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SituationAnalysisandStrategyforReplacing

CellFusionCultivarsinOrganicSystems

IFOAM–OrganicsInternational

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SituationAnalysisandStrategyforReplacingCellFusionCultivarsinOrganic

Systems

Prepared by the IFOAM-Organics International Working Group on Replacing Cell Fusion

CultivarsandapprovebytheIFOAMWorldBoardAugust,2017

WorkingGroupMembers

KirstenArp,DianeBowen(Chair),BerndHorneburg,AndreLeu,RodelMaghirang,JohnNavazio,GebhardRossmanith,MichaelSligh,YichingSong,andwithadditionalsupportfromMonikaMessmer.

Terms

Cytoplast:Theinnerpartofthecellwithoutthecellwall,cellnucleus,andplasmamembrane.Itincludesthecytoskeleton,organellesandcytosol.Sometimesusedtodescribeacellinwhichthenucleushasbeenremoved.

Cultivar:Avarietyselectedandcultivatedbyhumans.Thisincludesallcultivatedvarietiesthatresultfromplantbreeding.Consideringitstopic,thispaperusestheterm“cultivar”inpreferencetotheterm“variety.”F1hybrid:Thefirstfilialgenerationresultingfromcross-pollinationofparentsfromtwoinbredplantlineswithoneormoredifferingcharacteristics.

Openpollinated(OP):Describesseedsthatwill"breedtrue.”Whentheplantsofanopen-pollinatedcultivarself-pollinate,orarepollinatedbyanotherplantofthesamecultivar,theresultingseedswillproduceplantswithinthetypeofthecultivar.

Protoplast:Acellofaplant,fungus,bacterium,orarchaeonfromwhichthecellwallhasbeenremoved,leavingtheprotoplasmandplasmamembrane

Self-incompatibility(SI):Theinabilityofaplantproducingfunctionalmaleandfemalegametestosetseedwhenself-pollinated.Inplantbreeding,useofSIparentplantstopreventinbreedingandpromoteoutcrossingenablestheproductionofF1hybids.AnimportantapplicationofSIisbreedinginthegenusBrassica.

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Backgroundandpurpose

Historyoftheinitiative

In2002thefirstIFOAMdraftstandardsweresetfororganicplantbreeding.Theystatedthatonlybreedingtechniquesonplantlevelarecompatiblefororganicprinciples.Thisimpliesthatfromtheprocesspointofview,plantbreedingtechniquesthatoperateoncelltissueordirectlyatDNAlevelviolatetheintegrityoflife.Respectingtheconceptofintegrityoflifealsomeansthatorganicagricultureaimstosupportautonomyandself-regulativeabilityofthelivingfarm-ecosystem.Itimpliesthatmeasuresaredesignedinawaythatsupportslifeprocesseswithinthefarm-ecosystemanddoesnottrytodeconstructandreconstructlifeinatesttube.Fromabiologicalpointofviewcellsarethelowestentityofself-organizedlife,andworkingbelowthatlevel,suchasisthecasewithmanmadeprotoplastsorcytoplasts,isnotinlinewiththevaluesoforganicagriculture.Theuseofcytoplastdelimitsthetargetoftransferevenfurther:theaimismainlytocombinecertaintraits,e.g.transferapieceofmitochondrialDNAthatconveysCytoplasmicMaleSterility(CMS).ThismimicstheaimsofotherGM-basedtechniques.Moreover,mosthybridizationthroughprotoplastfusionisawaytohybridizesexuallyincompatiblespeciesandthusenablestocrossnaturalcrossingbarriers.Originally,IFOAMdefinitionsofgeneticengineeringincludedexamplesofitstechniques,butdidnottakecellfusionintoaccount.In2008,viaamotionoftheIFOAMAssemblycellfusion,(includingprotoplastandcytoplastfusion)wasdeterminedtonottobeinlinewiththeprinciplesoforganicagriculture.ThemotionalsourgedtheIFOAMWorldBoardtodevelopclearguidelinesonhowtodealwithvarietiesderivedfromcellfusion,includingprotoplastandcytoplastfusionbreedingtechniques.Subsequently,IFOAMreviseditsdefinitionofgeneticengineeringtoincludecellfusionandthereforeprohibiteditinitsstandards.However,practicalaspectsoftheprohibitionposedchallengesforimplementation.Entirecommercialseedlinesofcertaincultivarsarederivedfromcellfusionbreedingtechniques,challengingimplementationoftheprohibitioninthesecultivars.Generalregulatoryframeworksofcountriesprovidedifferentdefinitionsofgeneticengineering.Cellfusionismostlynotinthescopeofthesedefinitions.Thisresultsinlackoftransparencyinthemarketbecauseplantsandseedstemmingfromitdonotfallunderriskassessmentandlabelingrequirements.MostorganicregulationseitherdonotaddresscellfusionoraddressthetechniqueinwaysthatarenotconsistentwiththeIFOAMdefinition.

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Givensuchconundrums,furtheractionswerenotundertakenuntilafterthe2014GeneralAssemblypassedamotioncontainingmorespecificguidance. Themotionrequested theIFOAMWorldBoardto:

• Develop a strategy for the replacement of varieties derived from cell fusion,includingprotoplastand/orcytoplastfusionfromorganicfarmingpractices.

• Defineguidelinesforthesocio-economicimplementationofsuchstrategies.• Promotealternativebreedingprogramslikeorganicplantbreedingtofosterthe

developmentofcellfusionfreevarieties. ThemotionalsoadvisedthatinordertoachievethesegoalsbythenextGeneralAssemblyin2017,aworkinggroupshouldbeestablished.Anexpertworkinggroupwasconvenedin2015.Thegroupdecidedthatitsfirstworkshouldbetoprepareaglobalsituationanalysiswhichwouldcoverthepresenceofcellfusioncultivarsintheseedsupplyandinorganicfarming,thelegalandpoliticalframeworksoftheissue,andcurrentactionstoreducethepresenceofcellfusioncultivarsinorganicsystems.Thefirsteffortsoftheworkinggroupcenteredonexploringregionalsituations,andthesecontributedtothedevelopmentoftheglobaloverview.Thesituationanalysisprovedchallengingtoprepare.Forexample,lackoftransparencyfromseedcompanies,lowawarenessofthetopic,andlimitedabilitytoprobesomeregionalsituationssuchasLatinAmericaweresomeoftheobstacles.Nevertheless,theanalysisprovidedenoughinformationandinsighttoundergirdtheproposedstrategy,whichcomprisestheothermainsectionofthispaper.Thispaperconsistsofthefollowingmainsections:•Terms•BackgroundandPurpose•SituationAnalysis•StrategyforReplacementofCellFusionCultivars•References

