Field decomposition of transgenic Bt maize residue and the impact on non-target soil invertebrates

Genetically modified Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) maize (Zea mays L.) expressing Cry toxins against various target pests is now grown on more than 16 million hectares worldwide, but its potential effects on the soil ecosystem need to be further investigated. In an 8-month field study, we investigated the effects of Bt maize expressing the Cry1Ab protein on both the soil community and maize residue decomposition. We used litterbags with three different mesh sizes (20, 125, and 5,000μm) to investigate potential effects of different soil organism groups on the decomposition processes. Litterbags were incorporated into the soil in fall into a field that had previously been planted with non-Bt maize and subsamples were removed monthly. The dry weight of the remaining residue was measured for all bags. Bt and non-Bt maize decomposed similarly in large mesh bags, which allowed the whole soil organism community to enter and interact with each other. In contrast, Bt maize decomposed significantly faster than non-Bt maize at some sample dates in winter in bags with small and medium mesh sizes. At the end of the experiment in late spring, however, there was no significant difference in the amount of maize plant residues remaining for any of these three mesh sizes. Additionally, soil organisms from bags with the largest mesh size were identified. The most frequent taxa extracted were collembolans (Isotomidae, Tullbergiidae, Entomobryidae), mites (Gamasina, Oribatida), and annelids (Enchytraeidae). Three of these taxa were extracted in higher numbers from non-Bt than Bt residue (Tullbergiidae, Gamasina, Enchytraeidae), while there was no difference in the number of individuals extracted for the remaining three taxa. Our results do not show major changes in the decomposition of Bt maize residue and in the composition of the soil organism community. However, further studies are needed that assess the impact of the continuous release of Cry1Ab via root exudates and plant biomass on the soil ecosyste

Environmental risk assessment of genetically modified plants - concepts and controversies

Background and purpose: In Europe, the EU Directive 2001/18/EC lays out the main provisions of environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) organisms that are interpreted very differently by different stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to: (a) describe the current implementation of ERA of GM plants in the EU and its scientific shortcomings, (b) present an improved ERA concept through the integration of a previously developed selection procedure for identification of non-target testing organisms into the ERA framework as laid out in the EU Directive 2001/18/EC and its supplement material (Commission Decision 2002/623/EC), (c) describe the activities to be carried out in each component of the ERA and (d) propose a hierarchical testing scheme. Lastly, we illustrate the outcomes for three different crop case examples. Main features: Implementation of the current ERA concept of GM crops in the EU is based on an interpretation of the EU regulations that focuses almost exclusively on the isolated bacteria-produced novel proteins with little consideration of the whole plant. Therefore, testing procedures for the effect assessment of GM plants on non-target organisms largely follow the ecotoxicological testing strategy developed for pesticides. This presumes that any potential adverse effect of the whole GM plant and the plant-produced novel compound can be extrapolated from testing of the isolated bacteriaproduced novel compound or can be detected in agronomic field trials. This has led to persisting scientific criticism. Results: Based on the EU ERA framework, we present an improved ERA concept that is system oriented with the GM plant at the centre and integrates a procedure for selection of testing organisms that do occur in the receiving environment. We also propose a hierarchical testing scheme from laboratory studies to field trials and we illustrate the outcomes for three different crop case examples. Conclusions and recommendations: Our proposed concept can alleviate a number of deficits identified in the current approach to ERA of GM plants. It allows the ERA to be tailored to the GM plant case and the receiving environment

Brazil and the development of international scientific biosafety testing guidelines for transgenic crops.

