Lima, Peru
Tel.: 51 1 349 6017
Fax: 51 1 317 5326
email: j.buijs@cgiar.org
website: www.cipotato.org

>>> Posting number 16
Date:         Thu, 18 Mar 2004 21:27:04 +0100
Subject:      Plant-soil relationship
From:        "James H. Dontje" <James_Dontje@berea.edu>

Hello,
I am James Dontje.  I currently teach ecological design and introductory
courses in sustainability and environmental studies at Berea College.
In my youth I lived on a Midwestern farm.  As an adult I have spent 6
years working with small farmers and indigenous peoples in Burkina Faso
(1988-1991) and Papua/Irian Jaya, Indonesia (1997-2001).  I offer the
essay in response to the Altman paper and the discussion thus far.

From the perspective of my background, I can absolutely agree with the
concerns raised by Horst Doelle and Terry Mock about soil resource
degradation.  I have seen the "white places" of Burkina Faso where all
that was left was a clay pan with no capacity to hold water.  No matter
how productive a bioengineered plant might be, it depends on a substrate
to support it and deliver nutrients.  We don't have the energy and money
to artificially prepare (think soil modification or greenhouse
production)the substrate for all the world's agricultural production.

I am also concerned that we do not yet understand the implications of
genetically engineered organisms in the environment and have been much
too hasty to move from the laboratory to the field.  Despite that
concern, I am open to the possibility that plant biotechnology may
provide some benefits to the poor and hungry in the world.  That
openness is tempered, however, by the reality that biotechnology
development as it is currently done offers little hope for the very
people in whose name we do the work.

Biotechnology is currently funded, in large part, under an intellectual
property model.  The research is funded with the hope of developing a
patentable product that is technically superior to existing options and
thus can command a monopoly price in a large market that offsets the
research investment and delivers a significant rate of return on the
investment.  As a result, the "ecology" of biotechnology research exerts
significant selection pressure on the "genetic pool" of ideas, rewarding
those that will have commercial success (high short-term income) and
killing those that will not lead to a high-profit product.

By some estimates, a billion of the world's citizens get by on a dollar
a day and this number remained constant through the green revolution.
The biotechnology offerings presently set before us will do little to
change that number.  I believe that there are biotechnology research
efforts (CGIAR and public institutions) with different funding and
research agendas, but they are not isolated from the intellectual
property bias--the research methods and goals are strongly influenced by
the commercial paradigm.  Note that the conclusion of Arie Altman's
paper states that the "intensification of agriculture... requires...the
release of economical, high-return and patentable plant-derived
products" reflecting the fundamental bias of biotechnology.

Feeding the world's poor and hungry (or better, enabling them to feed
themselves) requires more than solving production problems, which is the
focus of biotechnology research as Altman presents it.  Altman has
limited his focus, as he states early in the paper, to "increasing food
supply and agricultural commodities."  The thornier social, economic and
political problems that lead to poverty and hunger will not succumb to
genetic or tissue culture solutions that merely increase the amount of
agricultural commodities produced.

While I have criticized the fundamental perspective of Altman's paper, I
do not think a focus on biotechnology is wasted.  Rather, from my
ecological design perspective, we need to recognize how little we know
about biological systems and spend much more of our effort in
understanding the systemic lessons before moving so quickly to
manipulation of those systems. The most powerful and useful
biotechnology lessons will come from a deeper systemic appreciation of
biological processes.  The fecundity of natural systems lies in the
relationships between the parts--given a finite geochemical and energy
(solar) natural systems generate productivity that is proportional to
genetic diversity and the interrelationships in the system.

We have learned the competition lessons from biological observation, but
I am not sure we have yet learned the cooperation lessons.  Altman notes
that we need to use plant biotechnology in the "integration of
microorganisms into plant production systems".  That we are even
considering this possibility is a fruit of biological observation of
systems ranging from plant/bacteria symbiosis to the workings of single
cells (which may have developed from symbioses of less complex organisms).

We do not yet know all the rules about why such cooperative efforts work
(nor do we have even the faintest idea of how many microbial players
there are in the game), but we see the productivity that results.  We
need to know more about this dance of life.

--Jim
--
James Dontje
Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS)
Berea College, USA

>>> Posting number 17
Date:         Thu, 18 Mar 2004 22:21:08 +0100
Subject:      Plant-soil relationship
From:  Uwe Brunjes <ubrunjes@yahoo.com>

James H. Dontje wrote:
> I am also concerned that we do not yet understand
> the implications of
> genetically engineered organisms in the environment
> and have been much
> too hasty to move from the laboratory to the field.

Hi James,

thanks for reminding me about this subject! Now I
remember that some years ago researchers at a Dutch
university (Wageningen?) realized that the added genes
are inherently unstable. When plants containing them
are eaten, they react with the intestines of the human
or animal, causing the same consequences as any
chemical radical in the food/feed.

