Wet Chemistry Soybean Series - Seed World

control of an insect. “Currently we don’t have to do that specificallyin the United States—the customer ultimately decides if itworks or not,” says Klevorn.He believes that in some instances, such as traits for insectcontrol, there may be a move towards requiring proof that whatevergenes are put into the market will dramatically reduce theopportunity for insect resistance to occur. “It will never be 100percent guaranteed to prevent insect resistance,” says Klevorn.“Companies may have to get a lot closer to 100 percent efficacyin insect resistance management than they may have had to inthe past to get their insect resistance products commercialized.”Expanding the ToolboxThe toolbox available to researchers and scientists also has ahuge effect on the regulatory system. “The current technologicalenvironment influences the regulatory system,” says LaVigne.“To ensure that only safe products hit the marketplace, the regulatoryenvironment has to change and evolve along with theindustry’s ever-advancing technologies used to improve breedingand crop production techniques.”However, technology is constantly providing new techniquesthat are bringing genetic modification of plants closer tomore conventional plant breeding techniques. “Over the pastfew years there has been a slow transition from working withforeign genes—genes that come from widely different organismslike bacteria—to identifying plant genes that are involvedin key traits like drought tolerance and making smaller, subtlerchanges to these genes that are already in the plant, or bringingin 11-8929 a gene MAGad355-SW_Layout from a closely related 1 species,” 9/12/11 2:48 says PM Malcolm Page 1Devineof Crookedholm Partners Inc. “These fine-tuning techniques,although they involve going in and making a very small andprecise genetic modification, will be regarded more as forms ofmutation breeding and not GM.”Devine believes that U.S. regulatory authorities will eventuallymove towards treating plants developed using these techniquesin the same way as mutation breeding, which is essentiallyfree of regulation. “What I am saying is that over time a newtoolbox has been developed which may open the door to smallerand more precise genetic modifications that could result inenhancing certain traits, but without the very high regulatoryburden that comes with transgenic GM as we know it,” he says.Communication is KeyThe industry and regulatory bodies have recognized that everyonehas to work together to make products available faster togrowers. ASTA spends a substantial amount of time meetingwith the USDA, FDA and Congress, says LaVigne.“We have a great deal of dialogue with the regulatory community,”he explains. “We continue to see progress in this areabecause the various agencies and people in these positions havea better understanding of the technologies at work, and a lotmore information is easily accessible, making it easier for themto research the industry and different issues.”It’s a continual work in progress. “Our member companieshave done a great job acting as ambassadors to help introduceregulators to all aspects of seed research, production and distributionand the intricacies involved by opening up their facilitiesfor tours, field days and demonstrations,” says LaVigne.The U.S. regulatory system will remain the gold standard forother regulatory organizations, as it is based strongly on scienceAUTOMATED BAGGINGFOR THE SEED INDUSTRYLeaders in the design and manufactureof conveying and packaging automationsystems and equipment.Electronic Bagging Scales. Net and grossweigh scales. Refuge-in-a-bag systemsand Seed Calc enabled electronics.Automated Bag Filling. Hang and fillopen-mouth paper or poly-woven bags.The system is easily adjustable toaccommodate most sizes.Robotic Palletizing Systems. Unmatchedfor reliability and consistent throughout.Experience and flexibility, engineered tomeet your needs, now and for the future.Experience, Engineering andEquipment in One Neat Package.ELECTRONICBAGGINGSCALESAUTOMATEDBAG FILLINGSYSTEMSROBOTICPALLETIZINGSYSTEMSwww.taylorproducts.com / Toll Free 888.882.9567Phone 620.421.5550 / Fax 620.421.55312205 Jothi Ave., Parsons, Kansas 673576 Seed World