Jun 29, 2005

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Funding from the BMBF: 10 million euros

New biosafety research programme

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is to provide funding of 10 million euros for biosafety research over the next three years. Methods for increasing the safety of genetically modified plants will be developed in 24 projects, which will also research possible ecological impacts of transgenic cultivated plants.

Western corn rootworm. If the pest appears in Germany as well, cultivation of GM maize with suitable resistance could become attractive. The BMBF is funding a large joint project to study possible environmental impacts of these new Bt maize lines

Photo: Mihaily Czepo, Hungary

Research topics: Impacts of fungal-resistant cereals (top), effect of cultivating transgenic potatoes on the quality of agricultural land (middle), optimising the biological safety of transgenic plants (bottom photo: inserting new genes using microinjection)

Universities and non-university research institutes are collaborating on the research project in networks.

Research emphasis: Bt-maize to combat Western corn rootworm

Research emphasis: Bt-maize to combat Western corn rootworm. A network consisting of nine part-projects is looking at new, genetically modified maize varieties. These maize varieties produce a special variant of the Bt-toxin, which provides resistance against the Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera). The larvae of this beetle damage the root system of the maize plants and can cause significant crop loss. The pest has spread in recent years, particularly in Eastern Europe. It has since turned up in Switzerland and in Alsace. Despite the precautionary measures already ordered by the German authorities, it is almost impossible to prevent the beetles reaching Germany. In the case of serious infestation, the pest is controlled mainly with chemical pesticides.

Early GM maize lines which are resistant to the Western corn rootworm are already being grown in the US. In Europe they are awaiting authorisation.

The joint project funded by the BMBF will carry out a field trial to investigate possible ecological impacts of the cultivation of this Bt-maize, as well as any resistance that may develop among the corn rootworm.

Cereals, woody plants, potatoes, new procedures

Cereals, woody plants, potatoes, new procedures. Another network of seven projects is working on the removal of antibiotic-resistance genes, which are required as marker genes for the selection of successfully modified plants. Its task is also to develop methods to enable the selected genes to be inserted very accurately into particular parts of the genome, in order to prevent unwanted side-effects. The BMBF is also funding research into the biological safety of transgenic woody plants and transgenic cereals with genetically engineered resistance to fungi. The impacts of the cultivation of transgenic potatoes on the quality of agricultural land will also be investigated. Another project is developing methods for selecting sites and survey methods for the monitoring programmes that accompany cultivation. The new BMBF programme continues the promotion of biosafety research in Germany. Forty projects have been funded in seven networks over the past four years.

All experiments and their results are documented in the SiFo Database