LISTSERV - IOWA-TOPICS Archives - LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG

MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0009_01CC56B7.6AB4CEE0"
Thread-Index: AcxW8hZxgrZfMEnwSxWxOh2mZLYbjQ==
Content-Language: en-us
Approved-By:  Jim Diamond <[log in to unmask]>
Message-ID:  <000801cc56f2$1713a6e0$453af4a0$@net>
Date:         Tue, 9 Aug 2011 17:11:44 -0700
Reply-To:     Biotech Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       Biotech Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From:         Jim Diamond <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: roadside canola develops double resistance
To:           [log in to unmask]
Precedence: list



------=_NextPart_000_0009_01CC56B7.6AB4CEE0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

The following, which I've taken from GMWatch, shows that not only does
glyphosate (Roundup) resistant canola or glufosinate resistant (Liberty
Link) canola grow along highways and in cracks in the pavement, but that
some of these roadside plants are resistant to both types of herbicide.
This must have happened naturally as these weeds crossbred (since, as the
article points out, no double-resistant canola has ever been
commercialized). 
     -  Jim Diamond
-=-=-=-=-

First Wild Canola Plants With Modified Genes Found in United States
University of Arkansas, August 6 2010
http://newswire.uark.edu/article.aspx?id=14453

*Wild canola populations contain genes for herbicide tolerance

"Scientists at the University of Arkansas and their colleagues have found
populations of wild plants with genes from genetically modified canola in
the United States.

Globally, canola can interbreed with 40 different weed species, and 25
percent of those weeds can be found in the United States. These findings
raise questions about the regulation of herbicide resistant weeds and about
how these plants might compete with others in the wild.

Graduate student Meredith Schafer will present the group's findings Friday,
Aug. 6, at the Ecological Society of America meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa.

"We really don't know what the consequences of the gene escape " said
Schafer. "We don't know what these plants are going to do."

The research originated when Schafer and Cynthia Sagers, professor of
biological sciences at the University of Arkansas, spotted some pretty
yellow flowers in a ditch near Warehouse Foods in Langdon, N.D. As part of
another research project, they had some portable strips that test for
genetically modified proteins found in canola, proteins that convey
herbicide resistance to crop plants. The strips work much like those in a
pregnancy test; Schafer and Sagers crushed plant leaves in water and added
the test strip, which would develop one line if it tested negative for the
modified gene and two lines if it tested positive for a modified protein.
Their test strips could detect the protein that conveys Roundup resistance;
they also could detect the protein that conveys resistance to Liberty Link,
another herbicide used on canola.

Schafer and Sagers determined at once that the parking lot weeds contained
transgenic genes.

"Immediately we knew we needed to investigate it further," Sagers said.

They filled a car with test strips and set out on a road trip in a red Ford
Explorer, traveling on highways east and west across North Dakota, stopping
every five miles on the highways to look for roadside weeds. They counted
canola plants in a 50-meter transect, photographed the locations, took GPS
statistics, took a plant sample, and tested the samples in the front seat.
They then collected and pressed the sampled plant and drove to the next
location.

"We traveled over 3,000 miles to complete the sampling," Schafer said. Some
of the sites had densely packed plants, with 1,000 specimens in a 50-meter
space. They spray these roadsides with herbicides, and canola is the only
thing still growing.

They found wild canola in about 46 percent of the sites along the highway,
either growing on the side of the road or in cracks in the highway. About 83
percent of the weedy canola they tested contained transgenic material, that
is, they contained herbicide resistance genes from genetically modified
canola. Further, some of the plants contained resistance to both herbicides,
a combination of transgenic traits that had not been developed in canola
crops.

"That's not commercially available. That has to be happening in the wild,"
Schafer said. "That leads us to believe that these wild populations have
become established populations. Technically, these plants are not supposed
to be able to compete in the wild."

Current farming practices may quickly make the problem worse. Each year tens
of thousands of acres of canola go un-harvested in the field. As a
consequence, an enormous reservoir of seed is created, which can then spread
into wild populations.

"Once this happens, it would be difficult to get rid of these weeds using
current herbicides," Sagers said.

While the problem looms large in North Dakota, Sagers says the message is a
global one. The world recently hit a milestone, where more than 50 percent
of the earth is covered in crops used for food or forage. Domesticated
plants have wild cousins that often are considered weeds, and sometimes
these plants can still cross breed, creating a high potential for herbicide
and pesticide resistance to show up where it isn't wanted.

"Things can escape from cultivation, and we need to be careful about what we
stick into plants," Sagers said.

