[For further information on the Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see the Forum website.
Note, participants are assumed to be speaking on their own behalf, unless they state otherwise.]

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 08 March 2007 10:33
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 6: Re: Focus on dryland crops

I am Norbert Tchouaffe, agricultural engineer, technology and sustainable specialist, in activity to the Cameroonian Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection. First, I would like to thank the organizers for this initiative.

Supporting the viewpoint of K.V Peter (Message 5, March 7), I would like to add some information related to his point N° 5 (on "Drip irrigation and organic mulching can save water"). Due to the scarcity of water, we have to look for abiotic solutions to reduce the wastage of water in irrigation. By using organic matter we can also reduce soil evaporation. For this reason, in the Northern part of Cameroon we are now promoting biodynamic farming which is a traditional method of farming involving both the use of indigenous and modern knowledge, aiming at reducing wastage and evapotranspiration, preserving the environment and protecting human health by eliminating the usage of toxic chemicals. We are all aware that vegetation has strong effect on evapotranspiration, so by using organic mulching we can reduce wastage. In addition, organic mulching also functions as a buffer against strong changes in the soil pH.

Norbert Tchouaffé
Agricultural engineer
Technology and sustainable development specialist
Plant stress member
Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection (MINEP)
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER)
Cameroonian association of rural development (ACADER)
Box. 876 Yaounde,
Cameroon
Phone:(237)563-09-22
ntchoua (at) yahoo.fr

[Mulching refers to the practice of applying a covering layer of material (which can be organic, such as leaves or weeds, or inorganic, such as stones) to the soil surface...Moderator].

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 08 March 2007 10:34
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 7: Spraying alcohol on crops

Please forgive my lack of expertise. My degree is in accounting not science but we do economic development projects worldwide so we know a little about water issues.

Some time ago I read of a technology being used in SW USA involving alcohol being sprayed on growing crops to cause the stoma on the leaves to close, thereby reducing water loss. I thought this was a significant demonstration but have heard nothing of it in years. Did it prove to be effective or not?

Cornelius A. Van Milligen
Kentucky Enrichment Inc
United States
www.kentuckyenrichment.com
cavm (at) aol.com

[Please send any responses to this specific message directly to Cornelius Van Milligen...Moderator]

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 08 March 2007 12:52
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 8: Ectomycorrhiza

This is from Friderike Oehler. Before starting to work on biosafety issues at FAO, I did research on the spatial distribution of ectomycorrhizal hyphae in soils with a special focus on the coarse soil fraction. Through an intensive study of literature, I found that ectomycorrhizae are often involved in acquiring water and nutrients from microenvironments in the soil that are unaccessible to plant roots because of physical (e.g. aeration) or chemical (acidity) restrictions, thus contributing to the growth of symbiotic plants not only by an increase of the adsorbing surface but also in efficiency of nutrient and water uptake. Even though the movement of water through ectomycorrhizae is difficult to quantify, mycorrhizal fungi might thus contribute substantially to cover the water needs of dry land plants.

However, own experiences showed me that the inoculation of plants with desired ectomycorrhizal strains is difficult and resource-intensive. So I would be very interested to know whether there are experiences with regard to the last question raised in the conference background paper, i.e. "How important is application of mycorrhizal fungi as a biofertiliser in helping developing countries to cope with water scarcity?,... Is it at all feasible? Are there further studies in this regard?

Many thanks to the organisers and contributors of this conference.

Friderike Oehler
Plant Protection Service (AGPP), B605b
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00153 Rome
Italy
Phone +39 06 570 55545
Web Sites: http://www.ipfsaph.org http://www.fao.org
e-mail: Friderike.Oehler (at) fao.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 08 March 2007 14:11
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 9: Biotechnologies and heavy metals in irrigation water

My name is Edo Lin and I am an independent consultant seed and biotechnology.

One of the points raised in the background document is about the role of biotechnologies in wastewater treatment. This point is related to another point regarding the removal of heavy metals in irrigation water. The presence of heavy metals in irrigation water and the potential impact on food safety is well documented (see for instance http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/1-4-7-1-11.html for a study in Zambia and India). The problem is particularly acute in urban and peri-urban farming where (untreated) wastewater is, often the only source for irrigation. [The website referenced here provides output from a research project funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) entitled "Contaminated irrigation water and food safety for the urban and peri-urban poor: appropriate measures for monitoring and control from field research in India and Zambia"...Moderator].

On the one hand biotechnology is being used in the development of biosensors for the detection of heavy metals, herbicides and other matter of interest. For instance in Europe, a research consortium is developing biosensors for effective environmental protection (BEEP) based on biosensors from photosynthetic organisms (Photosystem II complex). The research has already led to the development of low-cost equipment which can be used for large-scale screening of specific herbicides and heavy metals (for more information see www.beep.mlib.cnr.it).

Biotechnology is also used for the treatment of wastewater and the removal of heavy metals. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has developed biofilters using the Azolla fern. The Azolla fern is a free floating aquatic fern well known for its capacity to absorb heavy metals. In the biofilters only the dry matter derived from Azolla ferns is used. Other organisms such as Cyanobacteria (for instance Aulosira fertilissima) are know to be able to absorb heavy metals and several research groups are working on the development of immobilized cyanobacteria in biofilters. Humic acid derived from coal is another material that can be used in wastewater treatment and is highly effective in the removal of heavy metals. Humasorb is a commercial product used in several developing countries (South Korea, Egypt, Turkey). Of special interest to developing countries is the research in the potential use of readily available materials (for instance coconut fiber, rice husks etc).

