Transgene flow: Facts, speculations and possible countermeasures

Ryffel, Gerhart U.

doi:10.4161/21645698.2014.945883

Cited by 35 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…The introduction of crops resistant to dicamba and 2,4-D is likely to have some very serious environmental and human health impacts [33]. A GM crop could also transfer modified genes to wild relatives and potentially generate super weeds or could itself become a weed that could become a major threat to biodiversity [13,14]. The expansion of GM traits can also be harmful to valuable wild precursors of the crops and could invade organic and other non-GM crops of close proximity (or vice-versa).…”

Section: Gm Cropsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The expansion of GM traits can also be harmful to valuable wild precursors of the crops and could invade organic and other non-GM crops of close proximity (or vice-versa). In addition, the use of pest-resistant GMOs may hasten the development of pest resistance [13,14].…”

Section: Gm Cropsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wolson (2007) [11] found that a number of urban consumers and environmental interest communities in South Africa lately have become skeptical of GM crops. Additionally, recent activities in the area of policy development have shown a growing recognition in regards to the negative environmental impacts of GM with a potential loss of biodiversity and a hastening of the development of pest resistance [12][13][14]. Furthermore, some developing countries' authorities have not given farmers official permission to plant GM crops due to concerns about their biological safety [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A World without Hunger: Organic or GM Crops?

2017

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It has been estimated that the world population will increase to 9.2 billion by 2050; supplying the growing population with food will require a significant increase in agricultural production. A number of agricultural and ecological scientists believe that a large-scale shift to organic farming (OF) would not only increase the world's food supply, but might be the only way to eradicate hunger sustainably. Nevertheless, OF has recently come under new scrutiny, not just from critics who fear that a large-scale shift in this direction would cause billions to starve but also from farmers and development agencies who question whether such a shift could improve food security. Meanwhile, the use of genetically modified (GM) crops is growing around the world, leading to possible opportunities to combat food insecurity and hunger. However, the development of GM crops has been a matter of considerable interest and worldwide public controversy. So far, no one has comprehensively analyzed whether a widespread shift to OF or GM would be the sole solution for both food security and safety. Using a literature review from databases of peer-reviewed scientific publications, books, and official publications, this study aims to address this issue. Results indicate that OF and GM, to different extents, are able to ensure food security and safety. In developed countries, given that there are relatively few farmers and that their productivity, even without GMOs, is relatively high, OF could be more a viable option. However, OF is significantly less efficient in land-use terms and may lead to more land being used for agriculture due to its lower yield. In developing countries, where many small-scale farmers have low agricultural productivity and limited access to agricultural technologies and information, an approach with both GM and OF might be a more realistic approach to ensure food security and safety.

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Section: Gm Cropsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gm Cropsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A World without Hunger: Organic or GM Crops?

2017

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“…Of course, the coexistence of GM crops with conventional farming is a serious problem, as in many cases transgene flow has not been rigorously excluded. In fact, over the past years, unintentional transgene escape has been reported in oilseed rape, maize, cotton and creeping bentgrass [11]. For organic farming this is not only an environmental concern, but also a financial problem, as the presence of GMOs in organic products jeopardizes organic certification, resulting in loss of the premium price of organic products.…”

Section: Coexistence Of Gm Crops and Organic Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

I Have a Dream: Organic Movements Include Gene Manipulation to Improve Sustainable Farming

Ryffel

2017

Sustainability

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Several papers in a Special Issue of Sustainability have recently discussed various aspects to evaluate whether organic farming and gene manipulation are compatible. A special emphasis was given to new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs). These new approaches allow the most predictable genetic alterations of crop plants in ways that the genetically modified plant is identical to a plant generated by conventional breeding. The articles of the Special Issue present the arguments pro and contra the inclusion of the plants generated by NPBTs in organic farming. Organic movements have not yet made a final decision whether some of these techniques should be accepted or banned. In my view these novel genetically manipulated (GM) crops could be used in such a way as to respect the requirements for genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs) formulated by the International Federation of Organic Movements (IFOAM). Reviewing the potential benefits of disease-resistant potatoes and bananas, it seems possible that these crops support organic farming. To this end, I propose specific requirements that the organic movements should proactively formulate as their standards to accept specific GM crops.

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“…Nowadays, several transgenic rice lines resistant to several herbicides (Ryffel ; Chhapekar et al. ; Tian et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary and social consequences of introgression of nontransgenic herbicide resistance from rice to weedy rice in Brazil

Merotto

Goulart

Nunes

et al. 2016

Evolutionary Applications

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Several studies have expressed concerns about the effects of gene flow from transgenic herbicide‐resistant crops to their wild relatives, but no major problems have been observed. This review describes a case study in which what has been feared in transgenics regarding gene flow has actually changed biodiversity and people's lives. Nontransgenic imidazolinone‐resistant rice (IMI‐rice) cultivars increased the rice grain yield by 50% in southern Brazil. This increase was beneficial for life quality of the farmers and also improved the regional economy. However, weedy rice resistant to imidazolinone herbicides started to evolve three years after the first use of IMI‐rice cultivars. Population genetic studies indicate that the herbicide‐resistant weedy rice was mainly originated from gene flow from resistant cultivars and distributed by seed migration. The problems related with herbicide‐resistant weedy rice increased the production costs of rice that forced farmers to sell or rent their land. Gene flow from cultivated rice to weedy rice has proven to be a large agricultural, economic, and social constraint in the use of herbicide‐resistant technologies in rice. This problem must be taken into account for the development of new transgenic or nontransgenic rice technologies.

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Transgene flow: Facts, speculations and possible countermeasures

Cited by 35 publications

References 99 publications

A World without Hunger: Organic or GM Crops?

A World without Hunger: Organic or GM Crops?

I Have a Dream: Organic Movements Include Gene Manipulation to Improve Sustainable Farming

Evolutionary and social consequences of introgression of nontransgenic herbicide resistance from rice to weedy rice in Brazil

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