In addition to Schafer and Sagers, researchers on the project included
postdoctoral researchers Jason P. Londo at the University of Arkansas;
Andrew X. Ross and Steven E. Travers from North Dakota State University;
Peter K. van de Water of California State University in Fresno, Calif.; and
Connie A. Burdick and E. Henry Lee of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
Keywords: Research & Innovation Science Sustainability & Environment
Contacts:

Meredith G. Schafer, biological sciences
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
501-952-3643, [log in to unmask]

Cynthia L. Sagers, professor, biological sciences
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
703-292-8712, [log in to unmask]

Barbara Jaquish, science and research communications officer
University Relations
479-575-2683, [log in to unmask]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see:
 http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]

Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see:
 http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp








------=_NextPart_000_0009_01CC56B7.6AB4CEE0
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; charset=3Dus-a=
scii">
<META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version 08.00.0=
681.000">
<TITLE>roadside canola develops double resistance</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<!-- Converted from text/rtf format -->

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">The following=
, which I</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">&#8=
217;</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">ve taken=
 from GMWatch, shows that not only does</FONT> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">=
glyphosate (Roundup)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"C=
alibri"> resistant canola or glufosinate resistant</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=
 LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">(Liberty Link)</FONT></SPAN><S=
PAN LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">canola</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=
 LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> grow along highways and in cra=
cks in the pavement, but that some of the</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"e=
n-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">se roadside plants</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LAN=
G=3D"en-us"> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">are resis</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Cali=
bri">tant to both types of</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT FA=
CE=3D"Calibri">herbicide</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=
=3D"Calibri">.&nbsp; This must have</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us">=
 <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">happened naturally as these weeds crossbr</FON=
T></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">ed</FONT><FONT FA=
CE=3D"Calibri"> (since, as the article points out,</FONT> <FONT FACE=
=3D"Calibri">no</FONT> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">double-resistant</FONT><=
FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> canola has ever been commercialized).</FONT></S=
PAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LA=
NG=3D"en-us"> </SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">&nbsp;&nbsp;&=
nbsp;&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">=
-</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us">&nbsp;<FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"></FON=
T> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">Jim Diamond</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">-=3D-=3D-=3D-=
=3D-</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">First Wild Ca=
nola Plants With Modified Genes Found in United States<BR>
University of Arkansas, August 6 2010<BR>
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><A HREF=3D"http://newswire.u=
ark.edu/article.aspx?id=3D14453"><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLOR=
=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Calibri">http://newswire.uark.edu</FONT></U></SPA=
N><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Calibri">/</=
FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" FACE=
=3D"Calibri">article.aspx?id=3D14453</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en=
-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><BR>
<BR>
<FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">*Wild canola populations contain genes for herb=
icide tolerance<BR>
<BR>
&quot;Scientists at the University of Arkansas and their colleagues ha=
ve found populations of wild plants with genes from genetically modifi=
ed canola</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> in the United States.<BR>
<BR>
Globally, canola can interbreed with 40 different weed species, and 25=
 percent of those weeds can be found in the United States. These findi=
ngs raise questions about the regulation of herbicide resistant weeds=
 and about how these p</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">l</FONT><FONT FACE=
=3D"Calibri">ants might compete with others in the wild.<BR>
<BR>
Graduate student Meredith Schafer will present the group's findings Fr=
iday, Aug. 6, at the Ecological Society of America meeting in Pittsbur=
gh, Pa.<BR>
<BR>
&quot;We really don't know what the consequences of the gene escap</FO=
NT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">e</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> &quot; said=
 Schafer. &quot;We don't know what these plants are going to do.&quot;=
<BR>
<BR>
The research originated when Schafer and Cynthia Sagers, professor of=
 biological sciences at the University of Arkansas, spotted some prett=
y yellow flowers in a ditch near Warehouse Food</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Ca=
libri">s</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> in Langdon, N.D. As part of ano=
ther research project, they had some portable strips that test for gen=
etically modified proteins found in canola, proteins that convey herbi=
cide resistance to crop plants. The strips work much like those in a=
 pregnancy test</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">;</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Cal=
ibri"> Schafer and Sagers crushed plant leaves in water and added the=
 test strip, which would develop one line if it tested negative for th=
e modified gene and two lines if it tested positive for a modified pro=
tein. Their test strips could detect the protein tha</FONT><FONT FACE=
=3D"Calibri">t</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> conveys Roundup resistanc=
e; they also could detect the protein that conveys resistance to Liber=
ty Link, another herbicide used on canola.<BR>
<BR>
Schafer and Sagers determined at once that the parking lot weeds conta=
ined transgenic genes.<BR>
<BR>
&quot;Immediately we knew</FONT> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">w</FONT><FONT=