Whatiscellfusion?1Cellfusion(includingcytoplastandprotoplastfusion)isatechniqueinuseforabout30yearsnow.Todevelopfusedcells,protoplasts(cellswithoutacellwall)areisolatedfromplantcellsbytreatingthecellswithenzymesuntilthecellwallsdissolve.Chemicalorelectricstimulantsarethenusedtofuseprotoplastsfromdifferentsources,whichmaybeeithercisgenic(fromthesameorothercross-breedingspecies)ornot.Thisresultsinthefusionofthetwonucleoliandcombinationofbothorganelles.Cytoplastfusion,ontheotherhand,isthefusionofoneprotoplastwithonecytoplastwherethenucleushasbeen 1 Thesections“Whatiscellfusion”andWhyusecellfusion”arebasedonpublicationsofEcoPB,theEuropeanassociationoforganicplantbreeders,andcontributionsfromMonicaMessmer,FiBL.

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destroyedbeforee.g.byX-ray.Cytoplastfusionresultsinafusedcellcontainingthenucleusofoneandtheorganellesofboth.Acellwallregeneratesandthecellfusionproductsdivideandregenerateintowholeplantletsusingtissueculturetechniques.Theresultingplanthascharacteristicsfrombothparents,althoughnotallwillbeexpressed.

Whyiscellfusionusedinplantbreeding?Forplantbreeding,cellfusionisusedtoproducecultivarsthatcombinecomplementarydominantgenesofbothparentallines,e.g.virusresistancegenesinpotatoandblackrotresistanceincertaincabbages.Thiswouldbeverydifficulttoachievebycrossbreeding.Butgloballyitismostcommonlyusedtoincorporatecytoplasmicmalesterility(CMS)inthefemalelineinordertoproduceF1hybridseedinplantspecieswhereCMSisnotknowntooccur.Formanycropshybridseedproductionispossibleiftheemasculationofthemotherplantscanbedoneefficiently.Whilemaizecanbemechanicallyemasculated,othercropslikewheatorbroccoliaremuchmoredifficulttohandle.ThefusionofcytoplasmfromwildrelativesoftencausessomeimbalancesbetweenthecytoplasmandthenucleusDNAresultingincytoplasmicmalesterility(CMS)withreducedanthersorsterilepollengrains,withoutaffectingthefertilityofthefemaleflowers.Cytoplasmicmalesterilityisdesirableforplantbreedersbecauseplantswithsuchcharacteristicsdonotself-pollinateandallowproductionofnearly100%F1hybridseed.Thisisanadvantageforbreedersbecauseitavoidstheneedtohand-pollinateorperformotherinterventions.Thus,itovercomespropagationchallengesandincreasestheefficiencyofhybridseedproduction.Forfarmers,F1hybridsusedingoodnutrientandclimateconditionsmayhaveoutstandingproductionperformance.ButF1hybridsbasedoncytoplasmicmalesterilityalsoestablisheddisadvantages.CMSF1hybridseedsarenotusefulinseedsavingandthereforeproducersusingthemmustpurchasenewseedeachyear.Iffarmersstopseed-savingbecausetheyturntosterilehybrids,thereisadrasticlossoflandracesandoldvarieties.Furthermore,becausethecultivarsaresterile,otherbreedersareunabletouseCMSlinesfortheirbreedingwork.Soitaffectsbreeders’rights.Somecountries,suchastheUSandAustralia,allowforpatentingofthesterilehybridsbyseedcompanies,andthustheirlong-termcontroloverthehybridseedlines.Ineffect,itcausesradicaldecreaseofvariabilityforfuturebreedingandthereforesupportsthemarketconcentrationprocess.

Whatareweultimatelyaimingtoreplace?

Useofcertainterminologytendstoconfusecommunicationonthistopic,andthereforeweprovidesomeclarificationofterminologyandouraims.

Naturalvs.cellfusionderivedCMS

Cytoplasmicmalesterilityoccursnaturallyinsomespeciessuchasonionsandcarrots,butinotherplanttaxaithasnotbeendiscoveredtohaveoccurrednaturally.InthecasesofnaturalCMSthetraitcanbeincorporatedinnewcultivarsofthesamespeciesbynaturalcrossing.ThefocusofthisreplacementstrategyisonlyoncultivarsderivedfromcellfusiontechnologyandnotonthosecultivarswhereCMSnaturallyoccurs.

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Cisgenicvs.transgenicbreeding

Cellfusiontechniquesmaybeusedtohybridizebothcisgenic(i.e.withinspeciesandsexuallycompatible)andtransgenicplants(betweenspeciesandnotsexuallycompatible).IFOAM-OrganicsInternationalconsidersallcellfusiontechniquestobeinthescopeofgeneticengineering,regardlessoftheabilityornotoftheplantstocrossbreednaturally.

Summary

Weareultimatelyaimingtoreplaceallseedsandotherplantingmaterialinorganicsystemsthatarederivedfromcellfusiontechnology,regardlessofwhetherthetechnologyisusedwithinorbetweenspecies.WerecognizethewidespreaduseofcellfusiontoachievecytoplasmicmalesterilityinF1hybrids.However,wealsorecognizethat,especiallyinAsia,cellfusionisusedtodevelopothertraits,andthereforethefullscopeoftheproblemisbroaderthatjustcellfusionderivedCMShybrids.

