NDSU Extension What is Biotechnology? Phil McClean Department of Plant Science North Dakota State...

NDSU

Extension

What is Biotechnology?

Phil McCleanDepartment of Plant Science

North Dakota State University

Unit 4Biotechnology Meeting

Grand Forks, NDMarch 6, 2003

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What is Biotechnology?

How about some definitions

General Definition

The application of technology to improve a biological organism

Detailed Definition

The application of the technology to modify the biological function of an organism by adding genes from another organisms

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• An organism showing a novel trait not normally found in the species

What is the Result of Biotechnology?

Extended shelf-life tomato (FlavrSavr Tomato)

Herbicide resistant soybean (Roundup Ready Soybean)

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Biotechnology Terms You Probably Heard

Transgene – the foreign gene added to a species

Ex. – modified EPSP synthase gene (encodes a protein thatfunctions even when plant treated with Roundup)

Transgenic – an organism containing a transgene introduced by technological (not breeding) methods

Ex. – Roundup Ready Crops

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Biotechnology Develops

GMOs - Genetically modified organisms

• GMO - an organism that expresses traits that result from the introduction of foreign DNA

• Also called transgenic organism

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Important Terms

• Breeding

• Transformation

Source: USDA

Source: USDA

Beneficial gene added from the same species Gene delivered by mating within the species

Beneficial gene added from another species Gene delivered by plant genetic engineering

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Let’s Be Up Front

• Breeding Biotechnology Breeding only exchanges genes found in the species Breeding can transfer the transgene to other breeding materials BUT it is not the same as biotechnology

• Biotechnology adds traits not available in the species Soybean does not have a gene to breakdown Roundup The gene comes from bacteria

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Wheat Rye

Triticale

X

Interspecific Cross

New species, but NOT biotechnology products

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ATTCGA

ATTGGA

SusceptibleNormalGene

ResistantMutantGene

MutagenesisTreatment

Mutagenesis: New Trait, No Foreign Gene

Mutagenesis changes the sequence of a gene New, useful traits can be obtained

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BASF Clearfield Products

Herbicide resistance•imidazolinones

Mutant AHAS enzyme•developed by mutagenesis

Crops• Canola, Corn, Rice, Sunflower, Wheat

In US• Not considered GMOs by USDA regulators• A Major marketing advantage• When some stacked with GMOs, the advantage lost

Mutagenesis Crops

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Crop Biotech Market Dominated By Four Countriesa

68%35.7 mha

22%11.8 mha

6%3.2 mha 3%

1.5 mha

Total = 99% of market

a2001 growing season data.

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Transgenic Crops Increasing In the USa

Crop (% total acreage)Soybeanb Cornc Canolad

Year US ND SD US ND SD US ND SD

2000 54 22 36 25 - 46 - - -

2001 68 49 80 26 25 48 75 75 -

2002 74 50 86 32 18 65 80 80 -

a Source: NASS Planting Reports, 2001, 2002.b2002 US acreage = 73 million; ND acreage = 2.6 millionc2002 US acreage = 79 million; ND acreage = 1.2 milliond2002 US acreage = 1.6 million; ND acreage = 1.3 million

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Agriculture Products On the Market

Source: USDA

Insect resistant cotton

Insect resistant corn

Normal Transgenic

Bt toxin kills the cotton boll worm toxin gene from a bacteria

Bt toxin kills the European corn borer toxin gene from a bacteria Rootworm GM approved (2/26/03)

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Virus resistance

Source: Monsanto

Herbicide resistant crops current: soybean, corn, canola coming: sugarbeet, lettuce, strawberry, alfalfa, potato, wheat (2005) resistance gene from bacteria

papaya, squash, potato resistance gene from a virus

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Locationa

Arthur, Grandin, Northwood

Wyndmere, Mooreton,

Great Bend

Soybean type Ave.Bu/A % Yield Ave. Bu/A % Yield

Conventional 46.6 (27)b 91 % 45.5 (26) 100 %

Roundup Ready

51.5 (78) 100 % 44.1 (80) 97 %

aData collected by Dr. Ted Helms, NDSUb# of varieties in trial in parenthesis

Roundup Ready SoybeanNo Yield Drag or (Advantage)

North Dakota 2002 Data

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Roundup Ready SoybeanReduces Expensesa

Soybean type

Herbicide cost

(per acre)

Conventional $27.65

Roundup Ready $15.90

aData provided by Dr. Duane Burgland, NDSU.