This could be a short-lived problem associated with a
new technology, but it makes it clear that the
precautions you recommend should be taken seriously.

Has there ever been any research addressing this instability?

Uwe

>>> Posting number 18
Date:         Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:03:44 +0100
Subject:      the oil melon
From:         Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

 We know of the water melon for its water content, the honey melon for its sweetness.

How do you create an oil melon ?

It would solve the oil crisis, it is ecological oil and will stop adding
fossil carbon dioxide to the atmosphere,  and it will make a plant
biotechnologist rich !

regards
jacky

>>> Posting number 19
Date:         Sat, 20 Mar 2004 10:07:52 +0100
Subject:      INTRO - Kirti D'Souza (India)
From: "kirti dsouza" <dsouza_kirti@hotmail.com>

Dear Participants,
I am Dr Kirti D'Souza from India. I have been working in the field of plant
biotech for the past decade .

My research interest lies in developing stress tolerant varieties of
crop species - thermotolerant variety of lettuce, salt tolerant variety
of tomato and rice.

I also  teach Plant Biotech to undergraduate students. I coordinate an
industrial training programme for these students. The rationale of this
training is to provide an insight  into the entrepreneural aspects of
Ptc. During the year long training the students learn to standardize tc
protocols and scale up cultures of economically important plant species.
Some of the plants we have been working on include caladium, petunia,
poinsettia, vinca, teak, eucalyptus.

with best wishes for a stimulating seminar
Kirti D'Souza

>>> Posting number 20
Date:         Sat, 20 Mar 2004 12:53:32 +0100
Subject:      GM plants in the tropical agrobusiness
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

We have among this audience a participant from Golden Hope
(http://www.goldenhope.com), Malaysia. The company owns and manages more
than 132, 000 hectares of oil palm, rubber and fruit plantations(guava,
dragon fruit, passion fruit and herbs).

It would be interesting to hear what agrobusiness companies in the
tropics are looking for and how important is GM plants in their business ?

Regards
Jacky

>>> Posting number 21
Date:         Sun, 21 Mar 2004 06:38:56 +0100
Subject:      Plant-soil relationship
From: "James Dontje" <james_dontje@berea.edu>

Uwe:

I don't know anything about the effects of genetically modified
organisms that you mention.

What I have seen and what I think is potentially of greater concern, are
ecological system effects.  Roundup-ready varieties and the accompanying
excess use of that herbicide are already creating heavy selection
pressure for weeds resistant to that herbicide.

Likewise, we have already seen the challenges posed by exotics
introduced from elsewhere in the world--any genetically-modified plant
or organism poses similar risks when released in a new area.

Jim Dontje

>>> Posting number 22
Date:         Sun, 21 Mar 2004 06:40:46 +0100
Subject:      the oil melon
From: "James Dontje" <james_dontje@berea.edu>

Jacky--in asking for this oil rich melon (and I do believe the seeds of
some cucurbits are rich in oil) are you seeking increased yield of oil,
or oil properties that have here-to-for not existed.

Oil from vegetable sources already has considerable potential a fuel.
Biodiesel manufactured from vegetable oil is already becoming available
in many places. and many diesel engines can run on straight vegetable if
it is heated to keep it thin.

Jim Dontje

>>> Posting number 23
Date:         Sun, 21 Mar 2004 06:59:47 +0100
Subject:      the oil melon
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>
 

James Dontje wrote:
>Jacky--in asking for this oil rich melon, (and I do
>believe the seeds of some cucurbits are rich in oil)
>are you seeking increased yield of oil, or oil
>properties that have here-to-for not existed.

I was asking how to convert water into oil in a melon !. (not the seeds)
What steps do we take to achieve this dream ?

>Oil from vegetable sources already has considerable
>potential a fuel.

In oil palm, most of the oil is found in the pericarp (not in the seed).

Regards
Jacky
http://www.ias.unu.edu/proceedings/icibs/mansson/index.htm
Tommy Mansson & Eng-Leong Foo. 1998. Swedish efforts in integrating
bio-fuels as alternative fuels for transportation in buses, lorries and cars.

>>> Posting number 24
Date:         Sun, 21 Mar 2004 07:07:16 +0100
Subject:      economically important trees
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

kirti dsouza wrote:
>During the year long training the students learn to
>standardize tc protocols and scale up cultures of
>economically important plant species. Some of the
>plants we have been working on include caladium,
>petunia, poinsettia, vinca, teak, eucalyptus.

What kind of GM teak and eucalyptus characters would one be adding or
enhancing  in such trees ?

Increasing oil content in the leaves of eucalyptus may be useful since
there is an industry for extraction of eucalyptus oil.