SituationAnalysis

SeedSupplies

Problemspeciesandcrops

CellfusionhasbeenusedextensivelyfordevelopingF1hybridsincruciferousvegetablesofthespeciesBrassicaoleracea,forexampleinbroccoli,cauliflower,kohlrabi,brusselssprouts,certaincabbages,andincertainsubgroupsofthespeciesBrassicajunceaaswellasincanola(Brassicanapa).CertaincultivarsofthespeciesCicoriumintybusandCicoriumendivia,notablyBelgianendive,havebeenhybridizedwithcellfusiontechniques.Accordingtoonesource(OrganicMarketNewsOnline),63chicoryvarietieshavecurrentlybeenauthorizedacrossthewholeofEurope.52areclearlyhybrids“asstatedbythebreeder,”andofthese13areknowntobeCMShybridsresultingfromcellfusion.AsianseedbreedersinIndia,Korea,China,Indonesia,andJapanhaveusedcellfusiontodevelopimprovedcultivarsofjaponicarice,wheat,potato,rapeseed,radish,citrus,cabbage,andcotton.InIndia,muchoftheworkonprotoplastfusionhasbeenonmustardBrassicajuncea(Kirti,etal,2003).RapeseedmustardisthesecondmostimportantsourceofedibleoilinIndia.Itisdifficulttodifferentiatewhichgenotypesarecellfusion-free.Brassicavegetablehybridsarealsoavailablebasedontheself-incompatibilitybreedingmodus(SI),whichisallowedfororganicbreeding.Canolahybridsareonlypartlybasedoncell-fusionderivedCMS.Also,spontaneousgeneticmalesterilemutantsofBrassicavegetableshavebeenidentified.Detectioncanbedoneonphenotypiclevel,lookingatfertilitylevelofthepollen

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andthesegregationofthetraitformalesterilitytodifferentiateSIsystemsandsystemsbasedongeneticmalesterility.Someyearsago,aqPCRlaboratorytestforthemostcommoncellfusionderivedCMS(usingmale-sterileOguraradish)becameavailableoncontractbasis.

Useofcellfusioncultivarsinorganicsystemsthroughuseofconventionalseed.

AccordingtothelastOrganicSeedAlliancesurveyofUSorganicfarmers,halformoreseedsusedareconventional(althoughuntreated)seeds.Thisisespeciallythecaseforvegetables.

FromtheReportofthe2013EcoPBWorkshoponOrganicSeedinEurope,itappearsthattheusageratefororganicseedisintheneighborhoodof50%andderogationsforuseofconventionalseedinmostcountriesarestable,neitherincreasingordecreasing.Itappearsthatorganicseeduseisproblematicinbothgrains(cereals)andvegetablesforsomeregionsofEurope,whereasinNorthAmericaandotherregionsinEuropetheproblemismostlyinvegetables.

Datafromotherregionshasnotbeenavailable.However,itcanbereasonedthattherateofconventionalseedusefororganicfarmingislikelytobesignificantlyhigherinotherregionsgrowingtheproblematiccultivarswhereorganicseedssuppliesarenotdevelopedtotheextentthattheyareinEuropeandNorthAmerica.Organicsectoradvocatesinsomedevelopingcountrieshavereportedthatorganicseedisvirtuallyunavailableintheircommercialseedsupplies.Thatsaid,thereislightonthehorizonincountriessuchasthePhilippines,wheretherearenowgovernmentandcivilsocietyprogramsinorganicbreedinginrice,vegetables,coffee,selectedfruitsetc.

Cellfusioncultivarsinorganicseedsupply

Marketsituation:Theuseofcell-fusionderivedcultivarsisnotjustafunctionofconventionalseed.Onemajorseedcompany,Vitalis,haspubliclycommittednottoincludecellfusionderivedcultivarsinitsorganicseedsuppliesofbroccoliandkohlrabiandithasstartedaself-incompatibilitybreedingprogramforthesecultivars.However,manyseedcompaniesarenotscreeningcellfusioncultivarsoutoftheirorganicseedssupplies.However,inordertoservetheorganicmarkettheymaybemotivatedtooffermorealternativestoF1hybridseedsderivedfromcellfusionthaninconventionalseedlinesorleaveolderhybridsnotfromcellfusion.AlthoughthereisprogressinsomeEuropeancountries,seedcompaniesareoftennottransparentaboutwhichseedlines,conventionalororganic,arederivedfromcellfusion.Therefore.itisprobablethatsomeorganicseedsuppliesofcultivarsin“problematic”speciesandcropsarealsocellfusionderived.SomesmallerorganicseedcompaniesinNorthAmericaandEuropehaveavoidedofferingcellfusionderivedorganicseeds,buttheirsuppliesarecurrentlyinsufficienttosatisfythenumberandneedsoforganicfarmers.

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BasedondatacollectedinSwitzerland,wherecellfusionhasnotyetbeenbannedinorganicfarming,thepercentageofcell-fusionderivedCMShybridsaccountedfor75%,44%,24%,18%,17%oftheseedlingsproducedin2015forcauliflower,broccoli,savoycabbage,whitecabbageandbrusselssprouts,respectively.Chicoryhasnotbeenassessedinthisstudy.

Seedsbredindecentralizedcommunityplantbreedingclusters,whetherornot“certifiedorganic”generateseedsuppliesthatareunlikelytohavealineageincludingcellfusiontechniques.Seedsbredfororganicconditionsinthesecommunities,e.g.inparticipatoryplantbreedingprojects,whencombinedwithseedsaving,areimportantsourcesoforganicseeds.Theyarealsocell-fusion-freerepositoriesofgermplasmforfutureplantbreeding,whichmayeventuallybeusefultocommercialseedproducerswhocouldsomedayscaleupsupply.TheseplantbreedingcommunitiesareingloballydiverseregionsrangingfromcommunitybreedinginBrittanytoparticipatorybreedingresearchinSouthwestChina.Theyareprovidingethicalseedsuppliesnowandhopeforthefuture.

