[APWG] NEWS: Conservation Strategies Must Shift with Global Environmental Change

[Gena Fleming]

Thanks, Jennifer. What an excellent article, and nice references too.
I have found the press release on the Center for Food Safety site, as
well as the court document.  I am still confused as to whether this
generic halt on all field testing of genetically engineered crops is
still binding.  I believe the field tials of the GM rice are just
starting.  This is encouraging legislation, but not sure how much it
is affecting the actual practice.

Can you add any insight here?

Thanks,
Gena

Gena Fleming, MS, LAc
genafleming at gmail.com
www.plantbyplant.com

On 02/02/2008, Jennifer Kalt <jkalt at asis.com> wrote:
> Below is a summary of another example of contamination of other plants
> by genetically modified plants. The genetically engineered bentgrass
> (Agrostis stolonifera) escaped trial fields, and its genes have been
> documented in native bentgrass in the Crooked River National Grassland
> near Bend, Oregon, 3.8 km from the trial field.
>
> I wrote this overview for our chapter's newsletter in February 2007.
>
> Jennifer Kalt
> Conservation Chair
> North Coast Chapter
> California Native Plant Society
> P.O. Box 1067
> Arcata, CA  95518
> http://northcoastcnps.org/
>
> The California Native Plant Society's mission is to preserve and protect
> native plants in their natural habitats.
>
> ************************************************************************
> Field Tests of Genetically-Engineered Turfgrass Blocked Due to
> Inadequate Environmental Review
>
> The vast majority of corn and soybeans grown in the U.S. are now
> genetically-engineered ("GE"). These field-grown GE crops have been
> found to pose threats to  native plants (through hybridization and
> changes to vegetation) and native pollinators (which may be impacted by
> foraging on GE pollen). A recent study found that 22 of the 25 most
> important crop species are known to hybridize with wild relatives (Wolfe
> and Blair 2007). For these reasons, much of the attention on
> environmental impacts of GE plants has focused on agricultural crops,
> but a proposed use of GE turfgrasses for golf courses and landscaping
> has been found to threaten native grasses.
>
> A federal judge ruled in February that the U.S. Department of
> Agriculture (USDA) must halt approval of all new field trials of
> genetically-engineered organisms until more rigorous environmental
> reviews are conducted. USDA's Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service
> (APHIS) allowed Scotts Miracle Gro, Inc. to conduct a series of open-air
> field tests without any review of potential environmental affects. Tests
> of "Roundup-ready" turfgrass were conducted on over 2,000 acres at sites
> across the U.S, beginning in 2002.
>
> Environmental contamination from the GE creeping bentgrass (Agrostis
> stolonifera) was discovered in the Crooked River National Grassland near
> Bend, Oregon. EPA researchers found multiple instances in which pollen
> from GE-bentgrass traveled several miles and transferred its traits to
> three native bentgrass species via hybridization. Genetic contamination
> of native species was found up to 3.8 kilometers from a 421-acre test
> plot managed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
>
> A lawsuit was filed in 2003 by several non-profit groups, including the
> Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center based in Ashland, Oregon. Plaintiffs
> argued that hybridization of Roundup-ready non-native bentgrass with
> native bentgrass could alter native vegetation, leading to diminished
> aesthetic and recreational value of natural areas.  Defendants argue
> that even if GE-bentgrass became established in areas of concern,
> plaintiffs would suffer no aesthetic harm, because unless they
> encountered a bentgrass plant and sprayed it with Roundup, they would
> not be able to tell the difference between a genetically-engineered
> plant and a native plant. Researchers concluded that selective pressure
> from direct application or drift of glyphosate herbicide could enhance
> movement of genes into native grass populations, and that obligatory
> outcrossing and vegetative spread could further contribute to
> persistence of transgenes in wild Agrostis populations, both in the
> presence or absence of herbicide selection (Reichman et al. 2006).
>
> APHIS is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in response
> to Scotts'
> Petition for Deregulation of Genetically Engineered Glyphosate-Tolerant
> Creeping Bentgrass. This non-native grass is naturalized in every county
> in California, and open field trials of GE bentgrass has the potential
> to hybridize with both non-native and native bentgrass species. Several
> rare bentgrass species occur in California, and open field trials pose a
> threat to these rare species in particular. The Dorothy King Young
> Chapter submitted comments regarding concerns that GE-bentgrass could
> impact the rare Agrostis blasdalei along the Mendocino coast. CNPS will
> continue to monitor agency actions related to GE plants that could
> impact native plants and vegetation.
>
> For more information:
>
> Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, P.O. Box 102, Ashland, OR.
> www.ks.wild.org
>
> International Center for Technology Assessment, et al., Plaintiffs, v.
> Mike Johanns, Secretary, U. S. Department of Agriculture, et al.,
> Defendants, and the Scotts Company, Defendant-Intervenor. Civil Action
> 03-00020 (HHK)
>  http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/GTBC_Doc_94_Opinion%202-5-07.pdf
>
> Reichman, J. R. et al. 2006. Establishment of transgenic
> herbicide-resistant creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) in
> nonagronomic habitats. Molecular Ecology 15: 4243.
>
> Wolfe, L. N. and A. C. Blair. 2007. Born to run: competition enhances
> the spread of genes from crops to wild relatives. New Phytologist 173:3,
> 450–452.
>
>
> Gena Fleming wrote:
> > Hi Jil:
> >
> > Thank you for your email.  You ask the following question:
> >
> > "Would you please provide me some examples of the genetic modification you
> > refer to? I would like to learn more about it and compile examples of well
> > documented incidences of this."
>
>


-- 
Gena Fleming, MS, LAc
www.plantbyplant.com