PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 3:58 PM by Tevita

Hawaii varsity continues genetically modified crop research

From: The Hindu

Honolulu, May 1. (AP): Despite cultural and environmental concerns, researchers at the University of Hawaii are performing genetically modified crop research on several flowers, fruits and vegetables to develop hardier, disease-resistant plants.

Genetically modified, or transgenic, crops are plants that have been altered by the transfer of genetic material from another species. Some researchers are eager to explore their potential, but soem farmers worry that genetically modified breeds could escape the university environment and eventually overrun native varieties.

The university's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has ongoing research on pineapple, orchids, anthuriums, bananas, tomatoes, petunias and lettuce. The university is also trying to develop sugar cane that is genetically modified to produce a vaccine to protect against rotavirus, a viral infection.

The development of new transgenic crops is driven by economics, said Stephen Ferreira, an assistant specialist for plant and environmental protection sciences at the university. ``There's no question at a federal level ... more funds are being funneled or being targeted to some of these kinds of areas,'' Ferreira said. ``Years ago, you could hardly find money to do transgenic work.''

The university's research resulted in the development of a ringspot-virus resistant papaya, which has helped manage the impact of the virus.

Opponents of genetic crop research and genetically modified food contend that not enough is known about the long-term impact of such products. Many countries, including Japan, will not import transgenic papaya. Some scientists are reluctant to do their own genetically modified crop research because of such concerns, said C.Y. Hu, associate dean and associate director for research at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. ``It's actually going down because we have a lot of faculty saying there's no point in doing this,'' he said.



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(AP): Despite cultural and environmental concerns, researchers at the University of Hawaii are performing genetically modified crop research on several flowers, fruits and vegetables to develop hardier, disease-resistant plants. Genetically modified, or transgenic, crops are plants that have been altered by the transfer of genetic material from another species. Some researchers are eager to explore their potential, but soem farmers worry that genetically modified breeds could escape the university environment and eventually overrun native varieties. The university's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has ongoing research on pineapple, orchids, anthuriums, bananas, tomatoes, petunias and lettuce. The university is also trying to develop sugar cane that is genetically modified to produce a vaccine to protect against rotavirus, a viral infection. The development of new transgenic crops is driven by economics, said Stephen Ferreira, an assistant specialist for plant and environmental protection sciences at the university. ``There's no question at a federal level ... more funds are being funneled or being targeted to some of these kinds of areas,'' Ferreira said. ``Years ago, you could hardly find money to do transgenic work.'' The university's research resulted in the development of a ringspot-virus resistant papaya, which has helped manage the impact of the virus. Opponents of genetic crop research and genetically modified food contend that not enough is known about the long-term impact of such products. Many countries, including Japan, will not import transgenic papaya. Some scientists are reluctant to do their own genetically modified crop research because of such concerns, said C.Y. Hu, associate dean and associate director for research at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. ``It's actually going down because we have a lot of faculty saying there's no point in doing this,'' he said. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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