AgriculturalProduction:Thecaseofthecrucifers

Intermsofouraim,toreplacecellfusioncultivarsinorganicsystems,wetakealookatproduction.Thehighestshareworldwideofcellfusionderivedseedsandproductsresultingfromit,islikelytobeinbroccoli,cauliflowerandcabbageproduction,especiallyonlargecommercialoperations.Thesecropsarecommonlyfoundindietsinseveraloftheworld’sregions,especiallyinAsia,EuropeandNorthAmerica.AccordingtoWorldAtlas.com(Jan2016),Chinaproducesclosetohalfoftheworld’sbroccoliandcauliflower,with20%increasesinproductionannuallyfrom2010-2015.Annualoutputapproaches10milliontons.Indiaisnext,havingdedicated6.7millionacrestoproductionofthesecropsfordomesticuseandexport.Together,ChinaandIndiaaccountfor75%ofworldproduction.InEurope,majorbroccoliandcauliflowerproductionalsooccursinPoland,Spain,ItalyandFrance.IntheAmericas,theUnitedStates(mainlyCalifornia)at290,000tonsandMexicoat480,000tonsaremajorproducers.Itisnotcleariforganicproductionofthesecropsissimilarlydistributed,buttherearesomehintstowardsit.ChinaisknowntobeamajorsupplieroffrozenandIQF(individuallyquick-frozen)organicbroccoliandcauliflowertointernationalmarkets(NorthAmerica,Europe,EastAsia,Oceania).IndiaorganiccauliflowerisavailableontheChineseecommercewebsite,Alibaba.Aweb-searchhasturnedupChineseseedsuppliersoforganicbroccoliandcauliflowerseedsandnumeroussuppliesoffrozenorganicbroccoliandcauliflower.ItcanbeassumedthatmostChineseorganicproducersaresourcingtheirseedsdomesticallyandusingconventionalseed.

AccordingtotheIARCHandbookofCancerPrevention,Vol9,percapitaconsumptionofcruciferousvegetablesisverylowinLatinAmericaandSub-SaharanAfricacomparedtootherworldregions,andthereisnoindicationofmajorproductionofthesecropsintheregionexceptforexportbysomewesternLatinAmericancountriessuchasMexico,Ecuador,andPeru,whichsupplyvegetablestoNortherncountries.

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Legal/PoliticalFrameworksandimpactonuseofcellfusioncultivarsinorganic

systems

Thetreatmentofcellfusioninregulatorysystemsisdiverse.TheUnitedStatesorganicregulationaddresses“excludedmethods”andincludedintheseiscellfusion.However,a2013policymemofromtheNationalOrganicPrograminterpretsthatinthiscontextcellfusionrefersonlytotechniquesforfusingprotoplastsfromdifferenttaxonomicplantFamilies,whereascellfusiontechnologyforproducingF1hybridsusesparentswithinthetaxonomicFamily.Thisincludescellfusionbetweenspecies,forexampleradishandcabbage,orsunflowerandchicory,whichcannotexchangegeneticmaterialthroughtraditionalbreedingmethods.

EUlegislationdefinesgeneticengineeringinDirective2001/18/EC,outsideoftheorganicregulation,whichviewscellfusionas“thefusionoftwoormorecellsbymeansofmethodsthatdonotoccurnaturally”.However,anexceptionisincluded.Fusionofplantcellsfromorganismswhichcanexchangegeneticmaterialthroughtraditionalbreedingmethods isnotconsideredatechniqueofgeneticmodificationundertheDirective.Thus,cellfusionisnot(yet)completelybannedintheEuropeanorganicregulation.InitspracticalimplementationoftheDirectivetheEUappliesaninterpretationofthisexemptionwhereinfusionofplantcellsisnotregardedasamethodofgeneticengineeringifthecellsarederivedfromplantsofthesamefamily.

TheEUandUSinterpretationsappeartobebasedonthedefinitionof“modernbiotechnology”inthetermsdefinedintheCartagenaProtocolonBiosafetytotheConventiononBiodiversity,Article3.ButallthesedefinitionsandinterpretationsarederivedfromtheflawedrationalethattheresultofusingplantswithinthesameFamily,whetherornottheycouldalways(oralmostalways)exchangegeneticmaterialandreproducenaturally,cannotbedistinguishedfromresultsoftraditionalplantbreeding.Thus,laboratorytechniquestoperformtheexchangesareallowed

Intheregulationsofsomecountriese.g.China,cellfusionisexpresslyincludedinthescopeofgeneticengineering,butinquiryhasledtotheconclusionthatthispointisnotenforcedinChina.Organicregulationsinsomeothercountries,suchasthePhilippines,aresilentonwhethercellfusionisincludedornotasaformofgeneticengineering.Somecountries’organicregulationsincludecellfusionintheirdefinitionsofgeneticengineering.ThenarrowdefinitionofgeneticengineeringinJapan’sorganicstandard(JAS)doesnotincludecellfusion.Onecountry,NewZealand,expresslymentionsandexcludescellfusiontechniquesinthescopeofgeneticengineeringinits“reference”organicstandard(NewZealanddoesnothaveanorganicregulation),thusallowingitforseedsusedinorganicproductionsystems.

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PrivateOrganicStandardsandLabels

Privateorganicstandardsoperateincountrieswhereregulationspermitorganicstandardsandlabelingthatgoesbeyondtheregulatoryrequirements.PrivatelabelprogramsalsooperateinunregulatedenvironmentssuchasontheAfricancontinentandinthePacificIslands.

IFOAMAccreditation:SomeoftheprivatesystemsareinthescopeofIFOAMAccreditation.TwoIFOAMnormsfororganicproductionareassociatedwithIFOAMAccreditation,andusethesamedefinitionofgeneticengineeringasfollows:“Geneticengineeringisasetoftechniquesfrommolecularbiology(suchasrecombinantDNA)bywhichthegeneticmaterialofplants,animals,microorganisms,cellsandotherbiologicalunitsarealteredinwaysorwithresultsthatcouldnotbeobtainedbymethodsofnaturalmatingandreproductionornaturalrecombination.Techniquesofgeneticengineeringinclude,butarenotlimitedto:recombinantDNA,cellfusion,microandmacroinjection,encapsulation.Geneticallyengineeredorganismsdonotincludeorganismsresultingfromtechniquessuchasconjugation,transductionandnaturalhybridization.”AlthoughtheIFOAMdefinitionisverysimilartotheregulatorydefinition,IFOAM–OrganicsInternationalhasadoptedmotionsstatingthatalllaboratorytechniquesofcellfusionareconsideredtobegeneticengineering,evenifusingparentmaterialfromwithinthesametaxonomicfamily.TheIFOAMStandardaddressesbreedingoforganicvarieties,andinthissectionstatesthat“thecellisrespectedasinimpartibleentity.Technicalinterventionsintoanisolatedcellonanartificialmediumarenotallowed(e.g.geneticengineeringtechniques,destructionofcellwallsanddisintegrationofcellnucleithroughcytoplastfusion).However,thissectionappliestoplantbreedingactivities.Itdoesnotaddressthecomplianceofcultivarsderivedfromconventionalbreedingfororganicproduction.AlthoughtheexclusionofcellfusionderivedcultivarsisclearintheIFOAMStandard,thisisnotcurrentlyenforcedintheIFOAMAccreditationProgram.Itistoodifficulttoaskcertificationbodiestoforceorganicproducerstoacquireseedproventobecellfusionfree,orstopproducingcertaincrops.Afewprivatelabelstandardsprogramshavebeguntoaddresscellfusionmorestrictly,takingstepstoprohibitseedsderivedfromanykindofcellfusioninvolvingtechnicalinventionsatthecelllevel.Suchprogramsareusuallyassociatedwithinitiativestoprovideoperatorswithinformationaboutsourcingalternativesintheproblematiccultivars.DemeterInternationalandDemeterGermanyhavetakenaleadroleinthisinitiative.OtherprivateorganiclabelsinGermany(e.g.Bioland,NaturlandandGäa)alsobannedcellfusionderivedcultivars.BioSuisseiscurrentlyrunningaworkinggroupaimedatreplacingcellfusionbasedvegetablehybrids.Itisfocusedonscreeningofself-incompatibilityhybridsandopenpollinatedcultivars,promotingthesourcingofcellfusionfreebreedingmaterial,anddevelopingapositivelistofcultivarsnotderivedfromcellfusion.IntheBioSuisse’sannualcultivarrecommendations,thecultivarsareindexedinfourcategories:1.derivedfromcertifiedorganicplantbreeding,2.derivedfrombreedingcompaniesdevotedtotheorganicsectorrefrainingfromcellfusionandgeneticengineering,3.derivedfromconventionalbreeding(usuallynofurtherinformationisavailable),and4.derivedfromundesirablebreedingmethods(negativelist).

