EPA and Transgenic Bt vegetables??
Ray Dobert
rdobert at NALUSDA.GOV
Mon Jun 12 10:53:50 EST 1995
Sandra,
In late March/early April EPA approved limited registrations (plantings on
limited acreage) for Bt expressing potato (Monsanto), cotton (Monsanto),
and corn (Ciba Seed and Mycogen). On May 5, EPA approved for full
commercialization the Monsanto Bt potato to be marketed as the NewLeaf
potato (I believe). Thus the answer to your question is yes, Bt
expressing plants are commercially available, although they may not be
available on the open market as of yet.
Text of the EPA press release attached below.
Ray Dobert, Coordinator
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Biotechnology Information Center (BIC) voice1: (301)-504-5947 |
| National Agricultural Library - USDA voice2: (301)-504-5340 |
| 10301 Baltimore Blvd. fax: (301)-504-7098 |
| Beltsville, MD 20705-2351 USA e-mail:biotech at nalusda.gov |
| WWW: http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/AgrEnv/Biotech |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
On 1995年6月11日, Sandra Young wrote:
> Can anyone tell me whether plants carrying the Bt gene are
> commercially available? I know cotton, tomato and potato plants with this
> engineered resistance have been field trialled by Monsanto, in the US, but
> have any such plants actually been released??
> Thanks in advance,
> Sandra
>>
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Prevention, Pesticides And Toxic Substances (7506C)
March 31, 1995
Questions & Answers
THE REGISTRATION OF THREE PLANT-PESTICIDES
1. What action is EPA announcing?
EPA is announcing, for the first time, the limited registrations of
plant pesticides in potatoes, cotton, and corn. The purpose of these
registrations is to allow the companies to produce seed for cotton and
corn, and seed potatoes. Once the Agency approves full registrations,
the seeds can be sold and these new products fully commercialized. The
registrations are for the following plant-pesticides:
Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) delta-endotoxin as produced by the
CryIIIA gene and its controlling sequences in Potatoes
Registrant: Monsanto Company
Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin as produced by the CryIA(c)
gene and its controlling sequences in Cotton
Registrant: Monsanto Company
Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin protein as produced by a
CryIA(b) gene and its controlling sequences in Corn
Registrant: Ciba Seeds of Ciba Geigy Corp. and Mycogen Plant
Sciences of Mycogen Corp.
2. What are the conditions of the limited registrations?
The limited registrations permit companies to produce seed for corn
and for plant propagation and seed production for cotton and potatoes.
The registrations do not allow the sale of seed to farmers for the
production of food and feed. Those registration decisions will be made
after the Agency has the opportunity to evaluate all requested data from
the registrants.
The companies have acreage restrictions in permitted states. The
seed production is limited to approximately 9,725 acres for corn; 8,186
acres for potatoes; and 36,850 acres for cotton. Additionally, the
companies are required to monitor the acreage used during and after
harvest and destroy or remove any plants that appear during the next
growing season.
The registrations are limited in time and expire on a specific date
unless EPA takes action to extend the limited registrations or approves
full registration of the product(s). The expiration dates are: corn -
September 15, 1996; cotton - March 15, 1996; and potatoes March 1, 1996.
3. What are plant-pesticides?
EPA defines a plant-pesticide as "a pesticidal substance that is
produced in a living plant and the genetic information necessary for the
production of the substance....." In other words, genetic material is
derived (either directly taken or artificially synthesized) from an
organism, in this case, the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, or B.t.,
and transferred to a crop plant such as potatoes, corn, or cotton.
B.t. naturally produces several compounds known as a "delta
endotoxins" that are toxic to certain types of insects when ingested.
By inserting the appropriate B.t. genes (i.e., those containing the
information for making the endotoxin) into the genetic information of
crop plants, researchers have enabled the plants to make their own delta
endotoxin. By producing the delta endotoxin within the plant tissues,
the plant may thereby gain resistance to insect pests that cannot
tolerate the toxin.
