China’s
GMO Rice Gets Approval Abroad, But Not at Home
Researchers
hope green light from American FDA will cause central authorities to reconsider
their cautious approach to genetically modified crops.
Wang Yiwei
Jan
22, 2018
The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared a genetically modified strain
of rice to be commercially viable, but the Chinese researchers who developed it
say large-scale production is not yet possible due to a lack of policy at home.
In a
Jan. 11 email to Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, capital of central
Hubei province, the FDA said that Huahui No. 1, a strain of rice genetically
engineered by scientists at the university to resist pests, “does not raise
issues that would require premarket review of approval by the FDA,” according
to a Monday report by state
media outlet Science and Technology Daily. The FDA’s announcement was
also published on its
official website.
To the
researchers, this a huge step — but only in theory. “It means that we could now
sell this strain of rice on the U.S. market,” Lin Yongjun, a member of the
Huazhong Agricultural University research team, told Sixth Tone. But Lin
explained that for now at least, the plants cannot be sold to the U.S. because
production is impossible in China.
As the
world’s largest producer and consumer of rice, China encourages experimentation
and innovation when it comes to developing hybrid varieties but blocks
commercialization of genetically modified strains. According to Lin, the point
of applying for recognition from the FDA is to encourage regulators in China to
reconsider policy.
At
present, Lin said, large-scale production of such strains is not allowed
without the Ministry of Agriculture’s express approval — which it has never
given. “There is no way for genetically engineered crops to pass cultivation
trials,” he said, explaining that this is a necessary step to receiving a
production certificate, according to regulations that went into effect in
2001. In comparison, the U.S. does not have such a process for approving the
production of genetically altered crops.
Lin and
his colleagues developed Huaihui No. 1 in the late 1990s. In 2009, the
agriculture ministry granted the strain a “biological safety” certificate, which
it renewed in 2015.
But without passing trials, large-scale cultivation remains out of reach.
The
perceived safety of genetically modified food has long been a heated issue in
China, where public opinion remains bitterly divided. Yuan Longping, the
country’s revered “father of hybrid rice,” said during a 2016 interview that
researchers should be wary of endorsing crops altered to resist pests, as they
could also pose a danger to humans. In a safety report submitted
to the government, however, the Huahai No. 1 research team assured the
authorities that while its strain is a deterrent to insects, it has no adverse
effect on birds or mammals.
In 2014,
the government of Wuhan, capital of central Hubei province, destroyed 10
hectares of genetically modified rice fields following orders from the central
government to conduct an inspection. Some of these specimens were said to have
come from a “leaked” sub-strain of Huaihui No. 1, according to an official publication of
the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
China’s
cautious approach to genetic food technology is mirrored by other Asian
countries, with Japan being one notable exception: The country planted its first
paddy of genetically modified rice in May of last year.
As for
commercial viability of Huaihui No. 1 in foreign markets, the U.S. still
wouldn’t be an ideal choice, Lin said, as the soil and climate are unsuitable.
Yet he and his colleagues thought FDA recognition was a goal worth pursuing
anyway.
“Our
hope is that this recognition from abroad can help pave way the way for more
open policies in China,” he said.
Editor:
David Paulk.
Ancient rice heralds a new future for rice production
January 22, 2018, University of Queensland
Wild rice growing in northern Australia's crocodile-infested waters could help boost global food security, say University of Queensland researchers who have mapped its genetic family tree.
Valuable traits from the wild rice - such as drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance - can be bred into commercial rice strains, said Professor Robert Henry from the Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation.
"Northern Australia's wild rices contain a wealth of untapped genetic diversity and at least two species are very closely related to domesticated rice, so they can be cross-bred with this species," he said.
"Wild Australian rice genes could make commercial rice production better suited to northern Australian conditions."The wild rices could contribute resistance to diseases such as rice blast, brown spot and bacterial leaf spots."
Professor Henry said the research showed that in the era when the ancient human ancestor known as Lucy lived in Africa, a genetic divergence occurred in the rice variety that is now found only in northern Australia.
This divergence led to the Asian and African rice species commonly used in commercial rice production today.Professor Henry said that in addition to boosting global rice production, Australian wild rice offered the opportunity to be cultivated as a tasty and nutritious product in its own right.
"It tastes good and we believe it may have more beneficial health qualities than other rice species," he said.
A UQ doctoral thesis study on the grain quality of Australian wild rice showed the species had the lowest "hardness" of cooked rices, and a higher amylose starch content.
00:0002:05
"The higher the amylose content, the longer the rice takes to digest," Professor Henry said.
"This potentially offers more nutrition to our gut microbes, in the same way high-fibre foods do."
He noted that human trials were needed to confirm the health benefits but the chemistry suggested this was the case.
Rice is the most widely consumed staple food for much of the world's population and it is the third-largest worldwide agricultural crop.
Professor Henry said the study provided a comprehensive insight into the rice family tree, and confirmed that wild Australian rice was the most directly related species to the ancient ancestor of all rices.
"Through this research, we've developed a calibrated DNA-based molecular clock that maps when divergences in the rice genome have occurred," Professor Henry said.
"Few biological systems are as well described as rice now is."
The paper detailing outcomes of the research into the genomes of domesticated and wild rice species is published in Nature Genetics.
Explore further: Plant scientists delve into Australia's ancient past
More information: Genomes of 13 domesticated and wild rice relatives highlight genetic conservation, turnover and innovation across the genus Oryza, Nature Genetics (2018). nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/s41588-017-0040-0
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-01-ancient-rice-heralds-future-production.html#jCphttps://phys.org/news/2018-01-ancient-rice-heralds-future-production.html
No comments:
Post a Comment