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AwarenessandOpinion

AwarenessofthisissueisquitelowoutsideofafewcirclesinEurope,whicharedescribedintheEuropeansituationanalysis.Elsewhereopinionisusuallyeithernon-existentordivided.Thetopicistechnicallycomplex,whichisabarriereventoawarenessofbothproducersandconsumers.Awarenessandopinionarealsolimitedbytheregulatorycontexts,whichessentiallyblessthestatusquo.Therearesomeexceptionstothesegeneralizations.Publicscandalsin2014fueledbymediastoriesinGermanyandtheNetherlandshaveincreasedpublicawarenessthroughoutnorthernEurope.TheGermanassociationfororganicfoodprocessingandtrading,BNN,israisingconcernsandcallingforcompulsorylabelingofCMShybrids,whicharethemostcommonoutputofcellfusioninEuropeanplantbreeding.Articleshavebeguntoappearinorganicsectorpublications.InNorthAmerica,awarenessisdawningwithinNGOssuchastheOrganicSeedAlliance,theNationalOrganicCoalitionandNortheastOrganicFarmingAssociation,buthasnotyetrisentoanypriorityagendaintheseorganizations.IFOAMkeepsthetopicalivewithinitsmembershipinreportingontheWorkingGroupforReplacingCellFusionCultivars.Otherwise,thereisnoevidenceofawarenessorpublicopiniononthisissueoutsideofEuropeandNorthAmerica.

Currentbreedinginitiativestoreplacecellfusioncultivars:

Currentlythereareseveralscatteredactivitiesindifferentcountriestoreplacecellfusioncultivars.Someexamplesare:

• CollectionandmaintainingofolderopenpollinatedandCFfreebreedingmaterialasstockforfurtherbreeding(SativaRheinauAG,Kultursaate.V.);

• DevelopmentofSIhybridsincauliflower(TozerSeedCompanyUK);• Developmentofopenpollinatedcultivarsforcauliflower,kohlrabi,broccoli,

cabbagebyorganicbreedinginitiatives(SativaRheinauAG,Kultursaate.V.Saat:gute.VinSwitzerlandandGermany,participatorybreedingprojectsinBrittany).DevelopmentofcompositecrosspopulationsandfarmerparticipatorybreedingofbroccoliinFrance(INRA),Italy(Univ.Perugia),andinUSA(OregonStateuniversity)for red curlykale,anearlymaturingbroccoli(OrganicSeedAlliance,USA);

• Cultivartestingunderorganicconditionstoidentifymostsuitablecultivars.

Challenges

Changingfromcellfusioncultivarstothosefromotherbreedingmethodsconstitutesachallengefromseveralperspectives,includingthat:

• Openpollinatedcultivarsandself-incompatibility(SI)hybridsarelesshomogeneousthanCFderivedF1hybrids.Ifthisismanifestedinproductsinthemarkets,theymaynoteasilybeacceptedbywholesalers,retailersandconsumers,

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whoareusedtoaveryhomogenouscauliflowerandbroccoli;• IfSIhybridsareused,itisdifficulttoproducesufficientlyreliableseeds;• OpenpollinatedcultivarsandSI-hybridsarelesshomogeneousandthereforein

somecountriesitmaybemoredifficulttogetapprovalforcultivarreleasecomparedtoF1hybrids(inEuropeonlycultivarsapprovedforreleaseareallowedtobecommercialized);

• Farmersarereluctanttochangetoopenpollinatedcultivarsasitrequiresdifferentmanagement(severalorprolongedharvests),andmarketingthemismoredifficult.

CollaborativeModelsfromEurope

InitiativestoreplaceCFcultivarsinEuropedemonstratethevalueofcommunicationandcollaborationalongtheorganicvaluechain.

InGermanythespecializedorganicmarket/valuechaindevelopedastrategytoreplacecellfustioncultivarsin2013.Insummerandautumn,thesupplyofcellfusionfreeproduceisrelativelyeasyinGermanybecauseallorganicfarmers’associationshaveexcludedtheuseofcellfusioncultivarsintheirprivatestandards(Bioland,Demeter,Naturlandetc).FarmerswhoarecertifiedonlytoEUorganicregulationdogrowcellfusioncultivarsbuttheymainlysupplysupermarkets.ThereisalsoafairlygoodsupplyofcellfusionfreecauliflowerinwinterfromBrittany(France)wherearegionalfarmersassociation(Bio-Breizh)hasequallydecidedtoexcludecellfusioncultivars.ForotherproductsasbroccoliorkohlrabitheGermanspecializedorganicmarketdependsongrowersintheMediterranean,especiallySpainandItaly.Starting2013/2014supplierswereaskedbythespecializedorganicwholesalerstostartgrowingcellfusionfreecultivarsinordertogainexperienceandsuccessivelyreplacecellfusioncultivars.In2016therewasonlyaveryshortperiodwherecellfusionfreebroccoliwasunavailableinspecializedorganicshopsandsupermarkets(source:BNN).Thedialogalongthevaluechainisaccompaniedbylaboratoryanalysisoftheproduce.MajorchallengesremainingaretheabsenceofareliableinformationsourceonwhichcultivarsarecellfusionfreeandthefactthatstillcellfusioncultivarsaregrowninthesupplyingregionsforotherorganicmarketssuchastheUK,sothatthereisaconstantriskofconfusionatdifferentlevels:seedcompanies,producersofseedlings,growers,andpackagingfacilities.