4. What is the purpose of these particular plant-pesticides?
In the case of potatoes, the Bt. delta endotoxin will provide
protection against the Colorado potato beetle; in the case of cotton,
the B.t. delta endotoxin will provide protection against the cotton
bollworm, tobacco budworm, and pink bollworm; and in the case of corn,
the Bt. delta endotoxin will provide protection against the European
corn borer and other lepidopterous pests (such as the fall armyworm).
5. Are plant pesticides harmful to humans or the environment?
The Agency does not believe there will be adverse effects to
humans, nontarget organisms, or the environment from the limited use of
these products. The delta-endotoxins used to make these products have
been extensively studied and no toxicity to mammals or the environment
has been reported. In addition, approximately 175 different Bt.
products have been registered since 1961, and EPA has not received any
reports of dietary toxicity attributable to their use. Therefore, EPA
does not anticipate any mammalian toxicity from these delta endotoxins
when produced in plants. Furthermore, based on the data submitted and a
review of the literature, EPA concludes that there is no unreasonable
risk of unplanned pesticide production through gene capture and
expression of the Bt. in wild relatives of the transformed plants.
6. Why is EPA granting these limited registrations?
The Agency believes that these plant-pesticides can offer an
opportunity to reduce the use of conventional pesticides that are
applied to agricultural plants and reduce the overall health and
environmental risks from pesticides. Again, the Agency does not believe
that there will be unreasonable adverse effects to humans or the
environment under the conditions of these registration.
7. What are the advantages to using plant-pesticides?
Plant pesticides such as the B.t. delta endotoxin are less likely
than conventional pesticides to adversely affect non-target, beneficial
insects. In addition, there is the potential for a significant reduction
in risk where plant pesticides are used in place of registered
alternative insecticides [which are often organophosphates, carbamates,
and synthetic pyrethroids]. There are increased returns to growers from
not having losses from secondary pest outbreaks.
8. Has EPA developed a plan to manage the emergence of pest
resistance to the Bt. delta endotoxin?
The Agency recognizes the importance of sound pesticide resistance
management to keep effective pest control tools available to growers and
to lower the risks from the use of pesticides. In the case of B.t.
delta endotoxin produced in plants, appropriate resistance management
practices should be used to prevent or delay the rapid development of
resistance which would jeopardize the risk reduction value of these
products as alternatives to chemical insecticides. Accordingly, the
Agency has been evaluating and developing resistance management
strategies, and such strategies were considered in issuing these three
limited registrations. The registrations of these products for
commercial use will include an evaluation of resistance management
plans.
9. How much acreage is affected?
For producing B.t. in corn:
Hybrid Foundation
Seed Seed Stock
State/Territory Production(1) Production(2)
(acres) (acres)
Florida 200 60
Hawaii 200 100
Iowa 645 0
Illinois 3,065 180
Texas 5,115 160
Total 9,225 500
For B.t. in cotton:
Seed Increase Breeding
State/Territory Acres(3) Nursery Acres(4)
Arizona 23,500 110
Arkansas 2,500 0
California 0 15
Mississippi 10,500 100
South Carolina 0 30
Texas 0 30
Puerto Rico 30 35
Total 36,530 320
1 Hybrid seed production means the crossing of unrelated inbred
lines to produce hybrid seed.
2 Foundation seed stock production means the maintenance and
increase of inbred lines to produce seeds that will be used to produce
hybrid seed.
3 Seed Increase means to increase the seed quantities of cotton
cultivars containing the pesticide product.
4 Breeding nursery means transferring the pesticide product,
through breeding, to cotton varieties not containing the pesticide
product.
For B.t. on potato:
State/Territory Total Acres Allowed
Colorado 36
Idaho 2000
Maine 1260
Michigan 450
Minnesota 460
Montana 250
Nebraska 200
New York 30
North Dakota 1300
Oregon 260
Washington 490
Wisconsin 1450
Total 8186
More information about the Plantbio
mailing list
Send comments to us at biosci-help [At] net.bio.net