In a message dated 2/14/2011 7:46:05 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
NOTE: Chemical/GM company Dow has come up with a 'solution' to the problem
of glyphosate-resistant weeds, which are fast making GM Roundup Ready
technology redundant. The company has identified a gene that, when engineered
into maize plants, makes them tolerate being doused with 2,4-D and related
herbicides, as detailed in a study by Dow employees (abstract below). This is
touted as an important advance that "can help preserve the productivity
and environmental benefits of herbicide-resistant crops". The authors claim
in their study that 2,4-D is safe - citing two non-peer reviewed sources.
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Wright, T. R., G. Shan, et al. (2010). "Robust crop resistance to
broadleaf and grass herbicides provided by aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase
transgenes." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107(47): 20240-20245.
Free in full: http://www.pnas.org/content/107/47/20240.full.pdf+html
Engineered glyphosate resistance is the most widely adopted genetically
modified trait in agriculture, gaining widespread acceptance by providing a
simple robust weed control system. However, extensive and sustained use of
glyphosate as a sole weed control mechanism has led to field selection for
glyphosate-resistant weeds and has induced significant population shifts to
weeds with inherent tolerance to glyphosate. Additional weed control
mechanisms that can complement glyphosate-resistant crops are, therefore,
urgently needed. 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is an effective low-cost,
broad-spectrum herbicide that controls many of the weeds developing
resistance to glyphosate. We investigated the substrate preferences of bacterial
aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase enzymes (AADs) that can effectively degrade
2,4-D and have found that some members of this class can act on other widely
used herbicides in addition to their activity on 2,4-D. AAD-1 cleaves the
aryloxyphenoxypropionate
family of grass-active herbicides, and AAD-12 acts on pyridyloxyacetate
auxin herbicides such as triclopyr and fluroxypyr. Maize plants transformed
with an AAD-1 gene showed robust crop resistance to aryloxyphenoxypropionate
herbicides over four generations and were also not injured by 2,4-D
applications at any growth stage. Arabidopsis plants expressing AAD-12 were
resistant to 2,4-D as well as triclopyr and fluroxypyr, and transgenic soybean
plants expressing AAD-12 maintained field resistance to 2,4-D over five
generations. These results show that single AAD transgenes can provide
simultaneous resistance to a broad repertoire of agronomically important classes of
herbicides, including 2,4-D, with utility in both monocot and dicot crops.
These transgenes can help preserve the productivity and environmental
benefits of herbicide-resistant crops.
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