Regards
Jacky

>>> Posting number 25
Date:         Sun, 21 Mar 2004 07:47:50 +0100
Subject:      Educational materials
From: Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

kirti dsouza wrote:
>I also  teach Plant Biotech to undergraduate students.
>I coordinate an industrial training programme for these
>students. The rationale of this training is to provide an
>insight  into the entrepreneural aspects of Ptc.

Hi D'Souza
You may know this already. There is a useful site with animation and it
introduces what transgenic crops are, how to make them, etc. Take a look at
http://www.colostate.edu/programs/lifesciences/TransgenicCrops/how.html

Regards
jacky

>>> Posting number 26
Date:         Sun, 21 Mar 2004 19:15:57 +0100
Subject:      Plant-soil relationship
From: Uwe Brunjes <ubrunjes@yahoo.com>

Hi James,

this discovery wasn't well covered by the media or
distributed among the scientific community, and I can
only speculate about the reasons for that. I believe
Horst knows more about this subject, but I'm not sure.

Otherwise, I share your concerns! And just like Jacky,
I would like to see non-food applications, like the
oil-producing "water" melon. That would be a huge breakthrough!

Uwe

>>> Posting number 27
Date:         Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:21:08 +0100
Subject:      economically important trees
From:        "Buijs, Jasper (CIP)" <j.buijs@cgiar.org>

Dear all,

This is Jasper Buijs, CIP, Lima.

Eucalyptus: One importance of eucalyptus, if I'm not mistaken, is its
use for the paper industry.

Then for teak: Biotech (not necessarily in the form of GM) could (and is
already) especially help to improve the wood quality. This means later
branching, bigger space between the nodes, and locally-sensitive:
selected improvement on wood color. This might also be influenced by
soil type. Let's not forget the improvement of growth speed!

I guess the same would possibly also go for eucalyptus, as it is also
used as construction wood.

regards,

Jasper Buijs
Crop Improvement and Genetic Resources Department
International Potato Center - CIP

>>> Posting number 28
Date:         Tue, 23 Mar 2004 08:05:22 +0100
Subject:      Food is still the target in poor countries
From: "kirti dsouza" <dsouza_kirti@hotmail.com>

dear participants

As far as GM teak is considered I’m not even attempting that.
I recall that in a seminar where I had presented my work on teak, I was
specifically  told to be “careful” before releasing the tissue cultured
teak into the field. The scepticism in my opinion is not unfounded. At
yet another seminar the epresentative of a reputed company that is
promoting GM crops here in India did concede to the possibilities of the
dangers to adjoining farms (that did not grow the GM crop). Needless to
say the scenario is very complicated here. At no point of time should we
forget the implications on the ecology of the region.

Although Prof Altman talks of “Plant biotechnology has already surpassed
all previous expectations” we still have to work towards that promising
future especially in a developing nation like India. In spite of the
“green revolution” millions in my country go to sleep every night
without a square meal, I can only hope that the “evergreen revolution”
changes that for the better. As of now this technology is practically
out of reach of the poor marginal farmer in this country.

How can we change this?

kirti

>>> Posting number 29
Date:         Tue, 23 Mar 2004 08:05:22 +0100
Subject:      economically important trees
From:         Paul Harris <Paul.Harris@adelaide.edu.au>

G'day All,

If rapid growth can be achieved by more cells, not larger ones, the wood
would be suitable for construction. At the moment the strongest timber
within a species comes from slower growing trees.

HOOROO
--
Mr. Paul Harris
Faculty of Sciences, DP710
The  University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, AUSTRALIA 5371

>>> Posting number 30
Date:         Sat, 27 Mar 2004 09:54:53 +0100
Subject:      closing of e-seminar
From:        Jacky Foo <foo@stockholm.bostream.se>

The e-seminar by Prof. Arie Altman on  "Plant biotechnology in the 21st
century: the challenges ahead"  comes to an end today. Though Prof.
Altman did not turn up for the seminar and I don’t have any news from
him, I hope he is well and that nothing tragic has happened to him in
Israel.

The absence of Prof. Altman has unfortunately cut off our ability to
interact with him. However, some interactions took place amongst the 23
participants from 12 countries and generated 31 messages.

I apologise to those of you who have looked forward to this e-seminar on
plant biotechnology.

IOBB is in the process of organizing another e-seminar related to the
subject of plants and trees and on (tentative title) "The Champion Tree
Project and Building Sustainable Urban Forest" by Terry Mock (Executive
Director of the Champion Tree Project International, USA). You will be
informed via the IOBB News List
(http://segate.sunet.se/archives/et-w5.html) when more info is available.
Info on other proposed IOBB activities is available at
http://www.biotech.kth.se/iobb/activities.html

I thank all of you for your patience.
Regards
Jacky E.L. Foo, Chairman,
IOBB (Intl Org for Biotechnology and Bioengineering)
Web: http://www.biotech.kth.se/iobb