GM Crops in the Field Now and in the Future

Chris Leaver

chris.leaver@plants.ox.ac.uk

What Limits Yield in the Field ?

TEMPERATURE

The scientific basis of all crop improvement is identification of the genes that encode and regulate specific phenotypic characteristics or traits of use to the farmer.

REDUCED STRESSES

Biotic and Abiotic

• Pests and Diseases • Weeds • Saline or acid soils . Increased greenhouse gases- Tolerance to climate change

• Drought or Flooding • High or low Temperature . Phyto-remediation

MORE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

IMPROVED PLANT PERFORMANCE

• Nutrient use efficiency • Water use efficiency • Control of flowering • Plant architecture • Heterosis • Yield

Plant Gene Technology

IMPROVED NUTRITION AND HEALTH

• Vitamins & Minerals • Biofortification • Post harvest quality • Taste • Proteins • Oils and Fats

• Carbohydrates

• Fibre & Digestible energy • Bloat Safety

NEW INDUSTRIES

CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS

PHARMACEUTICALS

• Vaccines • Antibodies • Diagnostics

• Biodegradable Plastics • Biofuels

Environment

Quality Traits

Plant pests: The biggest threats to food security?

• The threat posed to crop production by plant pests and diseases is one the key factors that could lead to "a perfect storm" that threatens to destabilise global food security.Already, the biological threat accounts for about a 40% loss in global production and the problem is forecast to get worse.

“One for the rook,

One for the crow

One for to rot

and one for to

grow!”

The World Agricultural Cake CROP PROTECTION ESSENTIAL

TO MAXIMISE HARVEST

Efficient Pest Control is based on Integrated Pest management (IPM):

• Pesticides/Herbicides (Agrichemicals)

• Biological control, including the use of natural enemies

• Host plant resistance, by plant breeding or making genetically modified/enhanced crops

• Moving from Chemical Solutions to Biological Solutions

The majority of crops are sprayed many times in a growing

season to combat weeds and pests. Cotton can receive up to

10 to 12 sprays.Aubergine 30 or 40 sprays in India.

Cavendish Banana with Black Sigatoka

Nigeria

Courtesy IPGRI Courtesy IPGRI

Genetically Modified Crops in Agriculture Today

• Input traits of obvious benefits to producers (agrochemical companies and farmers) but not yet obvious to the consumer

• Including resistance to herbicides, insects and viral disease

The first generation of GM traits were designed to complement the use of agrichemicals and provide better pest and weed control and involved the transfer of a single gene from a bacterium. One conferred resistance to a herbicide the other to specific classes of boring insect pests.

Stacked traits are becoming the norm and introduced into range of crops including rice

Weeds compete with crops for:

Water

Nutrients

Soil

Weeds harbour insect and disease

pests

Noxious weeds can greatly

undermine crop quality

Weeds can clog irrigation and

drainage systems causing

flooding problems

Result: >92% of corn, >95% of

soybean acres are treated with

herbicides Competition from weeds

Competition from weeds can reduce yields,

harbour pests and contaminate the harvest

ROUNDUP

Glyphosate –the most widely

used weed-killer (herbicide) in

the world

HERBICIDE RESISTANCE

conferred by a single amino

acid mutation in the active

site of the target enzyme

(EPSPS) and insertion of the

gene into crops.CP4 gene

derived from Agrobacterium

sp.

N-(Phosphonomethyl) - glycine

Introduction of a bacterial gene from

Agrobacterium for EPSPS with an

amino acid mutation in the active site

which renders the enzyme resistant to

glyphosate

Photo credit: Doug Buhler, Bugwood.org

Plants compete with other

plants for sunlight and

nutrients. Many farmers

use herbicides to eliminate

weeds (undesired plants)

from their fields.

Left – corn rows sprayed with herbicide to eliminate competing plants

Right – corn being choked by giant foxtail (Setaria faberi)

GM Example: Herbicide resistance

COMPARISON: GM VS NON-GM

SUGAR BEET

COMPARISON: GM VS NON-GM

SOYBEAN

Conservation Tillage

• Maize crop planted 4 weeks before the picture

• Less labour/energy

• Residue from previous crop will be 90% degraded by end of summer with increase in soil organic matter (CO2 sink) and reduced erosion

Insect Resistant Crops

Insects not only kill crops and reduce crop yield

they also spread other diseases such as viruses,

bacteria and fungi from plant to plant

Damage in Storage and

In Transit Due to Insect

Infestation

Aphids

Cereal aphids

Pea aphids

Potato aphidsPeach

aphids

Aphids spread fungal, bacterial and viral diseases

Aphids act as vectors for

Viruses and Bacterial and

Fungal Spores

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

a naturally occuring bacteria

that lives in the soil

Also called a protein toxin because it kills insects

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produces an insecticidal protein

