GMOs, Organic Agriculture, and
Sustainability
Complex issues with poor vocabulary
18 years out it remains controversial in the media
What is Biotech and where is it going?
Gene
silencing
Yield
Rx
Pest
protection
Nutrition
Modifying
gene
expression
Industrial
products
Heartier
plants
What is Agricultural Biotechnology ?
Unmodified DNA
Promoter
Gene
Gene of
Interest
Marker
Gene
Modified DNA
A GMO plant is one that has been modified by inclusion of
genetic material from another organism through molecular
techniques (not traditional breeding)
Common Types of Biotech/GMO
Crops
• Disease resistance (USDA regulation)
– Viral coat protein genes
• Herbicide tolerance (USDA regulation)
– Alternative enzyme genes not affected by
herbicide
• Insect resistance (USDA and EPA regulation)
– Bt genes (EPA: Plant Incorporated Pesticides)
Transgenic Introductions
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1994 – Calgene s Flavr-savr tomato
1995 – Newleaf potato
1995 – Virus-resistant squash
1996 – Roundup Ready soybeans
1996 – Bt corn – Corn Borer
1996 – Bt cotton
1997 – Liberty Link Corn
1997 – Roundup Ready Corn
2003 – Glofish
1998 – Attribute Bt sweet corn
2000 – Bt potato discontinued
2001 – Nicotine-free tobacco
2003 – Bt corn – Corn rootworm
2004 – Stacked BT traits in corn (CB+RW)
2010 – SmartStax corn – Eight traits incorporated
2010 – AcreMax 1 – Refuge in the bag
2012 – Performance Bt/ Roundup Ready sweet corn
2013 – Attribute II Bt sweet corn
Biotech Tools in Agriculture
Sugarbeet HT (4)
Wheat HT (3)
Chicory HT
Tobacco HT
Creeping Bentgrass HT
Lentil HT
Rice HT (3)
Flax HT
Sunflower HT
Soybean HT (5)
Bt soybean *
Cotton HT (9)
Canola HT (14)
Corn HT (14)
Alfalfa HT
New Leaf Potato *
New Leaf Plus Potato *
Attribute Sweet Corn *
Bollgard Cotton *
Bollgard II Cotton *
Widestrike Cotton *
VIP Cotton *
Bt Tomato *
YieldGard Corn *
YieldGard Rootworm Corn *
YieldGard Plus *
Herculex I Corn *
Herculex RW Corn *
Herculex Xtra Corn*
Agrisure Corn Borer Corn*
Agrisure Rootworm Corn*
Agrisure CB/RW Corn*
YieldGard VT RW Corn*
YieldGard VT3 Corn*
YieldGard VT2Pro Corn*
YieldGard VT3 Pro Corn*
SmartStax Corn*
Viptera Corn*
AcreMax 1Corn*
AcreMax 2 Corn*
* Directly affects insect management
FlavrSavr Tomato
Freedom II Squash *
Laurical Canola
Carnation Color, HT, Shelflife
UH Papaya *
Soybean Virus Resistance *
Vector Tobacco *
Intrasect Corn*
Performance Sweet Corn*
Dicamba Resistant Soybean
Enogen Corn, for ethanol
Vistive Gold Soybeans
Plenish Soybeans
StarLink Corn *
Knockout Corn *
NatureGard Corn *
Bt-xtra Corn *
Attribute II Sweet corn*
Under Consideration in US
• Non-browning apple … in the news
– Arctic Golden
– Arctic Granny
– Arctic Gala ?
– Arctic Fuji ?
In the Pipeline - Corn
• Nitrogen utilization enhanced corn – 2015?
• Drought tolerant corn (2nd generation) –
2015?
• Higher yielding corn – 2016?
• Rootworm III corn – 2016?
Transgenic Animals
• GloFish (Modified Zebra fish) – required FDA
approval
• Fast-growing Salmon (AquaAdvantage)
– Significant opposition to approval
Regulatory Approval
• USDA – To determine if GM plants present
environmental threats, also animal welfare
(AWA)
• EPA – Regulates PIPs as a type of pesticide
• FDA – Regulates PMPs, transgenic animals,
food safety
GMO Crops
• Regulated by USDA APHIS
– Plant Pest Risk assessment (PPRA)
• Regulated by EPA
– Environmental assessment (EA)
Public comments encouraged and addressed
Genetically Modified Foods
• Foods derived from GMO crops
– Corn chips, corn syrup, soda
• Regulated by the FDA
– The FDA considers foods derived from GMO crops to
be nutritionally equivalent to traditional foods
• Do not require labeling in the US
– Initiatives for labeling in New Mexico, Washington,
Oregon and Vermont (California’s Prop 37 failed)
• Organic foods are GMO-free
GMO Labeling
• Negative vs. positive labeling
– Who would pay for this?
