Videos

Genetically modified Bt maize:
No risks to butterflies

Can butterflies be harmed by genetically modified Bt maize? This was the question that Mechthild Schuppener from RWTH Aachen University investigated in a three-year research project. GMO Safety spoke to the scientist about the findings of her research project. (August 2011)

Bees and Bt maize
Interactions with pathogens?

Bees are swarming around a pot containing yellow pollen feed. Sie sind Teil eines Fütterungs- experiments, das an der Universität Würzburg durchgeführt wird. They are part of a feeding experiment being conducted at the University of Würzburg. A team at the Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology is conducting a series of laboratory experiments to investigate whether bees can digest pollen from genetically modified Bt maize. (July 2011)

Genetically modified Bt maize: Is it compatible with nematodes?

Nematodes, also known as roundworms, are found almost everywhere in the soil. Sebastian Höss has been studying these tiny soil-dwellers for years and knows how beneficial they are for soil fertility. This makes them good bioindicators for testing soil quality. At the moment, Sebastian Höss is conducting research on behalf of the Institute for Biodiversity in Regensburg, on whether nematodes are sensitive to genetically modified Bt maize.

Bt maize and earthworms

Scientists from RWTH Aachen University are digging holes in the ground one last time to count earthworms. They are investigating whether genetically modified Bt maize has an impact on these beneficial soil-dwelling creatures. In the laboratory, an earthworm ‘escape test’ will show whether earthworms avoid soil containing Bt proteins.

Restricting outcrossing

On a field near Braunschweig, scientists from the Julius Kühn Institute are investigating whether their new concept to prevent the spread of genetically modified maize plants is working. The cultivation of cytoplasmic male-sterile maize is intended to make it possible to prevent cross-pollination with neighbouring maize fields.

Plastid transformation: Field trial with petunias

The CONFICO research group is working on the genetic modification of plants in the plastids rather than in the cell nucleus. The DNA in the plastids is not usually transferred via pollen, so it could be a way of restricting the spread of foreign genes. Scientists from the University of Rostock check the outcrossing frequency of plastid genes using petunias as a model. (August 2010)

Bt toxin in the soil

Genetically modified Bt maize produces an insecticide called Bt protein. The Bt protein also enters the soil, primarily through rotting plant remains. Could it harm organisms that live on or in the soil? Does it have an impact on micro-organisms living in the soil and therefore on soil quality? Could it accumulate in the soil? Scientists at the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (vTI) in Braunschweig have been researching these issues for years. (July 2010)

Genetically modified barley - research results

Genetically modified barley, which through the introduction of new genes is resistant to harmful fungi, does not negatively affect beneficial fungi or therefore plant growth. In addition, according to the results of a multi-year study at the University of Giessen, it appears that targeted gene modifications affect plants far less than classic breeding or environmental factors. (July 2010)

Field trial: Oilseed rape with closed flowers

A flowering oilseed rape field near Braunschweig. While one half of the field glows bright yellow, the other half looks somewhat paler. This half is being used to grow cleistogamic oilseed rape, i.e. plants with flowers that do not open. The idea is to prevent the plants from releasing pollen into the environment. This trait could be used in future for the biological containment of foreign genes in genetically modified oilseed rape plants. This field trial is designed to show whether the method works in practice. (June 2010)

Bt-Mais and butterflies and moths

Feeding experiments are being conducted on caterpillars at RWTH Aachen University. Mechthild Schuppener is interested in finding out whether genetically modified Bt maize is harmful to butterflies. A report on hungry caterpillars, pollen traps and a successful butterfly-breeding programme. (January 2010)

Bt maize resistant to Western corn rootworm: Biosafety research results

Between 2005 and 2008, a large number of biosafety research projects investigated the ecological impacts of genetically modified MON88017 Bt maize, which has a new gene that makes it resistant to the Western corn rootworm. The research findings are now available. GMO Safety spoke to Stefan Rauschen of RWTH Aachen University. (October 2009)

Bees and Bt maize

Gauze-covered tents, distributed over the whole maize test area, represent the restricted habitat for the bees during the maize flowering season, each with two bee colonies. This flowering season is the crucial time for the bee trials of Stephan Härtel and his co-workers from the University of Bayreuth, since only then can the bees gather the maize pollen. (August 2009).

Safety research: Why? Who does it? How independent is it?

Biological safety research in the field of plant biotechnology: What are people’s expectations? How can people find out about current research findings? These were the key questions of a panel discussion that was held on 29 June 2009 in Berlin as part of the closing conference of the Biosafenet project funded by the EU Commission. (July 2009)

Harvest on the trial field

October 2008: The maize in the trial field is ready to be harvested. The entire plant will be threshed, ensiled and used in a biogas plant.

Peak season on the trial field

August 2008: Blossoming maize. It is peak season for scientists on the field. Again it should be investigated if genetically modified bt maize is having an effect on microbes in the field. Everywhere on the trial field floor traps have to be emptied and sticky traps need to be exchanged. A special interest applies to butterflies and bees.

New trial field for Bt maize

At the end of May 2008, a working team of the RWTH Aachen arranged parcels on an acreage of about eight hectares for a new trial field. In the next few month, genetically modified bt maize and conventional maize for comparison will grow on these parcels. After all parcles have been measured and marked the sowing began.