WIDELY USED BY ORGANIC FARMERS FOR OVER 50 Years and has no affect

on any animals including humans

The Bt protein is a Natural Bacterial Insecticide

The Gene is Easily Isolated

• Derived from naturally occurring Bacillus thuringiensis

• Microbial products contain mixtures of Bt proteins

• CryIAb protein has > 50 year history of safe use

• Dipel® and other commercial microbial products

• Subjected to extensive safety testing around the world, used by Soil Association

• Acute (LD50: >3 to >5 g/kg)

• Subchronic (NOELs: 0.5 to >8.4 g/kg/day)

• Chronic (NOEL = 8.4 g/kg/day)

• Humans (no effect at 1 g/day for up to 5 days)

Bt Proteins Have a Long History of Safe Consumption

GM Example: Insect resistance

through introduction of the Bt gene

Wild-type peanut plant Peanut plant expressing the Bt gene

Photo by Herb Pilcher USDA

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria

produce insecticidal proteins

Bacillus

thuringiensis

expressing Bt

toxin

Plant cell

expressing Bt

toxin

Bacillus thuringiensis

expressing insecticidal Bt

toxin can be sprayed onto

plants

Or the plants can be

engineered to express the

Bt gene coding for Bt toxin

The effect of Bt toxin is highly

specific

Bacillus

thuringiensis

expressing Bt

toxin

Plant cell

expressing Bt

toxin

Intestine

The Bt toxin affects only some insects

because to be effective it has to be

processed and bind to a specific

receptor protein

Processing

Receptor

binding Intestinal

lumen

The effect of Bt toxin is highly

specific

Bacillus

thuringiensis

expressing Bt

toxin

Plant cell

expressing Bt

toxin

After binding, the insecticidal proteins

assemble to form a pore in the lining of

the insect intestine which kills the insect

Pore

assembly

Intestine

Bt-Protected Unprotected Bt Protected Cotton Conventional cotton

Bt cotton gives 15% yield

increase under low to moderate

pest infestation; insecticide use

reduced by 2/3 in Burkina Faso

SOURCE: Vitale, J., Glick, H., Greenplate, J., Abdennadher, M. and Traoré, O. 2008. Second-Generation Bt

Cotton Field Trials in Burkina Faso: Analyzing the Potential Benefits to West African Farmers. Crop Science 48:

1958-1966.

Larvae

Adult

Insect-Protected Corn Targets (YieldGard®)

Advantages

• Reduction in pesticide use

• Improved insect control

• Increased yield

• Up to 90% reduction in mycotoxin content

Field

•European Corn Borer

•Pink Borer

•Asian Corn Borer

•Fall Army Worm

Stored Grain

•Indian Mealmoth

•Angoumois Grain Moth

Conventional Bt Transgenic

Insect damage & fumonisins

Inset photo: NPR

IMPROVING QUALITY - The toxicity of Fusarium mycotoxins

• Fusarium mycotoxins decrease grain quality and

can potentially be the source of toxicity to

animals

• Productivity is reduced

• Carcinogenic rats & mice (NTP)

• Epidemiology; esophageal cancer in humans (Africa, China)

• Fatal brain damage in horses at 10 ppm, liver damage in other animals

• FDA proposed fumonisin limits of 2-4 ppm (humans), 5 ppm (horse), 20 ppm (swine), 100 ppm (poultry)

• Switzerland limit of 1 ppm

Benefits of Transgenic Insect-Resistant Crops-1

• Season long protection

• Insects are always treated at the most sensitive stage

• Protection is independent of the weather

• Protection of plant tissues which are difficult to treat using insecticides

• Only crop-eating insects are exposed

• Material confined to plant tissue

• Active factor is biodegradable and non-toxic to man and animals

• Avoids use of broad spectrum insecticides which kill all insects

Benefits of Transgenic Insect-Resistant Crops-2

• Promotes sustainability of natural resources by reducing use of energy and chemicals ( more target use of pesticides and reduction in use of fossil fuels)

• Reduction in land/water contamination through reduced pesticide usage

• Preserving natural habitats for biodiversity(more efficient use of land)

• Reduced impact on non-target organisms, including beneficials

• Enhancing safety of food crops by reducing mycotoxin contamination

• Increased yield

Corn

Glyphosate tolerance

• Foliar insect control

• Corn root worm

Cotton and Soybean:

Insect resistance

Glyphosate tolerance

Virus

control

-

Genetically Modified Crops in Agriculture Today The first generation of GM traits were designed to complement the use of agrichemicals and provide better insect and weed control

Papaya

Canola (Oil Seed Rape)

Sugar Beet

Glyphosate tolerance

These input traits were of obvious benefits to producers (agrochemical companies and

farmers) but not obvious to the consumer. These traits are now being introduced

together (stacked) in Corn ,Soybean,Cotton,Canola and now Rice and other crops-----

Input

traits

How many more

traits in one crop?

