Wet Chemistry Soybean Series - Seed World

worldSTATUSA look at seed industry developments around the globe.An in-depthoverview onthe globalseed industry.From rice researchin Australia to legalaction in India.STATUSAUSTRALIAInternationalRice Research Instituteresearchers, in cooperationwith the Australian Centrefor International AgriculturalResearch, have discovered thegenetic information responsiblefor “chalkiness” in rice, anunwanted trait which, accordingto the IRRI, can lower the valueof a crop by 25 percent.Chalky areas in rice, causedwhen starch granules fail todevelop properly, are opaquerather than translucent. “If riceis chalky, it often breaks in themill, contributing to post-harvestloss. In our long-term studies,we show that for every percentincrease in chalk, there is aone percent decrease in headrice yield,” explains MelissaFitzgerald, head of the IRRI’sgrain quality and nutritionresearch. The breakthrough issignificant for its potential todramatically improve profits, as“chalk is one of two parametersthat are used to grade rice onthe international market.”To locate the genetic regions ofthe rice genome which controlchalkiness, Fitzgerald’s teamused phenotyping tools tomeasure the chalk in multiplevarieties, as well as genomictechniques for genome-widegenotyping and bioinformatictechnologies. If all goes well,Fitzgerald’s team expects an“excellent” reception on theinternational market, althoughit might take some time tocreate new varieties. “Differentcountries have differentexpectations of grain quality,and chalk is just one parameterof quality,” says Fitzgerald.“We have one variety with allthe good genes against chalkthat would suit some areas ofsouth-east Asia, but it couldtake a number of years toplace these genes in all popularvarieties using conventionalbreeding techniques.”STATUSAFRICAThe II International Societyfor Horticulture ScienceGenetically Modified Organismsin Horticulture (GMO 2011)symposium was held inMpumalanga, South AfricaSeptember 11-15. The theme ofthe conference, which discussedthe role of plant biotechnologyfor horticulture in the developingworld, was “Paving the Wayfor a Sustainable Future.” Theevent aimed to provide “anopportunity for those involvedin the research, development,testing, regulation, assessmentand management of GMOsworldwide to share experienceswith colleagues from aroundthe globe.”According to organizingcommittee member GurlingBothma, who is also biosafetymanager for the Councilfor Scientific and IndustrialResearch, Pretoria, theconference is a step forward inthe discussion of biotechnologyfor horticulture in the region.“GMO seed is not currentlyused in the horticulturalindustry. Maize, cotton andsoya totally dominate the sceneand there the multinationalplayers control the game,”he says. However, Bothma’soutlook is optimistic. “As youknow, many small influencesthat have no major impact inthe present may play a biggerrole in the future,” he says.“So hopefully this symposiumwill play a role in the futurepaths of researchers, enablingthem to do better, morerelevant and ethical researchthat will hopefully lead to usefulproducts down the line.”STATUSINDIAIndia’s NationalBiodiversity Authority isexpected to pursue legal actionagainst Maharashtra HybridSeeds Company (Mahyco),which is partially ownedby Monsanto, for allegedlytaking samples of at least 10varieties of the GM eggplantbrinjal for development withoutpermission.Although Bt brinjal had beenapproved for commercialWhen U.S. seed industry professionalswant to be in the know … they turn to SeedWorld.com.Visit us online and check out breaking news feeds, free retailer and grower tools,comprehensive video interviews and regulatory information as it affects your business.28 Seed World