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INSECTICIDAL GENES

INSECTICIDAL GENES can be taken from other plants or from bacteria such as the BT gene which has been transferred into corn and other crops. BT is a protein isolated from the naturally occurring soil bacteria, Bacillus thuringensis. The BT protein is capable of disrupting the guts of specific insects before larvae can complete development and has essentially no toxicity against most non target insects, other animals, or humans. An altered form of the BT gene has been engineered and transferred into plants, making the transgenic plant resistant to insects (such as the corn borer). Recently, it has been identified that BT-corn has lower mycotoxin contamination possibly because it reduces insect injury thereby reducing fungal infection levels. The present controversy surrounding the use of BT, reflects the concerns by organic farmers who use BT spray and worry that the overuse will lead to BT resistant insects and some environmentalist who fear BT will kill non target insects such as the monarch butterfly larvae. However, if we assess the risks associated with the use of BT-crops and compare it with the risks associated with more conventional methods, such as inorganic insecticidal sprays, the use of BT-crops are safer and more environmentally friendly.

HERBICIDE TOLERANCE (HT)

HERBICIDE TOLERANCE (HT) - Potentially in next 5 years we may see some HT wheat systems that may be introduced into western Canada. Cyanamid plans to introduce an imidazolinone herbicide tolerant (HT) wheat in 2001. This HT variety although classified as a plant with a novel trait (PNT) was made through the use of chemical mutagenesis and not specifically genetic engineering. Monsanto may launch a Roundup Ready®/glyphosate tolerant wheat in 2004 and Novartis, an Acuron gene/PPO herbicide tolerant wheat sometime after 2003.
As example of a HT GM trait: Roundup Ready® TM genes are a bacterial derived version of a plant enzyme. The enzyme is part of a pathway for the production of aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan. The gene is ubiquitous. The plant version is sensitive to glyphosate and the bacterial version tolerant to glyphosate. An additional bacterial derived enzyme was transferred to the crop to enhance the degradation of glyphosate . To reduce the chance of the HT gene being spread to wild relatives researchers are attempting to insert HT genes into the chloroplasts.