Above ground

Weed control

Below ground

Corn borer

(CB)

Glyphosate

tolerance

(GT)

Rootworm

(RW)

Stacked GM traits in the Field

• Triple Stacked

traits protection

against:

Corn borer

Rootworm

Glyphosate

tolerance

Soon up to 12 stacked traits.

Now being introduced into

a wider range of crops

including rice

Transgenic rice plants

harboring a modified CpTI

(Cowpea Trypsin Inhibitor)

grown in a trial field in the

Fujian province of China in

2002. (a) Before pest burst, no

apparent difference could be

observed between the

transgenic plants and the non-

transgenic control. (b) After

pest burst, the transgenic plants

(green) showed a high level of

resistance to rice stem borer,

whereas the non-transgenic

control was seriously damaged

(yellow). Photographs courtesy

of Zhen Zhu (Institute of

Genetics and Developmental

Biology, Chinese Academy of

Sciences).

Environmental benefits of gene

technology already include

• a move to more benign, non-persistent weedkillers – but, the

incidence of weeds resistant to the weedkillers is increasing

• major opportunities exist for increasing no-till farming,

reducing both the damage to soil caused by ploughing as

well as wear and tear on machinery, and tractor fuel

• reduced need for pesticides, especially insecticides – so far,

after 10 years of use, no resistant insects have appeared in

the field; this means enormous benefits for non-pest insects

and for farmers in poor countries using back-pack spraying

equipment with inadequate protection

MOVING FROM CHEMICAL SOLUTIONS TO BIOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS

No-till allows: Fuel savings Labor savings Herbicide savings Smaller tractors Narrow row planting Increased yields

And helps to: Reduce soil erosion Keep carbon & nutrients in soil Increase birdlife Increase beneficial insects Increase in organic matter (carbon) in the

topsoil Improve water infiltratand moisture

retention– which increases resistance to drought

Simple traits have brought huge benefits including the more cost effective use of more benign modern chemicals

MOVING FROM CHEMICAL SOLUTIONS TO

BIOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS

Environmental & Sustainability Benefits of 1st Generation GM Crops

Traits benefit growers & value chain

• Agronomic – 2nd Generation Insect Control

– 2nd Generation Herbicide Tolerance

– Disease resistance

• Output – Ethanol productivity

– Improved feeds

• Advanced – Drought (water optimization)

– Yield

– Nitrogen utilization

– Nutraceuticals and Biofortified Crops

1 Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indictors, 2006 Editions, ERS / USDA July 2006 – all traits approved for testing until mid 200 5 2 Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indictors, 2006 Editions, ERS / USDA July 2006 3 ProExporter Network® yield forecasts

Biotechnology Momentum Building

1st Generation Insect resistance Herbicide tolerance

Corn Yield Bushels per acre

2nd Generation Insect resistance Herbicide tolerance

Next Generation Output traits Advanced input traits

% of acres planted to traits

Yields Increasing, Supply More Secure

% of acres

Genetically modified crops in the USA…

GM maize 86% of total production

area in 2010 (

GM sugarbeet 95% of total production

area in 2010

GM cotton 88% of total production

area in 2010

GM soybean 93% of total production

area in 2010

GM canola 90% of total production

area in 2010

SOURCE: NCFAP; USDA

Biotech Crop Countries and Mega-countries 2011

Global Areas of Biotech Crops 1996-2011

Global Areas of Biotech Crops,

1996-2011 by Trait

Global Area of Biotech Crops,

1996-2011 by Crop

49

Global Adoption Rates (%)

Principal Biotech Crops 2011

The figures released today show that:• 90 percent of farmers worldwide growing biotech crops are small resource-poor farmers in developing countries

– 15 million - up 8 percent or 1.3 million since 2010 • Growth rates of biotech crops in developing countries were twice as fast as

developed countries in 2011 • Out of the top ten countries growing biotech crops, eight were in the

developing world • India planted 10.6 million hectares of biotech cotton during 2011• Brazil

increased its area planted with biotech crops by 20 percent in 2011 • Africa planted 2.5 million hectares of biotech crops, and is making

advancements with field trials in the regulatory process for additional biotech crop countries and crops

• In Europe, plantings of biotech maize in 2011 were a record 114,490 hectares. This represents an increase of more than 25 percent on 2010, but is

only a small fraction of the 51million hectares grown worldwide.

Papaya plants inoculated with PRSV. The

transgenic plant (left) is resistant while

the nontransgenic plant (right) is not.

Saving the Papaya Industry in Hawaii

‘UH Rainbow’ papaya

plants that are resistant to

PSRV were made by Dr.

Dennis Gonsalves and

colleagues, who used the

PRSV coat protein gene

in a ‘pathogen-derived

resistance’ strategy.