Representativeprojects

Project“FairBreeding”:Someretailersfromtheassociation“Naturata”realizedtheirresponsibilityforcultivardecisionsonthefarmers’level.Also,realizingthepotentiallossofallCF-freecauliflowertheydecidedtosupportbiodynamicbreedersofKultursaate.V.indevelopingnewopenpollinatedcauliflowercultivars.Thisprojecthasbeenrunningfor11years.Threenewcultivarsareofficiallyregisteredandtwoothersareappliedforregistration.

Project“Saat:gut”:Anewinitiativeoforganicbreedingemergedinnorthern

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Germany.Recognizingthereplacementof“traditional”hybridsofcauliflowerandbroccolibyCFcultivars,alarge-scaleproducerdecidedtostartitsownbreedingprogramsforthesecrops.Itconvincedsomewholesalerstosupportthework.Theorganicbreedingprogrambroadenedtoincludeotherobjectivesandcultivarsandnowincludescarrots,redbeet,parsleyetc.Project“labornomore”:Thisprojectwassetupbythewholesaler,NaturkostElkershausen.ItsdirectorwasshockedbythescandalofCMScultivarsin2014.Hedecidedtotakeresponsibilitybyhimselfandsetupastudytodetermineifthereareproblemswithopen-pollinatedcultivarscomparedtoCMScultivarsonfarmers,tradersorconsumerslevel.Thestudyconcludedthattherecouldbedifficultiesonthefarmerlevel,especiallyiftherewouldbenopricepremiumfortheopenpollinatedcultivars.Atconsumerlevel,thestudydidnotidentifyanymajorproblems.Thisinformationisusefultopinpointstrategiesfortakingthenextstepstodevelopopenpollinatedcultivarsintheorganicvaluechain.

Project“Bioverita”:Theprojectstartedbeforethescandalanditbecamemoreimportantafterit.ItalianfarmersandawholesalerbegantoreplacekohlrabihybridsbyopenpollinatednewbreedsfromSativaAG,Switzerland,tofindawayoutofthedilemmafromthecreepofcellfusioncultivarsinseedsupplies.ApartnershipwithabigtraderinGermany(Tegut)wassetupforsupplyingthemarketinwinter.TwonewlybredkohlrabicultivarsfromSativa(supportedbyKultursaat)areintheapplicationprocessforregistering(becomingapproved)intheofficialEUcatalogue.

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StrategyfortheReplacementofCellFusionCultivars

TherationaleaccompanyingMotion61onthereplacementofcellfusion(CF)cultivarsstatesthat“itisofutmosturgencytocombineforcesanddevelopaglobalmasterplanandguidelineshowtoenablecellfusionfreeorganicproductionchainsandtofindsocially

acceptablesolutionstoreplacecultivarsderivedfromcellfusionbyalternativecultivars.A

commonstrategyforreplacementofsuchcultivarsofthewholeOrganicAgricultureSector

undertheroofofIFOAMshouldbedeveloped.”Theglobalstrategythatweproposeis:

•underpinnedbythesituationanalysis;•enrichedbyinformationandpracticalmodelsandlessonslearnedfromCFcultivarreplacementapproachesinEurope;•addressingboththesupplyanddemandsidefornon-CFseedsandseedlings.•flexibleforselectiveuseinvariousregionsoftheworldwithdifferentsituations;•dependentforimplementationoncommitmentandinitiativesinindividualregionsandcountries;•focusedoninitialimplementationinafewprioritycropswhilestillpromotingawarenessofthelargerscopeofcellfusioncultivarsinorganicproduction;•incorporatingimplementationguidanceaspossible;•takingoverarchingissuesandconstraintsintoconsideration.

Weproposethefollowingflexibleblueprinttoenableinternational,nationalandregionalactionnetworkstoformanddevelopactionplans.Theblueprintincludesrepresentativeactivitiesforimplementation. Actionnetworksoncellfusionreplacement

Implementationwillrequirecustomizationandimplementationatnationalandregionallevel.Thiswillrequirenationalandregionalorganizingandcoalitions-of-the-willing.Wholevalue-chaineducationandcooperationisuseful.Theactionnetworkscansupporttheinitiationofindividualprojectswithinthevaluechain,suchasthosedescribedinthesectiononCollaborativeModelsfromEurope.NationalandregionalCFcultivarreplacementnetworkswilldevelopactionplanstoreplaceCFcultivarsbasedontheglobalstrategyandcustomizedtoreflectthesituationintheircountry/region.Thesenetworksshouldincludevaluechainrepresentationfromplantbreedertoretailers.Inregionswheretherehaveeffortstoreplacecellfusion,impactsshouldbeassessedandtakenintoaccountfortheactionplanning.Thenetworksareencouragedtoconsiderinitiallyfocusingonreplacementofcultivarsinthespeciesbrassicaoleraceasuchascauliflowerandbroccoli.Thereasonforthisfocusisabetterchancetoachievetotalglobalreplacementinafewcroptypesfromwhichlessonsarelearnedandthenthe

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experiencecanbethebasisforreplacementstrategiesforothercroptypes.Thisapproachcouldestablishacommoncoreforfutureglobalaction.Also,broccoli,cauliflowerandcabbagearewidelyplantedvegetablecropsthroughoutpartsofAsia,EuropeandNorthAmerica,andfigureintomanytypicalcuisinesinthosecountries.Thisdoesnotruleoutthatnational/regionalactionnetworkswilltargetotherspecieswhichmaybemorerelevanttothem(suchasinFranceandIndia,whererapeseedmaybeahigherpriorityforreplacement).Incaseswhereanotherspeciesishigherpriority,suchasinrapeseed,variousregionalactionnetworkstargetingthespeciescouldshareinformationaboutactionplansshareresults,thuscreatinganothercommoncoreforfutureaction.Mostcomponentsofthisstrategywillbefurtherdevelopedandimplementedat,nationalandregionalorotherlocallevel.Atgloballevel,IFOAM-OrganicInternationalsupportstheeffortprimarilybydisseminatinginformationforgeneralawarenessraisingandoninitiativestakingplaceatotherlevels.