Edo Lin
309, rue de Bombon
77720 Breau
France
lin.edo (at) free.fr

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 08 March 2007 16:00
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 10: Re: Ectomycorrhiza

In message 8, Friderike Oehler asks if there are studies on the use of mycorrhiza biofertiliser.

A good place to start is the information available on the website of the Centre for Mycorrizhal Research of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India. The website contains many reports and descriptions of completed and ongoing research projects relevant to this conference (http://static.teriin.org/division/bmbdiv/cmr/cmr.htm).

The European Commission website contains an article (2004) on developing biofertilisers for Chinese farmers. Although the aim of the project was to address phosphate deficiency, it describes how arbuscular mycorrizhal fungi (AMF) were isolated, evaluated and (commercially) produced (http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/export/success/article_722_en.html). [Published in 2004 as a 'success story' article, it summarises the results from a European and Chinese collaborative project set up in 2000, entitled "Mycorrhiza technology for staple food crop production in small-scale sustainable agriculture in China"...Moderator].

Edo Lin
309 rue de Bombon
77720 Breau
France
lin.edo (at) free.fr

[Friderike's question was "However, own experiences showed me that the inoculation of plants with desired ectomycorrhizal strains is difficult and resource-intensive. So I would be very interested to know whether there are experiences with regard to the last question raised in the conference background paper, i.e. "How important is application of mycorrhizal fungi as a biofertiliser in helping developing countries to cope with water scarcity?... Is it at all feasible? Are there further studies in this regard?...Moderator].

-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: 08 March 2007 16:49
To: 'biotech-room2@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: 11: Re: Focus on dryland crops

[Thanks to Dr. Sangaré from Burkina Faso for the message below on organic mulching, where we provide a rough English translation of the original French message (also included). We would, however, kindly ask participants in the conference to focus their messages more on the role of agricultural biotechnologies and more on the kinds of questions listed in Section 6 of the background document.....Moderator]

This is from M. Sangaré, PhD, researcher at the Centre International de Recherche-Développement sur l’Elevage en zone Subhumide (CIRDES), Burkina Faso.

I don't know if it is suitable to refer to it during this conference on the role of biotechnology in agriculture, but as some of the participants have said before, mulching is a fairly well-known local technique which has been validated and improved by agronomists and which has been proven in the increase of agriculture production in the arid and semi-arid zones. It can increase returns from the use of water available for rainfed agriculture by its impact on the physical properties of the soil (increased infiltration, reduced evaporation, improved pH etc.), reducing the water stress on young shoots around germination etc. Besides, through decomposition, the mulch from the previous seasons provides nutritive elements that are useful for boosting the young plants.

However, generalisation of this technique in most areas where water is the limiting factor for agriculture can meet a scale contraint which is the poor availability of biomass, rarely exceeding 200 kg of dry mass per hectare some months after harvest, be it in rainfed fields or irrigated perimeters or even pastural areas, due to the multiple uses of straw. It is partially or fully removed from the field and used for cooking, animal feed, housing (human, animal) etc.

What could, however, be advocated is the production of synthetic fibres from the dreadful quantities of used plastic (which pollute our cities), provided that it would be highly biodegradable material (in one season).

M. Sangaré
Spécialiste PR / ECCs
N° 559, Rue5-31 X Avenue du Gnr Louveau
CIRDES 01 BP 454 Bobo Dioulasso 01 -
Burkina Faso
Tél.: +226 20 97 20 53/20 97 26 38
Cell.: +226 76 62 68 09
Fax: +226 20 97 23 20
E-mail: mamadousangare (at) hotmail.com ou
sangare_mamadou2003 (at) yahoo.fr

Je ne sais pas s'il convient d'en faire référence dans ce forum dédié au rôle de la biotechnologie en agriculture, mais comme l'ont dit certains de mes prédécesseurs, le mulching est un savoir local assez connu qui a été validé et amélioré par les agronomes et qui a fait ses preuves dans l'augmentation de la productivité agricole dans les zones arides et semi arides. Elle peut augmenter le rendement d'utilisation de l'eau disponible en agriculture pluviale par son effet sur les propriétés physiques du sol (augmentation de l'infiltration, réduction de l'évaporation, amélioration du pH, etc), en reduisant le stress hydrique chez les jeunes pousses autour de la germination, etc. En outre, en se décomposant les mulch des saisons précédentes apportent des éléments nutritifs utiles au démarrage des jeunes plants.

Cependant, la généralisation de cette technique dans la plupart des zones où l'eau est facteur limitant de la production agricole, peut rencontrer une contrainte de taille qui est la faible disponibilité de la phytomasse, dépassant rarement 200 kg MS/ha quelques mois après la recolte, aussi bien dans les champs en agriculture pluviale que dans dans les périmètres irrigués et même dans les aires de pâture, à cause des multiples usages de la paille. Elle est partiellement ou totalement exportée du champ et utilisée pour la cuisson, l'alimentation animale, la confection d'abris (homme et animaux), etc. Ce qui peut par contre être préconisé, est la production de fibres synthétiques à partir des quantités épouvantables de plastiques usagés (qui poluent toutes nos villes), à condition que ce soit un matériau hautement biodégradable (en une saison). am also interested in getting information on mass multiplication of mycorrhiza and their mode of transport and storage at the end users (dry land farmers) - how best we can simplify the protocol so that farmers can practise it. I am also interested to have collaboration with scientists who have already started mass multiplication of ectomycorrhiza or any other microbes that enhance the water stress resistance of crop plants. If it requires, I am also eager to visit the fields that have taken up these kinds of experiments.