Crop Biotech Update

February 5, 2010

NEWS

Global
• Regulatory Reforms for Farmers to Benefit from GE Crops

Africa
• New Project Aims to Increase Yam Production in Africa

Americas
• CIP Develops Enhanced Potato Varieties
• Regulatory Process a Hindrance in Public Sector Development of GE Crops Says Beachy
• US Funding for Plant Genome Projects Reaches All-Time High
• New Computational Model Promises Rapid Characterization of Plant Genes
• Wild Oat Tapped to Combat Crown Rust
• Secrets to Superb Malting Barleys Explored
• Crown Rust Resistance and Avn Production in Barley
• Purdue Researcher: Innovation is Key to a More Sustainable Agriculture

Asia and the Pacific
• Pakistan, Monsanto Sign MoU on Bt Cotton
• Independent Trial Results Available on GM Canola

Europe
• EFSA's Opinion on the Prohibition of GM Crops in Madeira
• Ukrainian Cabinet wants Parliament to Cancel 'GMO Free' Marking
• UK and France Collaborate Toward a Sustainable Food and Agricultural Sector
• Russia Approves Monsanto's Herbicide Tolerant Soybeans
• Russia's Doctrine of Food Security Signed

Research
• Replacing Fossil Oil with Plant-Derived Biomass

Announcements
• Global Biosafety Management Program
• International Symposium on the Biosafety of GMOs

Document Reminders
• GMO Field Trials in Australia
• Regulatory Framework for Vietnam
• The Production and Price Impact of Biotech Crops

Article Search:

---

Crop Biotech Update
Special Edition

February 11, 2009

Press Release of ISAAA Brief No. 39-2008:  Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2008

Biotech crops, on the heels of a robust 2008 and bolstered by increased political will to meet food demands, are poised for a second wave of strong adoption that will drive sustained global growth through the end of the second decade of commercialization 2006 to 2015, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).

An additional 1.3 million farmers planted 10.7 million new hectares of biotech crops including three new countries in 2008, according to the ISAAA brief Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops 2008. ISAAA has been tracking global biotech crop adoption trends since 1996.

In its annual study, ISAAA found that 13.3 million farmers in a record 25 countries planted 125 million hectares of biotech crops last year, the sixth largest growth spurt in 13 years of reporting.  The 2 billionth cumulative acre of biotech crops also was planted in 2008, just three years after the first billionth acre, a milestone which required a decade to reach.

Crop Biotechnology Events

A list of meetings, courses and workshops related to crop biotechnology world-wide.

Biotechnology Videos

• Restoring Lost Cover
• Silver Fields of Gold: The Story of Bt Cotton in China
• Nurturing the Seeds of Cooperation: The Papaya Network of Southeast Asia
• Seeing is Believing - The Bt Cotton Trials in Burkina Faso
• The Story of Bt Cotton in India
• Fruits of Partnerships
• Asia's First: The Bt Corn Story in the Philippines
• ISAAA Corporate Video
  

Biofuels Supplement

January 29, 2010

News and Trends
• Microbio Factors Inhibiting Yeast-Ethanol Fermentation by Lignocellulosic-Pretreatment By-product
• Collaborative Project on Integrated Saltwater Agric Systems for Sustainable Aviation-Biofuels

Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
• Biofuel Applications Seen in Sunflower Genome Project

Biofuels Processing
• Scientists Engineer Bacteria for Direct Conversion of Biomass to Biodiesel and Specialty Chemicals
• "Self-Destruct" Gene Facilitates Oil Recovery from Cyanobacteria for Biofuel Production

Biofuels Policy and Economics
• EU Bioethanol Growth in 2008 Reported Driven by Cereal Feedstocks

What's New?

Socioeconomic Impacts of Biotech Crops in Philippines and Indonesia The book presents the projected level and distribution of costs and benefits associated with the featured biotech crops.
Voices of Change This brochure highlights how different audiences respond to science communication efforts, thus building a collective voice on crop biotechnology.
Biotech Crops in Africa: The Final Frontier The booklet captures some key developments in agricultural biotechnology in Africa
Revised Pocket Ks Now Available for Download Revised versions of Pocket Ks 1 and 2, Questions and Answers About GM Crops, and Plant Products of Biotechnology, are now available!
ISAAA Brief 40-2009 Now Available! Brief 40 Communicating Crop Biotechnology: Stories from Stakeholders documents how various stakeholders have benefited from science communication efforts and how in turn, they are now part of the process of realizing a collective voice on crop biotechnology.
New Pocket K on Marker-Free GM Plants Scientists have developed numerous techniques either to avoid or get rid off marker genes. These methods are discussed in a new Pocket K.
Pocket K 16 Updated Pocket K No. 16: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2008
The Dawn of a New Era This publication aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date status of the field trials and commercialization of biotech crops in India 2008
ISAAA is now on Twitter Follow ISAAA and the KC on Twitter for the latest information on Crop Biotechnology.
ISAAA Video on "Knowledge, Technology & Poverty Alleviation" Available in 18 Languages
CBU Now has a Logo We encourage organizations that republish selected articles from the newsletter to include the logo.
Directory Now Up Search thru over 500 links to research institutes, universities, companies, sources of biotech information and other directories specific to agricultural biotechnology and related fields.
Pocket K No. 35: Bt Brinjal in India Now in 7 Indian Languages This Pocket K on Bt Brinjal is now available in Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Oriyaa, Tamil, and Telugu
Abridged Version of This 10 minute video discusses in detail the three questions global society has begun to ask about biotech crops.
ISAAA New Video on “Knowledge, Technology and Alleviation of Poverty” The video discusses in detail the three questions global society has begun to ask about biotech crops.
Video: Q & A with Clive James This video provides an opportunity for the viewers to know more about ISAAA, its mission and who funds ISAAA and its global report on biotech crops.
Global Status Map 2008 The Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops 2008 Map is now available for download!
Trust in the Seed now in Hindi This publication highlights the significance of the seed and new crop technologies. Now in Hindi!
ISAAA Briefs 39 - 2008 Now Available! The Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2008 is Now Available!
Crop Biotech Translations (PDF: Opens in new window) Arabic - November 20, 2009 Bahasa Indonesia - December 18, 2009 Bangla - December 11, 2009 Chinese - January 15, 2010 Chinese-Traditional - January 15, 2010 Japanese - September 1, 2009 Portuguese - December 1, 2009 Thai - January 1, 2010 Vietnamese - December 18, 2009 (Web) French - December 2009 issue Italian - October 2009 issue Spanish - January 2010 issue
Biofuels Supplement Translations Spanish - January 2010 issue