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Crop Biotechnology Grew WorldwideIn 2002

• 145 million acres (11% growth)• 6 million farmers (20% growth)• 16 countries (up from 13: India, Colombia, Honduras)

Historically, the most rapidly adoptednew agricultural technology

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Soybean: 90.2 million acres (10% growth)

Corn: 30.6 million acres (27% growth)

Canola: 16.8 million acres (no change)

Biotechnology Crops Worldwide Acreage2002

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Economic Effect of Bt CottonIn China

$200/acre increase in income

$750 million increase nationally

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Biotech Crops Can Be Environmentally(and Yield) Friendly

Cotton type

Bt Non-Bt Popular check

Yield (kg/ha) 1501* 833 802

# Bollworm sprays 0.62* 3.68 3.63

# Sucking insect sprays 3.57 3.51 3.45

Kg/ha insecticide 1.74* 5.56 5.43

Toxic class I 0.64* 1.98 1.94

Toxic class II 1.07* 3.55 3.46

Toxic class III 0.03 0.03 0.03

Table 1. Cotton yield and insecticide results from a large (157 sites)

trial in India during 2001.

*Means within a row are significantly different at the 5% levelFrom: Science (2003) 299:900

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Biotech chymosin

Source: Rent Mother Nature

Source: Chr. Hansen

Bacterial and Animal Biotechnology Products

enzyme used to curdle milk products gene from yeast harvested from GE bacteria replaces the calf enzyme

increases milk production gene from cow protein harvested from GE bacteria replaces cow protein originally harvested from pituitary glands of slaughtered cows

bST (bovine somatotropin)

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Next Generation of Ag Biotech Products

Source: Minnesota Microscopy Society

Golden Rice

Sunflower

Increased Vitamin A content Transgenes from bacteria and daffidol Controversory: large amount needed to solve problem

White mold resistance Resistance gene from wheat

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Turfgrass

Bio Steel

Herbicide resistance Slower growing reduced mowing = reduced pollution

Spider silk strongest known protein Protein expressed in goat milk Protein used to make soft-body, bullet proof vests (Nexia)

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Field Testing Permits Tell Us What is ComingField Trial Data: Jan 2001 – Today (n=2540)

2001-03 data; collated from: Information Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)

Organization # 2002-03 trials (%)

Monsanto 1480 (58%)

Universities 329 (13%)

Scotts 84 (3%)

Aventis 78 (3%)

Sygenta 69 (3%)

Dow 63 (2%)

USDA/ARS 60 (2%)

Prodigene 25 (1%)

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HA #11,437 (17)

PR #31,063 (13)

Where Are the GM Crops Tested in the US?

IL #21,292 (16)

IA #41,022 (12)

CA #5990 (12)

ND #23230 (3)

Data: 1993-present: State rank, # trials, % total trialsInformation Systems for Biotechnology (http://www.isb.vt.edu/)

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Corn is the Current Main Focus


Crop # 2002-03 Trials (%)

Corn 1424 (56%)

Cotton 193 (8%)

Rice 146 (6%)

Wheat 141 (6%)

Soybean 124 (5%)

Alfalfa 121 (5%)

Turfgrass 89 (4%)

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The Traditional Traits Predominant


Trait # 2002-03 Trials (%)

Insect resistance 791 (31%)

Herbicide resistance 736 (29%)

Plant quality 400 (16%)

Pathogen resistance 171 (7%)

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But Some Novel Traits Are Being Tested


Trait # 2002-03 Trials (%)

Yield 105 (4%)

Amino acid content 94 (4%)

Sugar content 44 (2%)

Oil content 42 (2%)

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What’s Coming for Wheat??