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV)

spoils flavor and reduces vigor

and fruit set. Phenotypic

symptoms are concentric

rings, spots and C-shaped

markings on the fruit.

From: http://www.apsnet.org/education/

feature/papaya/Top.htm

Papaya Ring Spot Virus PRSV

Papaya ring spot virus in Hawaii (aphid transmitted virus; no known resistance)

Nov 1996, 13 months after plantings

May 1997, 19 months after planting

D. Gonsalves

Mankind depends on a few crop species for food

The application of marker assisted breeding and GM technology has primarily been used to improve food production in the major world crops such as corn (maize) and soybean with cotton,canola and rice following behind. They should now be adapted to improving orphan crops which can address food security and nutrition and provide economic benefits to poor farmers in the developing world-sorghum,cowpea,sweet potato,groundnut,cassava

The scientific basis of all crop improvement is identification of the genes that encode and regulate specific phenotypic characteristics or traits of use to the farmer.

REDUCED STRESSES

Biotic and Abiotic

• Pests and Diseases • Weeds • Saline or acid soils . Increased greenhouse gases- Tolerance to climate change

• Drought or Flooding • High or low Temperature . Phyto-remediation

MORE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

IMPROVED PLANT PERFORMANCE

• Nutrient use efficiency • Water use efficiency • Control of flowering • Plant architecture • Heterosis • Yield

Plant Gene Technology

IMPROVED NUTRITION AND HEALTH

• Vitamins & Minerals • Biofortification • Post harvest quality • Taste • Proteins • Oils and Fats

• Carbohydrates

• Fibre & Digestible energy • Bloat Safety

NEW INDUSTRIES

CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS

PHARMACEUTICALS

• Vaccines • Antibodies • Diagnostics

• Biodegradable Plastics • Biofuels

Environment

Quality Traits

Building Productivity and Sustainability into the Seed. What’s under Development?

• Counter existing and new pest and disease outbreaks

• Increase water (‘more crop per drop’) and nitrogen use efficiency

• Increase drought and flooding tolerance

• Increase nutrient (fertilisers) uptake efficiency

• Improve nutritive value

The battle against

plant viruses

Tyler Hicks/The New York

Times

Any nutritional and yield improvements

in cassava must be in virus-resistant

farmer-preferred cultivars

Cassava as a food crop is becoming increasingly important worldwide

Virus outbreaks severely affect cassava production in Africa

The African Cassava Mosaic Virus (CMV)

originated in Uganda and is transmitted by

the whitefly, which reproduces every month

and can travel 10 km during the lifespan

Healthy Cassava Plant

Cassava plant

after virus infection

Severe Cassava Virus Infections

Affect Food Security

Two fungal diseases threatening the world’s food supply

•Phytophthora infestans,

cause of potato late blight

which lad to the Irish

Famine, has re-emerged as

a threat.

•Puccinia graminis tritici, the

wheat stem rust fungus

(Ug99), has developed into a

highly aggressive form.Little

natural resistance Photo credits: www.news.cornell.edu; www.fao.org

“The Worst drought in 60 years has affected the Horn of Africa and other parts of

Sub Saharan Africa in recent years”

Drought necessitates “more crop per drop”

Increased water use efficiency Solutions

– Harness natural genetic variation

• Identify genes in crops that improve water use efficiency (and thereby drought tolerance) and maintain yield

• Improve tolerance through breeding

• “Forward Genetics”: from trait to gene

– Utilize genetic engineering

• Engineer genes and transfer them into the crop to enhance water use efficiency while maintaining yield

• “Reverse Genetics”: from gene to trait

• Multiple complementary approaches: native trait and functional genomics, transgenics

• Multiple new trait constructs are currently under evaluation in field trials

As a consequence of climate changes, droughts

are expected to increase

Image credit: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 2008 Africa Review Report on Drought and Desertification

In some African

countries, yields from

rain-fed agriculture,

which is important for the

poorest farmers, could

be reduced by up to

50% by 2020.

-(FAO 2010)

Breeding for drought tolerance

Water use

efficiency is a

complex trait

that involves

hundreds of

genes

Photo credit: J.S. Quick, Bugwood.org

Water optimization : Combining GM and non-GM technology

• Drought during pollination leads

to poor kernel set

• New technology would protect during drought conditions

• Multiple complementary approaches: native trait and functional genomics, transgenics

• Multiple new trait constructs are currently under evaluation in field trials

• Promising gene candidates with excellent drought tolerance in field trials

Maize is a staple crop in Africa but very sensitive

to drought damage

Less than 10% of crop land in sub-Saharan

Africa is irrigated, making agriculture

production highly susceptible to drought

Photo credit: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT Map Source – FAO Aquastat 2005