 FACE=3D"Calibri">e needed to investigate it further,&quot; Sagers sai=
d.<BR>
<BR>
They filled a car with test strips and set out on a road trip in a red=
 Ford Explorer, traveling on highways east and west across North Dakot=
a, stopping every five miles on the highways to look for roadsid</FONT=
><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">e</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> weeds. They co=
unted canola plants in a 50-meter transect, photographed the locations=
, took GPS statistics, took a plant sample, and tested the samples in=
 the front seat. They then collected and pressed the sampled plant and=
 drove to the next location.<BR>
<BR>
&quot;</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">W</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">e=
 traveled over 3,000 miles to complete the sampling,&quot; Schafer sai=
d. Some of the sites had densely packed plants, with 1,000 specimens=
 in a 50-meter space. They spray these roadsides with herbicides, and=
 canola is the only thing still growing.<BR>
<BR>
They found</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"></FONT> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"=
>wild canola in about 46 percent of the sites along the highway, eithe=
r growing on the side of the road or in cracks in the highway. About=
 83 percent of the weedy canola they tested contained transgenic mater=
ial, that is, they contained herbicide resistanc</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"C=
alibri">e</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> genes from genetically modifie=
d canola. Further, some of the plants contained resistance to both her=
bicides, a combination of transgenic traits that had not been develope=
d in canola crops.<BR>
<BR>
&quot;That's not commercially available. That has to be happening in</=
FONT> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">t</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">he wild,&q=
uot; Schafer said. &quot;That leads us to believe that these wild popu=
lations have become established populations. Technically, these plants=
 are not supposed to be able to compete in the wild.&quot;<BR>
<BR>
Current farming practices may quickly make the problem worse.</FONT><F=
ONT FACE=3D"Calibri"> Each year tens of thousands of acres of canola=
 go un-harvested in the field. As a consequence, an enormous reservoir=
 of seed is created, which can then spread into wild populations.<BR>
<BR>
&quot;Once this happens, it would be difficult to get rid of these wee=
ds usi</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">n</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">g=
 current herbicides,&quot; Sagers said.<BR>
<BR>
While the problem looms large in North Dakota, Sagers says the message=
 is a global one. The world recently hit a milestone, where more than=
 50 percent of the earth is covered in crops used for food or forage.=
 Domestica</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">t</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri"=
>ed plants have wild cousins that often are considered weeds, and some=
times these plants can still cross breed, creating a high potential fo=
r herbicide and pesticide resistance to show up where it isn't wanted.=
<BR>
<BR>
&quot;Things can escape from cultivation, and we</FONT> <FONT FACE=3D"=
Calibri">n</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">eed to be careful about what=
 we stick into plants,&quot; Sagers said.<BR>
<BR>
In addition to Schafer and Sagers, researchers on the project included=
 postdoctoral researchers Jason P. Londo at the University of Arkansas=
; Andrew X. Ross and Steven E. Travers from North</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"=
Calibri"></FONT> <FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">Dakota State University; Peter=
 K. van de Water of California State University in Fresno, Calif.; and=
 Connie A. Burdick and E. Henry Lee of the U.S. Environmental Protecti=
on Agency.<BR>
Keywords: Research &amp; Innovation Science Sustainability &amp; Envir=
onment<BR>
Conta</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">c</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">ts:<=
BR>
<BR>
Meredith G. Schafer, biological sciences<BR>
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=
 LANG=3D"en-us"><BR>
</SPAN><A HREF=3D"tel:501-952-3643"><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLO=
R=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Calibri">501-952-3643</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LAN=
G=3D"en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">,</=
FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> </SPAN><A HREF=3D"mailto:mschafe@uar=
k.edu"><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Calibri=
">[log in to unmask]</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN></A><S=
PAN LANG=3D"en-us"><BR>
<BR>
<FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">Cynthia L. Sagers, professor, biological scienc=
es<BR>
J. Wi</FONT><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">lliam Fulbright College of Arts and=
 Sciences</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><BR>
</SPAN><A HREF=3D"tel:703-292-8712"><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLO=
R=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Calibri">703-292-8712</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LAN=
G=3D"en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">,</=
FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> </SPAN><A HREF=3D"mailto:csagers@nsf=
.gov"><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Calibri"=
>[log in to unmask]</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN></A><SPA=
N LANG=3D"en-us"><BR>
<BR>
<FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">Barbara Jaquish, science and research communica=
tions officer<BR>
University Relations</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><BR>
</SPAN><A HREF=3D"tel:479-575-2683"><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLO=
R=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Calibri">479-575-2683</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LAN=
G=3D"en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Calibri">,</=
FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> </SPAN><A HREF=3D"mailto:jaquish@uar=
k.edu"><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" FACE=3D"Calibri=
">[log in to unmask]</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN></A><S=
PAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN></P>

</BODY>
</HTML>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM list, send any message=
 to:
[log in to unmask]

Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship
e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's
latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent
editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]

Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see:
 http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

------=_NextPart_000_0009_01CC56B7.6AB4CEE0--