Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

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THE LOOK OF CORN
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Dr. Peggy G. Lemaux University of California,
Berkeley
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TERMS USED
GM/GMO Genetically Modified
Organism GE/GEO Genetically Engineered
Organism LMO Living Modified
Organism rDNA Recombinant
DNA Biotechnology
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Uniqueness of different varieties of corn
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Marker-Assisted Breeding/Selection
425 books 1000 pages each
425 books (or 425,000 pages)
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(equivalent to a gene)
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What Is in a Recombinant DNA Construct?
Marker gene antibiotic or herbicide resistance
On switch
On switch
Off switch
Gene of interest herbicide, stress or disease
tolerance
Off switch
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Genetic Engineering
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Genetic Engineering
Classical Breeding
compared to
Uses cellular machinery in plant
Uses cellular machinery in laboratory
Gene exchange is random, involving entire genome
Gene exchange is specific, single or a few genes
Only between closely related or within species
Source of gene from any organism
When/where genes expressed not controlled by
breeder
When/where gene expressed controlled precisely
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SOURCE NCFAP USDA, USA Today
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Commercialized GE Crops Planted in U.S. in 2003
SOURCE Sankula, S. and Blumenthal, E. 2004.
Impacts on US Agriculture of Biotechnology-Derived
Crops Planted in 2003 An Update of Eleven Case
Studies. National Center For Food And
Agricultural Policy (NCFAP).
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Biotech Crop Uses
of Acres
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Bt corn European corn borer and earworm protection
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Trends in insecticide applications to manage ECB
SOURCE Benbrook, C.M. 2004. Genetically
Engineered Crops and Pesticide Use in the United
States The First Nine Years. BioTech InfoNet,
Technical Paper Number 7.
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Yearly Yield Fluctuations with B.t. Corn
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Discovery of B.t. Strains with Different Insect
Specificities
SOURCE L. Kim (ed.) 1993. Advanced Engineered
Pesticides. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York.
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Bt Refugia
2003 Survey of Farmers 92 Compliance for
minimum 20 refuge within ½ mile of cornfield
Planting Patterns
Stewart et al., Pratical Considerations for Bt
Refuge Management
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Effect on Bystanders?

• Monarch butterfly study

• Losey et al. 1999
• Criticisms
• - pollen dosage
• - lab study

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September 8, 2001 Data on Genetically Modified
Corn Reports Say Threat to Monarch Butterflies Is
'Negligible By ANDREW POLLACK Genetically
modified corn poses a "negligible" risk to
monarch butterflies, according to a package of
six papers that will soon be published in a
scientific journal. The papers, the most
comprehensive peer-reviewed publications on this
issue, could lay to rest one of the biggest
controversies over genetically modified crops.
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Yield Gard (Monsanto) rootworm
Control
Insecticide-treated
Corn Rootworm Protection
SOURCE Martin Lemon, Monsanto
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Roundup Ready? Corn
Usage estimates vary due to year, location,
farming practices and methods of
calculation Benbrook Increases of 5 in
herbicide usage in corn NCFAP Decrease in corn
of overall usage of herbicides of 1 pound/acre
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Corn Engineered with Three Traits Receives U.S.
and Japanese Food, Feed and Environmental
Approvals for 2005 Release
SOURCE FarmWeek, December 14, 2004 http//farmwee
k.ilfb.org/viewdocument.asp?did7365r0.6485102r
0.1302606r0.215542r0.4375116
SOURCE FarmWeek, December 14, 2004 http//farmwee
k.ilfb.org/viewdocument.asp?did7365r0.6485102r
0.1302606r0.215542r0.4375116
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U.S. Corn Field Test Release Permits
Database (http//www.isb.vt.edu/CFDOCS/fieldtests3
_output.cfm) Many herbicide- (HT), lepidopteran-
(LT) and coleopteran- (CT) tolerant varieties not
listed below Stacked traits 3 traits in one
maize variety HT/CT/LT
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U.S. Corn Field Test Release Permits
Database (http//www.isb.vt.edu/CFDOCS/fieldtests3
_output.cfm)
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Will the public sector create any new commercial
GE varieties? Corn? Onions? Artichokes?
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November 14, 2002 Biotech Firm Mishandled Corn
in Iowa By Justin Gillis
The biotechnology company that mishandled
gene-altered corn in Nebraska did the same thing
in Iowa, the government disclosed yesterday.
Fearing that pollen from corn not approved for
human consumption may have spread to nearby
fields of ordinary corn, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture ordered 155 acres of Iowa corn pulled
up in September and incinerated.
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Some food safety concerns with GE foods

• Changes in nutritional content
• Creation of allergen
• Activation of toxin gene
• Horizontal gene flow from food to intestinal
  flora
• Increase in antibiotic resistance
• Labeling
• Pharma crops

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Some environmental concerns with GE crops

• Transgene movement via pollen flow
• Transfer of transgenes to non-GMO / organic crops
• Generation of "superweeds" (transfer of
  herbicide-tolerance to wild/weedy species)
• Spread of pharmaceutical genes to edible crops
• Loss of genetic diversity
• Property rights (gene patents)

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Pollen spread from GE/nonGE crops to wild
relatives?
Sorghum (cultivated crop)
Johnson grass (invasive weed)
Ellstrand, 2003
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Example - Gene flow from rice to weedy red rice
the consequence depends on the gene
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Consequences of gene flow from GE crops to
organic crops in the field
GE canola
Organic canola
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Growth of Commercial Varieties and Landraces of
Corn in Mexico
Near Amecameca in Chalco area
State of Jelisco
Courtesy of Prof. C. Qualset, UC Davis