Irrigation as percentage of cultivated area

Water Efficient Maize for Africa was developed

through a public-private partnership Water-efficient maize

optimized for growth in sub-

Saharan Africa has been

developed through a

combination of breeding and

GM methods

WEMA is being

developed as a public-

private partnership that

includes international

and regional plant

breeding institutes,

philanthropic groups and

Monsanto Photo credits: Anne Wangalachi/CIMMYT

Bold plans that succeeded - Drought tolerant maize varieties (UK climate week award 2012)

Varieties Countries

ZM309 ZW, MW, SZ

ZM401 ZW, TZ (Tan250)

ZM423 AO, ZA, ZM, ZW

ZM523 MW, ZA, ZW

ZM623 CD, LS, MW, TZ, ZW

ZM625 ZM (Kamano)

ZM721 CD, TZ (Tan254), ZM

WS103 KE

Melkassa 4 ET

KDV1 KE (Dryland)

KDV4 KE (Dryland)

KDV6 KE (Dryland)

Hybrid Countries

PAN53 ZW, MW, ZM, GH, ZA, SZ

Longe H7 UG

MH26 MW

WH403 KE

WH504 KE

Pris601 ZW

CAP9001 SZ, ZA, MW

TAN H600 TZ

KAM601 ZM

PGS61 ZW, ZM

WH502 KE

ZMS402 ZM

ZMS737 ZM

In 2011 seed companies

released water-optimized corn Both of these varieties were developed

using modern molecular breeding methods

without the use of recombinant DNA

Submergence is a major constraint to rice production in S and SE Asia. New Sub1 lines after 17 days submergence in the field at IRRI

Samba-Sub1

Samba

Samba-Sub1

IR64-Sub1

IR49830 (Sub1)

IR64

IR42

IR64

IR64-Sub1

Samba-Sub1

IR49830 (Sub1)

Samba

IR64

IR64-Sub1 IR49830 (Sub1)

IR42

IR64-Sub1

IR64

IR49830 (Sub1)

IR49830 (Sub1)

IR42

Samba

IR42

Samba

TO MUCH WATER-FLOODING………

The Link Between Diet and Health

Millions of deaths

due to under nutrition

Millions of deaths

due to over nutrition

Developing World Developed World

(Poor) (Rich)

Many of our common food crops are not perfect with respect to the nutritional

requirements of humans or animals.

Protein, starch, and oil composition and content as well as vitamin and

micronutrient content can all be improved to make foods more nutritious. Using GM to produce biofortified crop containing increased Vitamins and Fe. Zn etc

The Link Between Diet and Health

Millions of deaths

due to under nutrition

Millions of deaths

due to over nutrition

Developing World Developed World

(Poor) (Rich)

Many of our common food crops are not perfect with respect to the nutritional

requirements of humans or animals.

Protein, starch, and oil composition and content as well as vitamin and

micronutrient content can all be improved to make foods more nutritious. Using GM to produce biofortified crop containing increased Vitamins and Fe. Zn etc

Golden Rice - Public - Private partnerships

• Milled rice has no beta-carotene-provitamin A

• Globally, approximately 670,000 children die every year because they are vitamin A–deficient.

• Another 350,000 children go blind

• More than 90 million children in Southeast Asia

suffer from vitamin A deficiency, more than in

any other region

• Golden Rice may provide one of the solutions

GM to improve provitamin A accumulation

Breeding plants for β-carotene

(pro-vitamin A) enrichment

Image sources: Petaholmes based on WHO data;

Vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of blindness

The Creation of Golden Rice

The Daffodil psy gene encoding phytoene desaturase and Erwinia crtl gene

encoding carotene desaturase were used to engineer enhanced levels of

Beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A) to help combat Vitamin A deficiency

Golden Rice

….represents a first example of a

biofortified staple crop made possible

by the application of recombinant

DNA technologies

Conventional breeding approaches

not possible in rice-GM the only answer

Biofortified plants are improving

nutrition for many

The non-profit organization HarvestPlus

focuses on the development of biofortified

crops for the developing world, including a

provitamin A enriched sweet potato that is

currently being grown by half a million

families. Other biofortification projects are

underway to increase levels of protein,

iron, zinc, antioxidants and other beneficial

components in food.

Sources: HarvestPlus; CIMMYT

Mankind depends on a few crop species for food

The application of marker assisted breeding and GM technology has primarily been used to improve food production in the major world crops such as corn (maize) and soybean with cotton,canola and rice following behind. They should now be adapted to improving orphan crops which can address food security and nutrition and provide economic benefits to poor farmers in the developing world-sorghum,cowpea,sweet potato,groundnut,cassava

Plant breeding can support

African agriculture African farmers

need access to

high yielding,

drought tolerant,

disease resistant

plants. Most food is

grown by small-

scale farmers with

little mechanization.

Cassava, cowpea

and banana are

important crops and

the focus of

intensive breeding

programs.

