5 more biotech products being developed

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines — Five more biotechnology products being developed by local research institutions are expected to be commercially released soon.

The genetically modified (GM) crops — Golden Rice, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton, Bt eggplant, Bt camote, and Bt abaca — are in various stages of research, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotechnology Applications (ISAAA) reported at the recent 2012 seminar on biotechnology held at Hyatt Hotel in Manila.

The annual seminar was co-organized by ISAAA, the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), and the Biotechnology Media Advocacy Resource Center.

Speakers were Dr. Clive James, ISAAA founding director and current chairman; Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano; former University of the Philippines president and now NAST president Dr. Emil Javier; Dr. Randy Hautea, ISAAA global coordinator; SEARCA director Dr. Gil Saguiguit Jr.; Dr. Rhodora Aldemito of ISAAA; and Isabela provincial agriculturist Danilo Tumamao.

James, in his report “Global Status of Biotechnology/GM Crops: 2011,” said the first-generation Golden Rice (GR) being developed by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was tested in field trials at IRRI in 2008. The second-generation (GR2) introgressed (transferred through breeding) into selected mega varieties was field-tested during the wet season in 2010.

Field trials of GR2 were conducted during the dry season last year at PhilRice in the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija.

“It is expected that succeeding field trials of GR2 being developed by IRRI and PhilRice will be undertaken in 2012 and can generate the required data for possible full regulatory submission in 2013,” James said.

The biotech rice being developed at PhilRice, also dubbed “3-in-1,” incorporates the traits for pro-Vitamin A and resistance to tungro virus and bacterial leaf blight.

The Bt eggplant project being undertaken by the UP Los Baños-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) completed in 2011 the first two seasons of multi-location trials in Luzon. More trials were programmed to be conducted in 2011 and 2012 to generate additional regulatory data.

Initial results indicated that the Bt talong is resistant to fruit and shoot borer, the most destructive pests attacking eggplants in the Philippines and other Asian countries.

Biotech papaya with delayed ripening traits and resistance to the destructive papaya ring spot virus, also being developed by UPLB-IPB, has been tested in confined field trials.

Bt cotton, for the first time, was tested in confined field trial in 2010 and programmed to start with multi-location trials in late 2011 and early 2012.

The virus-resistant sweet potato is being developed by the Visayas State University in Baybay City, Leyte and UPLB-IPB.

The DA-Fiber Industry Development Authority and UPLB have also been developing transgenic lines of virus-resistant abaca.