Under the umbrella of the International Organisation of Biological Control (IOBC), an international working group of public sector scientists entitled on Transgenic Organisms in Integrated Pest Management and Biological Control has been organized. The group will develop scientific principles and detailed scientific guidelines for biosafety testing of transgenic crops. The key elements of this project are: (1) An international initiative including expert scientists from leading research institutions in developed and developing countries; (2) coordination of the development and implementation of the guidelines as a dynamic process, which will include scientific and technical capacity building and communication among scientists and between scientists and policy makers; (3) rapid serial publication of sections of the guidelines as they are completed; and (4) rapid and timely revision of previously published sections. The guidelines will be constructed on a case-by-case basis and will have no regulatory legitimacy themselves

Digital Reset: Redirecting Technologies for the Deep Sustainability Transformation

Governments worldwide hope that digital technologies can provide key solutions. Yet this report shows that digitalisation, in its current and mainstream form, is rather aggravating than solving many of the pressing social and environmental crises at hand. What is needed instead is a deep sustainability transformation that fundamentally reorganises the economy and all its sectors - agriculture, mobility, energy, buildings, industry, and consumption. The Report »Digital Reset« shows how digital technologies can support the quest for such a deep sustainability transformation. The report provides a blueprint for the European Union on how to reconceptualise digitalisation so that it first and foremost contributes to achieving carbon neutrality, resource autonomy and economic resilience while supporting equity and fully respecting citizen's rights and privacy. The report is the outcome of a two-year international science-policy dialogue, »Digitalization for Sustainability« (D4S), and presents an up-to-date comprehensive analysis of opportunities, risks and governance options regarding digitalization and sustainability

Ferramentas científicas para a análise de riscos de plantas transgênicas: o projeto GMO guidelines e o algodão Bt.

A biodiversidade de um agroecossistema é importante para o agricultor pois ela influencia funções do ecossistema vitais para a produção agrícola, para a vida Silvestre e o ambiente ao redor. Uma metodologia de análise de risco ambiental de plantas transgênicas à biodiversidade está sendo desenvolvida no escopo do Projeto GMO Guidelines e visa a desenvolver metodologias claras, conclusivas, cientificamente fundamentadas e aceitas internacionalmente para avaliação dos possíveis riscos ecológicos oriundos do plantio de transgênicos. Serão apresentados os resultados do workshop deste projeto realizado em Brasília, tendo como estudo de caso do Algodão Bt. A produção de algodão apresenta alguns sérios desafios a biossegurança. Grande quantidade de pesticides é aplicada nos campos de algodão, resultando em contaminação ambiental e envenenamento de agricultores. Variedades resistentes a insetos poderiam contribuir para reduzir estes riscos, desde que outros novos riscos que poderiam vir associados a variedades transgênicos fossem mínimos. Um número de artrópodes, plantas daninhas e microbios é encontrado nos campos de algodão levantando a questão dos potenciais efeitos adversos a organismos não-alvo. Três espécies do gênero Gossypium ocorrem no Brasil, todas alotetraplóides e sexualmente compatíveis entre si. Estas espécies podem occurer também na forma feral, raças locais ou em fundos de quintal. Partes da area de distribuição natural destas espécies estão sendo substituídas pelo plantio do algodão herbáceo, e o fluxo de genes a partir de novas variedades convencionais ou transgênicas pode colocar em risco a preservação em longo prazo da diversidade genetica destas espécies. Estas questões serão apresentadas e discutidas

Trust in Science: CRISPR-Cas9 and the Ban on Human Germline Editing

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.In 2015 scientists called for a partial ban on genome editing in human germline cells. This call was a response to the rapid development of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, a molecular tool that allows researchers to modify genomic DNA in living organisms with high precision and ease of use. Importantly, the ban was meant to be a trust-building exercise that promises a 'prudent' way forward. The goal of this paper is to analyse whether the ban can deliver on this promise. To do so the focus will be put on the precedent on which the current ban is modelled, namely the Asilomar ban on recombinant DNA technology. The analysis of this case will show (a) that the Asilomar ban was successful because of a specific two-step containment strategy it employed and (b) that this two-step approach is also key to making the current ban work. It will be argued, however, that the Asilomar strategy cannot be transferred to human genome editing and that the current ban therefore fails to deliver on its promise. The paper will close with a reflection on the reasons for this failure and on what can be learned from it about the regulation of novel molecular tools.The research leading to this paper has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement No. 324186