StrategicObjectivesandActivities

A. AwarenessisraisedandopinionagainstCFincreasesamongplantbreeders,valuechainactors,andacademicandgovernmentinstitutions.

Remarks

Formostoftheworld,lowawarenessandmotivationtotakeactionisthefirstchallengethatmustbeaddressed.Specificactionscanbetakenattheinternationalleveltosupportawarenessraisingactivities,buttheactivitiesthemselvesrequireimplementationatregional/nationallevels.MessagingshouldstronglypositionCFasgeneticengineeringwithclearargumentsforthis.

Activities Global

Level

Regional/

National/

LocalLevel Communicatethistopictomembers,regional

structuresandnetworkgroups.ü

Encourageregionalstructurestoinitiateactionnetworks.

ü

Includecellfusionreplacementinoutwardly-directedcampaigns,eventsandpublications

ü

ü

Indicators Uptakeoftopicbyregionalgroupsandother

partners

Actionnetworksestablished Responsetocampaigns(donations,activists,

furtherdisseminationofcommunications.

B.AlternativecultivarsaredevelopedbyplantbreedersRemarks Theaimistoencourageplantbreederstousealternativebreeding

techniquestodevelopcultivarssimilartoCFcultivars,especiallythose

16

inhighdemand.Thisincludesplantbreedersinacademicinstitutions,seedcompanies,nationallaboratories,andcommunityplantbreedinginitiatives.

Activities Global

level

Regional/

National

/locallevel

Identifyingthecultivarsmostindemandforalternativeversions

ü

Identifyingnon-CFgermplasmsources,includinginvariouscontextsincludingcommerceandacademia,seedbanks,andcommunitybreeding/seedsavinginitiatives.

ü

IdentifyingandincludingbreedersworkingonCFcultivarreplacementoratleastnotusingCFgermplasmforbreeding

ü

Supportingnetworkingamongbreedersworkingonnon-CFCinprioritycropse.g.database,discussionfora,andshuttle-breeding(forbreedersinregionsnotconducivetobreedingtargetedcultivars).

ü

ü

MobilizingfinancialsupportforplantbreederstoworkonCFcultivarreplacementbreeding

ü

OrganizingfarmerorganizationstoguaranteedemandsothatabreedercanrelyonthepromisethatadditionalcostsforCF-freebreedingwillbecoveredthroughsales.

ü

AdvocatingataxonCFcultivarswhichwouldbedirectedtoresearchonalternatives.(Thisisfeasibleifthereistransparencyaboutthebreedinghistoryofcommercialseedlinesandalistoftaxableseeds.

ü

Indicators Specificcultivarstargetedforreplacement Evidenceofnetworkingamongbreeders Increaseinnumberofalternativecultivarsof

sufficientqualityforproducerstouse

C.FarmershaveaccesstoalternativeseedsandseedlingsRemarks Transparencyforfarmersisneededinordertoaccessalternatives.Activities Global

Level

Regional/

National

/locallevel

Encouragingseedcompaniestowardstransparencyonthebreedingtechniquesassociatedwiththeircultivars

ü

17

Advocatingforregulationsthatrequiredisclosureofbreedingtechniquesforcultivars.

ü

Developingcultivardatabaseswhichindicatethestatusofinformationabouttheirbreedingtechniques.Remark:Thedatabasemaydependon

initiativestoidentifyCFcultivarsthrough

testing,asdescribedinthesituationanalysis.

Actionnetworksmayexplorecooperationwith

otheractionnetworkssoasdisseminate

informationandavoidduplicationofcostly

testing.

ü

DevelopingdatabasesofbreedersworkingoncultivarswithCFhistorybutemployingotherbreedingtechniques.Remark:Initiallythiscouldbeaglobal

initiativesincetherethisgroupisasmall

communitywherenetworkinghasbegun.

ü

ü

Advocatingtoreducebarrierstoregistration/approvalofnewcellfusionreplacementcultivars,wheretherearelegalrequirementsforthis,forexample,settingseparaterequirementsfororganiccultivars.Remark:Forexample,Europeancountries

requireregistrationofnewcultivarsand

imposerequirementsforthissuchas

homogeneity.

ü

Indicators Availabilityofinformationonbreeding

methodsforspecificseeds/seedlings

NumberofcommercializedalternativestoCFcultivars

Theareadedicatedtoproductionofthetargetedcropsholdssteadyorgrows.

D.Consumersacceptnon-CFproduceandareempoweredtochoosethem. Remarks OpenpollinatedcultivarsarelesshomogeneousthanF1hybridsbred

withcellfusion.Theymayvaryinappearanceandflavorprofilesfromtypicalcultivars.

Activities Global Regional/

18

level national/

locallevel

Campaigningtoimprovemarketandconsumeracceptanceforlesshomogeneous“CF-Free”products.

ü

Establishingvoluntarylabelinginthemarketplaceofvegetablesnotderivedfromcellfusion

ü

Indicator Salesofnon-CFproduceholdsteadyor

increaseinthestoreswhereCFcultivarshavebeenreplaced.

E.NormsandmandatesfororganicagricultureincludeprohibitionofCF

cultivarsandthisprohibitionisenforced.Remarks Thisobjectiveshouldbeaddressedandrelatedactivitiesundertaken

onlywhenthereisstrongawarenessandacommonpositionoftheorganicvaluechainagainstcellfusioncultivars,andsomealternativesourcesexist.Itisrecommendedtoaddressthisobjectivewithinitialactivitiesfocusedinprivatesectorstandardschemes,(unlesssuchschemesareprohibitedsuchasthecaseoftheUnitedStates).

Activities Global

level

Regional/n

ational/loc

allevel

EncouragingprivateorganicstandardsschemestodevelopplansforprohibitingtheuseofCF-derivedcultivarsandenforcingthis.Remark:thiscouldbeastep-wiseplanatfirst

targetingcertaincultivarswherealternatives

areavailable.