Photos courtesy if IITA

SOURCE: http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/genes_sweet_pepper_arm_banana_against_deadly_wilt_disease

Ugandan researchers successfully

transferred genes from green pepper

to bananas to enable wilt resistance

GM Example: Disease resistant

banana by introduction of a gene

from pepper

Resistant Susceptible Banana bacterial wilt is destroying

plants in eastern Africa. Transgenic

plants carrying a resistance gene from

pepper are resistant to the disease

Tripathi, L., Mwaka, H., Tripathi, J.N., and Tushemereirwe, W.K. (2010). Expression of sweet pepper Hrap gene in banana

enhances resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum. Molecular Plant Pathology 11: 721-731.

In the next 50 years, we will

have to produce as much

food as we have yet

produced in human history Photo credit: © UNICEF/NYHQ1998-0891/Giacomo Pirozzi

Agricultural biotechnology enabling breeding systems to be more efficient in producing improved local crop varieties.

…..adapted to local soil and environmental conditions and need

The Seeds of the Future

‘A group of crops that are vital to the economy of developing countries due to their suitability to the agro-ecology and socio-economic conditions, but remain largely unimproved’. Africa Technology Development Forum 2009, Vol 6: 3&4.

Orphan Food Crops:Tef Cereal for Ethiopia Orphan Industrial/Medicinal Crops. Artemesia Orphan Fuel Crops.Jatropha

Molecular Approaches have the potential to Speed Up Plant Breeding and domestication in orphan crops

The challenges to food production

in Africa are immense • Lack of infrastructure, especially irrigation and

access to transportation networks

• High incidence of diseases

• Lack of available fertilizers

• Lack of government and industry support for

research and translation into the field

• Lack of education and support for farmers

• Lack of economic supports and market stability

• Agricultural subsidies in other countries affect

market value

Key Messages • Global food and nutrition security is under immense

pressure

• Technology has vast potential to meet not only global demands for food and nutrition but also address emerging issues of sustainable energy and environment

• Cost of bringing new technologies to the market continues to escalate ca.$135 million and 12-15 years

• Genetics is expanding the paradigm of crop nutrition and pest protection to include stress alleviation, land and natural resource use efficiency, consistency and crop quality

• A science-based, transparent, globally harmonized regulatory and trade policies are central for realizing the potential of the sector

How Do We Move Forward? • Given present trends in population, food production, trade, and the

environment, the necessary increases in production and income generation in rural areas cannot be achieved simply by expanding cultivated land and using current technologies

• We must strive to attain global sustainability as a precondition for human progress. The only realistic option is to invest in the science and technology necessary to increase the efficiency of agriculture and attempt to reverse the impact of man-made climate change-

SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION

• We must address population, affluence, and technology simultaneously to move towards sustainability

• While agricultural production must be intensified to meet projected demands for food, feed, fibre and biofuels, intensification strategies must also change to avoid adverse environmental impacts and to reverse the effects of past practices

We must use all safe, appropriate, socially responsible and sustainable opportunities to increase food supplies. This can be achieved by combining the best of conventional plant breeding with the new biotechnologies including marker assisted breeding and genetic modification of crop plants

Future Challenges:good science alone is not enough……….. . There is an urgent need to link food and agriculture policy to wider global governance

agendas such as climate change mitigation, biodiversity and international development. Without this link a decision in one area could compromise important objectives in another.

• Policy makers need to understand that the food system is more than just about feeding people: a failing food system impairs the life chances of children and can fuel social tensions; civil unrest, conflict and economic and environmental migration; and cause the degradation of the environment. If we get the food system wrong, the effects will spill over far beyond food and the hungry. They will affect us all.

• The solution is not just to produce more food, or change diets, or eliminate waste. The potential threats are so great that they cannot be met by making changes piecemeal to parts of the food system. What is needed is radical change across a wide front. Balancing the competing demands of food production, climate change mitigation and the environment will be a major challenge for policy makers.

• Equally, meeting the future challenges cannot be accomplished just by change within the food system. Food and food production needs to be integrated into decisions in much wider agendas – e.g. water, land use and energy, and climate change mitigation.

• Taken together all this amounts to a considerable challenge to policy makers – and the vital need for food and food production to move up the political agenda.

A Way Forward • We must encourage a more participatory, multi-stakeholder

approach towards setting priorities for food security and nutrition crises that are already upon us.

• This must be led by political wisdom drawn by joint consensus from the relevant ministries of health, agriculture, finance, environment, and trade.

• Radical changes in the way science is done on an international basis, the way in which biosafety regulations are implemented, and a new spirit of co-operation is required if the benefits of science are to reach those who need them the most.

• Public Good Plant Breeding and private-public partnerships.

• The call for Asia to emulate the Western economic model – which defines success as consumption-driven economic growth – must be challenged. How we can live in a constrained planet now that billions of Asians are being told to consume as the West does?