– A 2012 survey revealed only 3% of consumers asked
for GMO labeling
• Do not require labeling in the US
– Initiatives for labeling in New Mexico, Washington,
Oregon and Vermont (California’s Prop 37 failed)
• Certified organic foods are GMO-free
• Does a ‘GMO’ provide meaningful
information?
GMO Labeling
• Voluntary Labeling by
Okanagan Specialty Fruits
(B.C. Canada)
• OSF strongly opposed to
mandatory labeling
What is Bt?
• A common soil bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis
• Many strains and types
• They produce many types of toxins (>500),
some have ag uses, some do not
– Delta endotoxins have been used against insects (beetles,
caterpillars, mosquitoes)
Why Use Bt Toxins ?
• Effective against troublesome pests
• Selective, do not affect beneficial insects
- Compatible with biocontrol
- Safe for pollinators
• History of use on food crops
• Not known to cause problems with
fish, birds, mammals or environment
History of Bt Use in US
• Used since the 60’s as a foliar spray
– IR-4 enabled initial registration
• Very popular with organic producers
• Many OMRI formulations, some non-OMRI
• Those in use target:
insects with alkali guts
• Caterpillars
• Mosquito larvae
• Some beetle larvae
How Bt Reduces Losses to Insect Pests
Pests Sensitive to Bt in crop plants: Caterpillars and some beetles
Types of GM Vegetable Crops
• Sweet corn
– Attribute Series (Bt and Liberty Link)
– Performance Series (Bt and Round Up Ready)
– Attribute II Series (Bt and Liberty Link)
• Squash
– Freedom II squash - resistance to several viruses
What are the Issues
with GM crops ?
• Unapproved traits appearing where
they shouldn’t
• StarLink Corn (2000)
• LibertyLink Rice (1998-2006)
• GM Wheat (OR, MT)
• Effect in national/international sales
What are the Issues
with GM crops ?
• Traits from GM crops will get into
ancestral populations
• Pests will develop resistance to Bt
crops
• Weeds resistant to common herbicides
used with GM crops
• Herbicide resistance: May create
“super weeds” (Sorghum, squash, canola)
YieldGard RW,
Urbana, July 2,
2007:
Mike Gray, Univ of IL
July 29, 2011
High Dose / Refuge Strategy
• High Dose
– Renders heterozygous (RS) individuals susceptible
– Yieldgard Bt25X LD99 for corn borers
– Rootworm Bt’s not high dose
• Refuge Strategy
– Allow Bt susceptible moths (SS) to survive
– Provide 20% non-Bt corn on each farm (refuge)
– Grower’s responsibility
Resistance Management
• High-dose refuge strategy
– Goal  500 : 1 ratio of susceptible to resistant
• KEY ASSUMPTIONS
– Random mating
– High dose event at correct time/tissue in plant
– Frequency of resistance initially low (10-6)
– Resistance is not dominant or near dominant
– Growers plant structured refuges
© Bessin 2009
What is the size your “B.t.” corn
refuge?
2010 Earlybird Mtg
56 respondents
50
45
40
35
30
0% refuge
25
1-19% refuge
20
20 to 40% refuge
15
40 to 60% refuge
10
> 60%
5
0
0% refuge
1-19%
refuge
20 to 40% 40 to 60%
refuge
refuge
> 60%
Volunteer Corn in Soybeans
Impact on insect management
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Food for larval rootworm development
Food for adult rootworms and egg laying
Unmanaged segregating Bt traits
Implications for disease management
What are the Issues
with GM crops ?
• Antibiotic resistance may move to
harmful microbes
• Increasing problems with allergenicity
• Impact on non-target organisms
- Herbicide movement (Dicamba,
2,4-D)
• Acceptance of foods overseas
• Subject to intellectual property law
Non-Target Effects (?)
Monarch
Green lacewings
Direct vs. Indirect effects
What are the Benefits
with GM crops ?
• Reduction of losses to pests and disease
•Reduction of insecticide use
• Reduced risk of some plant viruses and
other pathogens
• Reduced impact on non-target organisms
• Improved grain quality
• Compatibility with biological control of
pests
What are the Benefits
with GM crops ?
• Regional reductions in European
corn borer populations
• Reducing pests on non-GMO
crops
What are the Potential Benefits
with GM crops ?
• Increased yields
• Improved nutritional quality of foods
• Reduced animal waste
• Promotion of no-till agriculture
• Assist with introduction of new crops
Impact on Non-targets:
Monarch butterfly
Direct or Indirect impact?
ssues to watch:
everely reduced monarch populations
Other Issues to Watch
• FDA’s ruling on AquaAdvantage fast-growing
Atlantic salmon
– Retail acceptance among major chains
• USDA/EPA ruling on Arctic non-browning
apples
• State initiatives on GMO food labeling