PARTIAL TABLE OF CONTENTS, relevant to seed professionals (links are to the ISB News Report website)

REGULATORY NEWS

Acting U.S. Agriculture Secretary announces plan to improve quality compliance of genetically engineered products

On September 20, 2007, Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner announced a new program to help universities, small businesses, and large companies develop sound management practices to enhance compliance with regulatory requirements for field trials and movements of genetically engineered (GE) organisms. The new Biotechnology Quality Management System, a voluntary compliance assistance program, is scheduled for initial implementation in spring 2008.

Complete article:
pdf: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/artspdf/nov0701.pdf
web: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/news07.nov.htm#nov0701

PLANT RESEARCH NEWS

An alternative approach to genetically engineered alfalfa
Troy Weeks, Jingsong Ye, and Caius Rommens

A recent study published in Transgenic Research demonstrates that the quality of alfalfa can be enhanced without incorporating marker genes or other types of foreign DNA into the crop. One aspect of this new approach is the employment of a new marker-free transformation procedure.

Complete article:
pdf: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/artspdf/nov0702.pdf
web: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/news07.nov.htm#nov0702

INSECT RESEARCH NEWS

Genetic approach to identifying Bt resistance genes in Heliothis virescens
Joan LeGloahec and Linda J. Gahan

The Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria have genes that produce proteins toxic to some insect pests. Specific Bt genes have been genetically engineered into various crops so the plants make enough Bt toxin to kill insects that feed on them. The question remains: Will insects eventually develop resistance to Bt toxin? Our research group uses a genetic approach to identify and characterize Bt resistance genes. Since there is no Bt resistance in field populations of Heliothis virescens (Hv), we study a Bt-resistant laboratory strain called YHD2.

Complete article:
pdf: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/artspdf/nov0703.pdf
web: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/news07.nov.htm#nov0703

RISK ASSESSMENT

An unexpected method for controlling corn pollen dispersal
Paul Scott

Two reports describe the characterization of experimental transgenic maize plants containing a wheat genomic DNA fragment encoding the Glu1-Dx5 gene. In their initial evaluation of these plants, the authors unexpectedly determined that the wheat genomic fragment exhibited maternal inheritance in all four of the events that were characterized. The second report characterizes the mechanism that confers maternal inheritance to this transgene and demonstrates that this transgene can be used to prevent the transfer of another transgene (an herbicide resistance gene) to other plants through pollen.

Complete article:
pdf: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/artspdf/nov0704.pdf
web: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/news07.nov.htm#nov0704

Non-target effects of Bt crops database available
L. LaReesa Wolfenbarger

A comprehensive, public database is now available that houses information about studies on the non-target effects of Bt crops. The database contains information on experimental design and results, and facilitates a quantitative approach to synthesizing the studies on the effects of Bt crops on non-target arthropods.

Complete article:
pdf: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/artspdf/nov0705.pdf
web: http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2007/news07.nov.htm#nov0705