ü

InIFOAMOrganicAccreditation,addressingthecurrentprohibitionofCF-derivedcultivarswhilealsotakingintoaccounttheglobalsituation.

ü

Advocatingtogovernmentstoprohibitand/orenforceprohibitionsonCF-derivedcultivarsinnationalandregionalorganicstandardsandregulations.(Onlywhenthereisgoodtransparencyandalternativesforfarmers.)

ü

Indicators Numberofprivateorganicstandardsschemes

addressingCFprohibitionintheirinspection

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andcertification. Numberofgovernmentregulationsthat

prohibitandenforceuseofCFcultivars.

F.Overarchingissuesandchallengesareaddressedandadvocatedinthe

contextofthecellfusioninitiativese.g.seedpatents,globalconsolidationofseedcompanies,accesstogermplasm

Remarks TheabilityoforganicsystemstoexcludeGMOsincludingCFcultivarsisincreasinglyhamperedbyoverarchingphenomena.CFreplacementprojectsandadvocacyareagoodcontextinwhichtheorganicsectorcanamplifytheseissues.

Activities Global

level

Regional/n

ational/

locallevel

AdvocacymessagingthatincludesasystemsperspectiveoftheCFproblemandreplacementchallenge.e.g.thecontributionofseedpatentstosituation.

ü ü

Indicator ProportionofadvocacymessagingonCFthat

includesoverarchingissuesandchallenges

Risks

Cellfusionreplacementcarrieswithitanumberofrisksforsuccess,whichshouldbetakenintoconsiderationwhenplanningandimplementingstrategies.

•Theorganicsector,eithergloballyorinkeyregions/countriesisnotinterestedtoreplacecellfusioncultivars,astheyhavealreadybeencultivatedformanyyearsandthesectorisfullyoccupiedtoavoidGMOcontaminationandentranceofnewbreedingtechniquesintotheorganicsystem.

•Becauseoftheworldwideintensiveuseofcellfusioncultivarsinmanymaincropssuchasbroccoliandcauliflowerandwithoutenoughexistingalternativesitwillbedifficulttoreplacecellfusioncultivarsinorganicfarming.

•Liberalattitudeoftheyounggenerationofsustainableplantbreederstowardsbiotechnology,includingcellfusion,mayindicatethattherewillbeaninsufficientsupplyofbreederswhowanttodothebreedingwork.

•Increasingdependenceoforganicsystemsonconventionalbreedingcombinedwithoverarchingphenomenasuchasglobalconsolidationoftheseedsector.Thisincludes

20

losingbreedingmaterialforfuture.Inotherwords,thewindowforactionmayhaveclosed.

•Organicfarmersmightnotbecompetitiveifcellfusioncultivarsarebannedwhilethereisinsufficientchoiceofcellfusion-freecultivars,andtheymightevenstopproductionofcropssuchasbroccoliandcaulifloweriftheycannotusecellfusioncultivars.

•Cellfusion-freeandopenpollinatedcultivarsmightnotmeetexpectationofmarketsandconsumerswithrespecttoproducthomogeneity.

•Scandalsandtheorganicsectorlosingtrustifconsumers/criticalmediabecomeawareaboutthepresence(andcurrenttolerance)ofcellfusiontechnologyinorganicsystems•ThepresentstrategyforreplacementofCFcultivarsisbasedonawarenessraisingandcampaigningwiththemessagethatCFisgeneticengineeringandthatitiswidelyusedforcertaincropsevenfororganicfarming.WideawarenessofthisfactwithinthemediaandtheconsumersmightunderminethecredibilityoftheorganiclabelasalabelthatpeoplethoughtwaseffectivelyexcludingGMOs,especiallyifreplacementprogressistooslow.

•Thetimeframeforimplementation(andsuccess)ofthisstrategyisuncertain.Inanycase,itwilltakemanyyears.Duringthisperiod,othernewplantbreedingtechniques(e.g.CRISPR/Cas9)willlikelybedeveloping/spreadinginthesameorothercropsandpotentiallyequalorevenovertakeCFintermsofitspresenceinorganicsystems.WhilethesectormightbefocusedonthisoneCF-replacementstrategyandmayachievesomelevelofsuccess,thebiggerpictureofNewPlantBreedingpresenceinorganicfarmingmightmeanwhilegetworseandworse.Combinedwiththepreviouscampaignsandmessagesthat“CFisGEandthatwewillphaseitoutfromorganicsystem,”thisscenariomightbackfireintoabiglossofcredibilityandanoverallfailureoftheorganicsectortodeliveronitspromises.

References

Billman,Bettina,Impactsofbanningprotoplastfusionontherangeofvarietiesavailablefororganicarablecroppingandvegetableproduction,projectreportoftheResearchInstituteofOrganicAgriculture(FiBL),Frick,Switzerland,2008.

ConventiononBiologicalDiversity,2000.CartagenaProtocolonBiosafetytotheConventiononBiodiversity,Article3. https://bchbd.int/protocol/text/

CounciloftheEuropeanUnion,Directive2001/18/EConthedeliberatereleaseintotheenvironmentofgeneticallymodifiedorganisms.

http://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/d839b766-276a-4a46-b26d-7feca84b1876/language-en

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ECO-PB/ITABworkshopproceedings,"StrategiesforafuturewithoutcellfusiontechniquesinvarietiesappliedinOrganicFarming"Paris/France,April27-28,2009(pdf:798kB)

http://www.ecopb.org/fileadmin/ecopb/documents/reports_proceedings/Proceedings_Paris_090427.pdf

IFOAM.2014.IFOAMinActionSpecialG.A.Edition.October2014#111.IFOAMGeneralAssembly.October16-17,2014.Istanbul

http://www.ifoam.bio/sites/default/files/ia_ga_2014_web2_0.pdfIFOAM,2014.TheIFOAMNormsforOrganicProductionandProcessinghttp://www.ifoam.bio/sites/default/files/ifoam_norms_july_2014_t.pdf

OrganicSeedAlliance,2014,StateofOrganicSeed

http://seedalliance.org/index.php?mact=DocumentStore,cntnt01,download_form,0&cntnt01pid=7&cntnt01returnid=139