Notes

Genetically modified crops provide advantages to the weeds

Wild plants may be capable of resisting herbicides.

Weedy rice can take on transgenes from genetically modified crops by cross-pollinating. Credit: Xiao Yang
It has been established that a genetic modification technique, which is widely used to create crops that are herbicide-resistant can provide advantages to a weedy variety of rice. The finding suggests that the benefits of such modification have the potential to extend beyond the confines of farms out into the wild.

A range of crops have been modified genetically to make them immune to Roundup herbicide glyphosate. This allows farmers to remove the majority of the weeds that grow in their fields without causing harm to their crops.

Glyphosate blocks the enzyme EPSP synthase which is responsible for the production of certain amino acid and other molecules. It can also inhibit the growth of plants. The genetic-modification method, employed in Roundup Ready crops by Monsanto (based in St Louis in Missouri) is the process of inserting genes into the crop to increase EPSP synthase's output. ラウンドアップ The genes typically come from bacteria infected with plants.

The plant is able to withstand the adverse effects of glyphosate due to the extra EPSP synthase. Biotechnology labs tried to use genes from plants to boost EPSP synthase production. This was done in part to make use of a loophole that is in US law that permits the regulatory approval of transgenes contained in organisms which have not come from pests caused by bacteria.

ラウンドアップ https://www.komeri.com/search/ラウンドアップ/?dispNo=&codeSearch=0&searchFirst=1 There aren't many studies that have examined whether transgenes such glyphosate-resistant genes can -- once introduced to wild or weedy plants through cross-pollination enhance the competition of plants in terms of survival, reproduction and growth. Norman Ellstrand, a University of California plant geneticist says that in the absence of selection pressure, any kind of transgene would be expected to cause disadvantages in wild plants. The extra machinery would decrease fitness.

Lu Baorong is an ecologist at Fudan University Shanghai. His study shows that resistance to glyphosate offers a significant health benefit even when it isn't applied.

Lu and his associates modified the cultivars of rice to increase the production of EPSP synthase. They also crossed the modified rice with a weedy related. Their work was published in NewPhytologist 1.

https://www.yodobashi.com/product/100000001002109951/ The group then permitted cross-breeding offspring to be bred with each other to produce second-generation hybrids. They were genetically identical, with the exception of the number and count of EPSP synthase gene. https://pesticide.maff.go.jp/agricultural-chemicals/details/14360 Like one might expect, the more copies resulted in higher levels of enzyme and more tryptophan than their counterparts that were not modified.

Researchers also discovered that transgenics have higher rates of flowering, more flowers and 48-125percent more seeds/plant than nontransgenics.

https://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/kaientai/category/sunfulon/ Lu believes making weedy, invading rice more competitive might make it more difficult for farmers to recover from the harm caused by this pest.

Brian Ford-Lloyd (a UK plant geneticist) claims that if the EPSP-synthase gene is introduced into wild rice, then their genetic diversity, which is vital to preserve could be at risk. The transgene will surpass the natural species. This is among the most evident examples of plausible negative effects [of GM crop on the environment."

The research also challenges the idea that genetically modified plants with more copies of their genes are more safe than crops that have microorganism genes. Lu declares, "Our study shows this is not always the case."

Researchers say these findings should prompt a reconsideration of how genetically modified crops are regulated in the future. "Some individuals are claiming that biosafety regulation can be eased because we've reached an incredibly high level of confidence in the last two decades of genetic engineering," Ellstrand says. ラウンドアップ "But the research shows that novel products require an in-depth evaluation."

https://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/kaientai/category/sunfulon/
Homepage: https://pesticide.maff.go.jp/agricultural-chemicals/details/14360