Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding

Damage to economic interest (market)
Some producers have brought claims to the effect that
the introduction of GM crops increased their production
costs and equipment costs, while decreasing the
prices of their agricultural products. In other words, the
presence per se of GM crops in the agricultural sector has
affected market access and market prices for their non-
Acquaah, G. 2004. Understanding biotechnology: An integrated
and cyber-based approach. Prentice Hall, Upper
Saddle River, NJ.
Baumgardt, B.R., and M.A. Martin (eds). 1991. Agricultural
biotechnology: Issues and choices. Purdue University
Agricultural Experiment Station, West Lafayette, IN.
Borlaug, N.E. 2000. Ending world hunger. The promise of
biotechnology and the threat of antiscience zealotry. Plant
Physiol. 124:487–490.
Brill, W. 1985. Safety concerns and genetic engineering in
agriculture. Science 227:381–384.
Crespi, R.S. 1988. A basic guide to patenting in biotechnology.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Gaythwaite, D.M. 1999. Intellectual property and technical
know-how. In: Biotechnology. The science and business
(Moses, V., and R.E. Cape, eds). Harwood Academic
Publishers, London.
Kershen, D.L. 2004. Legal liability issues in agricultural
biotechnology. Crop Sci. 44:456–463.
Lesser, W., and M.A. Mutschler. 2004. Balancing investment
Part A
Please answer the following questions true or false:
ISSUES IN THE APPLICATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN PLANT BREEDING 279
References and suggested reading
Outcomes assessment
GM crops in a general way. Of relevance in such a case
is the level or type of approval given by the regulating
authority for the GM crop (i.e., limited use, all use,
limited to USA, etc.). A case in point, again, is the
Starlink® GM cultivar that was approved for limited use
(animal feed), but found its way into the food chain.
Such a case is relatively easy to prosecute with zero tolerance
as the regulatory standard.
incentives and social benefits when protecting plant varieties:
Implementing initial variety systems. Crop Sci.
44:1113–1120.
National Research Council. 1997. Intellectual property rights
and plant biotechnology. National Academy Press,
Washington, DC.
Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel on the Future of Food
Biotechnology. 2001. Report. Royal Society of Canada,
Ottawa.
Sanders, P.R., C.L. Thomas, M.E. Groth, J.M. Astwood, and
R.L. Fuchs. 1998. Safety assessment of insect-protected
corn. In: Biotechnology and safety assessment, 2nd edn
(Thomas, J.A., ed.). Taylor & Francis, Philadelphia.
Sechley, K.A., and H. Schroeder. 2002. Intellectual property
protection of plant biotechnology innovations. Trends
Biotechnol. 20:456–461.
UPOV. 1996. Model law on the protection of new varieties of
plants. Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants,
Geneva.
1 When a single gene is patented by more than one company, the patent is called a reach-through patent.
2 Mixtures of ingredients can be patented.
3 A plant patent is awarded for 30 years.
4 A patent is described as a “negative right”.
5 The FDA is responsible for monitoring foods for allergenicity.
6 The Biosafety Protocol was drafted in 2002.
7 Bt crop products are monitored by the EPA.