The result would be catastrophic. Yet this is what Asians are told to aspire to as the population and expectations increase. The 2 billion Asians now at the margins of the consumption economy will radically transform global demand and supply, not only for non-renewable commodities such as oil and coal (with their respective carbon emissions), but also for renewables such as food (think meat consumption) and put a strain on water and land for production.

Our current model of consumption-led economic growth thrives on under-pricing ecological, environmental and social externalities.

We must all shrink and share .

FINAL THOUGHT…… We have already surpassed the sustainable carrying capacity of the

planet and unless we can stabilise or reduce our population those of

us fortunate enough to live in the ‘so called’ developed world will

have to take a significant cut in our standard of living.

SOURCE: “Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger?”, New York Times, 10/26/09

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/can-biotech-food-cure-world-

hunger/?partner=rss&emc=rss#paul

“Genetic modification is analogous to nuclear power: nobody

loves it, but climate change has made its adoption imperative. As

Africa’s climate deteriorates, it will need to accelerate crop

adaptation. As population grows it will need to raise yields.

Modern Plant Breeding and Genetic modification offers both

faster crop adaptation and a biological, rather than chemical,

approach to yield increases.”

Dr. Paul Collier Professor, Economics, Oxford University

Director, Center for the Study of African Economies.

Author of “The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It.”

• In Europe and in many African countries agricultural biotechnology has been one of the big success stories of activism by the NGOs

-Not because it stopped something unsafe but it demonstrated the power of emotions over facts in policy making and innovation

-it has frozen policy and regulatory attitudes

• Agric biotech is a tale of great achievement & constant controversy. As long as this scenario remains its potential will remain unused and the victims will be farmers in Africa and other developing economies who may be condemned to poverty and food insecurity

GM Technology and Activism

Plant Gene Technology

• More sustainable production

• Lower carbon footprint

• Resistance to biotic and abiotic environmental stresses

• Healthier nutritional foods

• Higher quality food and feed

• Increased yields/hectare

• Increased food production to feed increasing population

• Drought tolerance

• Plants as bio- refineries for

pharmaceuticals and biofuels

SOME BENEFITS ?

• Threat to biodiversity

• Super weeds and pollen transfer

• Toxins or allergens

• Multi-national company control –ownership and patents

• Increased chemical use

• Trade Barriers

• Globalisation

• Being Denied Access to the Technology

• The cost of regulation

RISKS ?

Swift’s dictum: ‘And he gave it for his opinion that whoever could

make two ears of corn or two blades of grass to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put together’

Johnathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels,1726

Thank you for listening I hope I have given you some food for thought

Photo credit: IRRI

Future

Challenges

Questions

What risk assessments are

performed on GM crops? Before release into the environment, GM crops are subject to risk-

assessment and risk-management measures to evaluate:

• Risks to human health (including toxicity and allergenicity)

• Risks of evolution of resistance in target pathogens or pests

• Risks to non-target organisms

• Risks from movement of transgenes

Will genes from GMOs

contaminate wild populations?

John William Waterhouse: Pandora - 1896

When Pandora opened the

forbidden box she released

evil into the world

Pollen can move DNA

between plants. To minimize

this possibility, GM crops

have to be grown prescribed

distances away from closely

related plants. Technological

methods to reduce this risk

are being developed.

Will anti-insecticidal genes harm

unintended targets?

Image credit jons2

The evidence shows that the planting of GE crops has largely

resulted in less adverse or equivalent effects on the farm

environment compared with the conventional non-GE systems

that GE crops replaced (National Academies 2010)

Photo credit: CIMMYT.

Partnerships including national

agricultural research institutions,

non-government and community-

based organizations, regional

research networks, and private

companies work together to

develop seeds that are suited to

local conditions and are

affordable for local farmers

> 45% of corn

yields are often

lost to insects

Will GMOs take away choice

and exploit small farmers?

Are GM crops safe to eat?

YES

Photo credit: Neil Palmer/ CIAT

All GM plants are subject to

extensive testing and

regulatory oversight and no

detrimental health effects

have been identified

Bt corn is less prone

contamination by fungi which

produce toxins linked to

cancer and birth defects

GM biofortification can

ensure that all children

get adequate levels of

protein, vitamins and

mineral nutrients.

GM is a safe and

beneficial tool in the

quest to sustainably feed

the growing population

Scientific official reports on transgenic crops safety and benefits :

“…in those countries

where transgenic

crops have been

grown, there have

been no verifiable

reports of… health or

environmental harm.”

- FAO

World Health Organization

Food & Agriculture Organization

(FAO) of the United Nations

National Academy of Sciences

(USA)

Royal Society (UK)

American Medical Association

(USA)

French Academy of Medicine

European Commission

U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Society of Toxicology

Institute of Food Technologists

Source: FAO, 2001.

