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Rice genome - first crop sequenced
The completed map of the rice genome will help scientists to understand
gene function in rice and to discover new genes that could be important for
breeding. Two separate teams of scientists published their sequencing
results earlier this month for the two main cultivated subspecies of rice,
indica and japonica.
Source: http://www.checkbiotech.org... ...2981
Rice for food security - International Rice Research Institute
Rice production in Asia has increased by 170% since 1962, during which time
the population doubled from 1.6 to 3.7 billion people. The increase in
production required <30% increase in land use, due to the availability of
new varieties of rice developed through breeding efforts, which introduced
new traits such as dwarfing genes, pest resistance and grain quality. Many
of these new varieties were developed at the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), in the Philippines, founded in 1960 in response to
concerns about food scarcity problems in the developing world and which
seeks to "bring in new science to benefit the poor."
Source: Trends in Plant Science (2002) 7, 139-142
International meetings at The Hague - Biological diversity and biosafety
From 7-19 and 22-26 April, respectively, government representatives from
around the world convened in The Hague, Netherlands, to discuss and adopt
decisions on the program of work laid out by the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) and for the preparation of the entry into force of the
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP). Both the CBD and ICCP-3 meeting set
their sights on being able to provide a positive report of their activities
to the Earth Summit, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg later this
year, at the ten-year mark after the Rio Conference in 1992.
Sources: http://www.biodiv.org/
http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/iccp3/
http://iisd.ca/linkages/biodiv/cop6/
Trangenic crop approval - Bt cotton in India
On 26 March 2002, India approved its first transgenic crop for
commercialization: Bt cotton resistant to bollworm. Based on the experience
of farmers worldwide who have seen a dramatic reduction in their use of
pesticides after the introduction o
Source: http://www.libertyindia.org/policy_reports/bt_cotton_info_march2002.htm