Trait % 2002-03 Wheat Trials

Roundup Ready 57%

Protein content 10%

Yield 8%

Fusarium resistance 8%

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Some Ag Biotech Products Are Discontinued

Poor Quality• FlavrSavr tomatoes (Calgene)

Negative Consumer Response• Tomato paste (Zeneca)

Negative Corporate Response• NewLeaf (Monsanto)

Universal Negative Publicity• StarLink corn (Aventis)

Why???

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Biotechnology and Health

Product Use

Insulin Diabetes

Interferon Cancer

Interleukin Cancer

Human growth hormone Dwarfism

Neuroactive proteins Pain

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What is Biopharming?

Biopharming Definition

Growing transgenic crops that express pharmaceutical products

Examples:

DrugsAntibodiesProteins

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Familiar Production Systems

Why use this technology?

• Genes introduced into field crops (mostly corn)• New productions systems not needed• Producer can use traditional growing strategies

Reduced End-Product Cost

• Animal system: $1000 - $5000 per gram protein• Plant System: $1 - $10 per gram protein Source: The Roanoke Times, 2000

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Edible Vaccines – A Biopharming DreamBiotech Plants Serving Human Health Needs

• A pathogen protein gene is cloned• Gene is inserted into the DNA of plant (potato, banana, tomato)• Humans eat the plant • The body produces antibodies against pathogen protein• Human are “immunized” against the pathogen• Examples:

DiarrheaHepatitis BMeasles

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Tooth decay

Future Health-related Biotech Products

Vaccines Herpes hepatitis C AIDS malaria

Streptococcus mutans, the mouth bacteria releases lactic acid that destroys enamel engineered Streptococcus mutans does not release lactic acid destroys the tooth decay strain

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Environmental Applications

Bioremediation

Indicator bacteria

cleanup contaminated sites uses microbes designed to degrade the pollutant

contamination is detected in the environment microbes sensitive to certain pollutants

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Recent Crop Biotechnology NewsThe European Union Moratorium

• A five year EU biotech crop moratorium is in place

• Nov 2002: Labeling and traceability regulations drafted• Jan 2003: Some countries looking to go GMO-free• Feb 2003: Some EU countries want the moratorium to continue until regulations approved

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EU Labeling Regulations

• Foods with less than 0.9% of GM gene product Labeling not required

• Products derived from a GM crop Labeling required

• Applies even if the product does not contain the GM gene product • Ex: Corn syrup: does not have the Bt protein, but must be labeled

• Animal feeds from GM crops Same guidelines apply

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EU Traceability Regulations

•GMO containing food must be declared at departure point

• List does not have to be modified if part of shipment is off-loaded in route

• A compromise regulation: Some wanted documentation from each step of the route

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• United States frustrated

• Might sue under WTO policy that prevents policies that restrict trade

• USDA Secretary Veneman: The US patience was "growing very thin" and "very strong action

was needed". (Feb 27, 2003)

• US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick:

"We've tried to hold off" filing a WTO case, “but we're getting to the point where our patience is running thin." (Mar 3, 2003)

US Response to the EU Regulations

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Different CountriesDifferent Decisions

Germany (3/3/03)• Would accept biotech crops once regulations approved

Major decision: long considered an opponent to biotech crops

Taiwan (2/27/03)• Will permit field trails in 2003

Tasmania (2/28/03)• Extends biotech crop ban for five years• Wants to remain a biotech free and maintain their niche market

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What Are the Public Concerns?

EconomicsAre we changing the economics on the farm?

EnvironmentalAre we irreversibly modifying the environment?

GlobalizationIs technology becoming centralized in too few hands?

Social

Will we develop a class of genetic outcasts?

ReligiousAre we playing God?

NDSU Extension What is Biotechnology? Phil McClean Department of Plant Science North Dakota State...

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