Since 15 years, most food is produced

with starch, oils and syrup

from genetically modifed crops

Estimates are that >75 % of all processed food

in the US contains ingredients from

GM crops

Developments of maize-legume systems in African savannah

• Integration of soybean, cowpea and agroforestry trees with maize

leads to a reduction of recommended fertilizer rates by half, while

increasing maize yields by 140-300%

• Soil health is vastly improved, and leaching reduced

• These systems have been adopted by a large number of farmers in

sub-Saharan Africa in recent years

Save and grow in practice – an example

slide 2/x

FAO-EPSO Consultation

25 June 2012, FAO, Rome

The Crop •Cultivated on more than 100 million ha per

annum in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

•Starchy storage roots is the major source of

dietary energy for over 200 million people in the

sub-region

•95% of all cassava in sub-Saharan Africa is grown

by resource-poor, subsistence farmers

•Increasingly more important not only as food but

as feedstock, substrate for biofuel and source of

industrial starch

•Many countries of SSA have special Presidential

Initiatives on boosting the economic returns on

the crop

•Rambo crop: Elevated levels of CO2 led to 100%

increase in root DM

CIAT

Constraints being addressed

Biotic stresses

• Diseases: Viruses -- ACMD,

brown streak virus; CBB

• Pests: CGM; whitefly; stem

scale; African root and

tuber scale

Abiotic stresses, including

climate change

• Drought, heat CIAT

Constraints being addressed

Quality

• Low contents of protein; Low bioavailability of zinc, iron, calcium and copper

• Toxic cyanogenic glucoside

• Starch content and quality

• DM content

• Postharvest Physiological Deterioration

CIAT

Sustainable food security is facing a major bottleneck

Total kultiviert Heute kultiviert 95% der Ernährung

• Since the beginning of agriculture, humans have cultivated 7,000 plant species

• Today only 150 plant species (2%) are agriculturally relevant for food and clothing

• Only 10 plant species are cultivated today to provide 95% of food and feed

Total cultivated since

the beginning of agriculture

Cultivated today 95% of food and feed

Monocultures favor the spread of new pathogens

Yes, we have no bananas Last Updated Fri, 17 Jan 2003 11:32:19

BRUSSELS - Disease and pests are eating into the world's supply of bananas, according to a Belgian scientist. Dr. Emile Frison says edible bananas may disappear within a decade if action isn't taken immediately to develop new, more disease-resistant varieties.

“The new strains of stem rust

UG99,…, are much more

dangerous than those that, 50

years ago, destroyed as much

as 20 percent of the American

wheat crop.”

More is needed to improve and preserve the seeds of our future crops

Certain NGOs deliberately declare gene technology

a danger to create public mistrust—and they don’t

stop from even attacking private property

Since 15 years, most food is produced

with starch, oils and syrup

from genetically modifed crops

Estimates are that >75 % of all processed food

in the US contains ingredients from

GM crops

ETH Cassava Research for

food security and nutritional improvement

PPD Virus

Resistance

Bio

fortification Drought

Tolerance

Promoters Root

& Starch

Supported by: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Eiselen Foundation

ETH North-South Center

National Science Foundation BREAD Program

Cassava as a food crop is becoming increasingly important worldwide

Virus outbreaks severely affect cassava production in Africa

The African Cassava Mosaic Virus (CMV)

originated in Uganda and is transmitted by

the whitefly, which reproduces every month

and can travel 10 km during the lifespan

Healthy Cassava Plant

Cassava plant

after virus infection

Severe Cassava Virus Infections

Affect Food Security

Africa-wide losses due to Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) : 24% of total production

Estimated losses for Africa in 2005 : 35 million tonnes

Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) is a

serious threat to food security in Africa

Legg et al., 2006

Legg and Thresh, 2004

The battle against

plant viruses

Tyler Hicks/The New York

Times

Any nutritional and yield improvements

in cassava must be in virus-resistant

farmer-preferred cultivars

Field tests of ACMV-resistant cassava in Puerto Rico (Biocassava Plus project)

ETH technology transfer to African partners at MARI (Tanzania), BECA (Kenya) and

Witwatersrand University (South Africa)

Collaboration with Joseph Ndunguru’s Laboratory

Transformation of Friable Embryogenic Callus (FEC) produced at ETH

Production of FEC from model cultivar and selected Tanzanian cultivars at

MARI

Transformation platform optimization

90% of the world’s wheat is susceptible to Ug99 and its variants

• Infrastructure

• Management & husbandry problems

• Degradation of natural resource base

• Weak markets & socio-economic constraints

• Biological & environmental constraints

-low soil fertility/lack of fertilisers

-drought, pest & disease stress

- global climate change.

The Biotech Pipeline

Yield Optimization Yield Protection Yield Potential

Pest coverage

Drought tolerance

Nitrogen-nutrient use

efficiency.Salinity