The "terminator technology", as applied to field crops, received a lot of criticism from the users' point of view, as it would prevent farmers from using farm seed for sowing. Applied to forest trees, this technology would seem to have distinct advantages, as it would prevent any dispersal of transferred genes into nature. Maybe the discussion could be expanded to consider the pros and cons of this technology, depending on the species, environments, and production systems it would be applied in. Thoughts from people interested in forest research and use ?
Sirkka Immonen, PhD
Secretariat of the Technical Advisory Committee of the CGIAR,
FAO
Rome
Italy
[To contribute to this conference, send your message to [email protected] For further information on the Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp ]
-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod2
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2000 4:44 PM
To: '[email protected]'
Subject: Re: Terminator technology and forest trees: 13
Although none of the planned genes/traits for incorporation into genetically modified (GM) trees are considered dangerous in the sense of having a significant potential to cause a large increase in invasiveness comparable to that of a noxious exotic organism, many practitioners believe that it will be prudent and more socially acceptable to use infertile or reduced fertility GM trees in plantations for some of the traits planned. Non-flowering trees would reduce the chances for herbicide tolerant trees to be more difficult to control outside of plantations. It would also reduce the magnitude of non-target effects from use of pest-resistant trees. For changes in wood quality alone, the case for control of flowering is less clear as the DEGREE (though not necessarily the precise type) of the changes expected from GM trees is likely to fall within the vast range of variation seen among species and genotypes produced via conventional silviculture and breeding.
Genes to reduce flowering would be useful to control the spread of exotic trees, whether they are GM or not. The spread of exotic species into ecosystems where they are not wanted is a much more serious threat than is the addition of one or more genes via GM.
The increase in productivity if flowering were avoided could be great in some species. It would also reduce the level of allergens greatly if no pollen was released. Pollen from planted trees is a very serious health issue in many areas.
Because GM trees will only be used in short-rotation, farm-like plantations, and often with wind-pollinated species like pines and poplars, the bidiversity effects from loss of flowers would, in most cases, be highly tolerable for the benefits it brings. For species where flowering is desirable (e.g., for honey production), types of flowering control could be pursued that retain basic flower structure (e.g., nectaries, petals) but prevent maturation/release of pollen or seeds.
Although experience with COMMERCIAL GM crops has shown that traits are usually very stably expressed, even after several years of research trials it would be advisable to monitor non-flowering trees for several more years to ensure that flowering control is stable, or that the level of gene release is at a very low level. This can be readily done in intensive plantations. A system for flowering control that uses more than one mechanism (functional redundancy) would be desirable to provide a high level of stability. This is possible using current GM technology.
Steve Strauss, Oregon State University, USA
[email protected]
[To contribute to this conference, send your message to [email protected] For further information on the Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp ]