Boll Guard III: To reach India by 2020

Bollgard III, advanced version of GM Cotton and new research product  from the US agri-science major Monsanto, Bollgard III will be resistant to bollworm, army worm and pink bollworm as well as herbicide tolerant as per Dr Roy Cantrell, Global Cotton Breeding Lead of Monsanto.

The work on Bollgard III is at advanced stage in US and Brazil and in these countries and it is expected to be commercially released by 2016-17.  It is believed by Monsanto Officials that it will take some more time and likely to be released in India by around 2020. Bollgard I and II are currently being used by Indian farmers. Also, with the introduction of  Bollgard II and because of not up to the mark performance of BG I, the use of BG I is declining gradually. The data reveals that use of Bollgard II has increased with the variety being sown in over 70% of the total 118 lakh hectares under cotton in the country.

Bollgard III has got approval from the US and Australian Governments for regulatory field trials."It is at a stage where the genes are being analysed. In Brazil, it is under the consideration of the regulator" Whereas for India, research is on to decide what genes to include and it is at a very early stage as informed by Dr. Cantrell who is in connection with the Fifth World Cotton Research Conference.

Monsanto is also planning to introduce the concept of "Refuge in the bag" cotton in the cotton market, according to this theory farmers are supposed to plant Bt cotton with the borders comprising of non-Bt cotton varieties so as to ensure no cross pollination of other fields or crop.

"However, Governments will have to approve the Refuge in the Bag process. In the US, it is a non-issue since you don't need a refuge area for cotton, though you will need one for corn," said Dr Cantrell. Asked about reports of poor performance of Bollgard I currently in India, he said it was one of the reasons why farmers were shifting to Bollgard II.

Genes jumping from Bt to Non Bt Crops....

We have heard of Jumping Genes or what we call as Transposons, which were discovered by Barbara Mc Clintock and she was also awarded Nobel Prize in 1984 for this remarkable discovery. Jumping genes or transposons are sequences of DNA that can move or transpose themselves to new positions within the genome of a single cell. The mechanism of transposition can be either "copy and paste" or "cut and paste". But now, a recent study reveals transfer of genes from crop to crop i.e. an inserted bacterial gene gets transferred via pollen and seed dispersal in cotton plants more accurately than previously available methods.
Environmentalists are concerned about the possibility of genetic material from transgenic plants mixing with non transgenic plants in near by fields. Producers/ researchers on the other side, have a strong interest in knowing whether the varieties they are growing are free from unwanted genetic traits.
Despite being a matter of great concern for regulators still realistic models are not contemplated and accessed which could help growers and legislators scientifically study the mode of gene flow between genetically modified and non genetically modified crops with accuracy. This study conducted by a student at University of Arizona's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the first of its kind to analyze gene flow of a genetically modified trait with higher level of precision. The new approach is likely to cater to the scientific assessment of transfer of genes between plants in crops other than cotton as well.
This phenomenon of natural gene tranfer could be useful from the point of view of developing new methods of gene tranfers and subsequently crop improvement but at the same time it can prove to be hazardous from the Biosafety point of view. But, this study will definitely help the biosafety and regulatory bodies to design improved guidelines.

To read about the research in detail, click the link below:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101130171952.htm

Agri Biotech "3rd largest in Biotech Sector"

Agri biotech secures 3rd largest position in the Biotechnology sector in terms of total revenues. After the huge success of Bt cotton, covering more than 80% of the total cotton area, agri biotech has attained this position. As per the report of United States Department of Agriculture, Agri biotech sector has achieved the total revenues of 1,940 Crores in the fiscal year 2009-2010 which is a 37% growth over the previous fiscal. Whereas, export revenue from agricultural biotechnology is estimated at Rs. 58 Crores in the last fiscal year. The adoption of Bt Cotton is supposed to be the reason for development of Agri Biotech into one of the fastest growing segments of the Indian Biotech Industry. This will also encourage Seed Firms to invest on Research and Development on the Agri Biotech segment.

Source: Gubba Seed News (Vol-23 September- October 2010)

Mumbai Tops the List of Biotech Cities

This may be interesting for you all to know that Mumbai has won the tag of "Top Biotech City" in terms of revenues, Mumbai has outplaced Bangalore with a very small margin of Rs. 200 Crores. Western India is continuosly dominating India's Biotech Industry with 46% shares in the overall revenues, out of which the major contributors are Mumbai, Pune and cities of Gujrat. This data has been revealed in the 8th Annual Survey conducted jointly by the Association of Biotechnology Led Entreprises (ABLE) and monthly journal "Biospectrum" from the Cyber Media Group, based on inputs from over 150 Biotech Firms.
According to the same report Biocon (well known for Insulin and Cancer Drugs) has topped the list of "Top 20 Biotech Companies" with a tremendous growth rate of 29.34% and recorded revenues of Rs. 1180 crores followed by Serum Institute of India and Penacea Biotech. Also, last year, Serum Institute of India was the first organization in India which was approached by World Health Organization for development and manufacture of H1N1 vaccine to fight against swine flu pandemic. Amongst all the sectors of biotech, the major contributor is the Biopharma sector followed by bioservices and bioagri.
The Indian Biotech Industry as a whole has grown 3 folds in just 5 years to report revenues of US$ 3 billion during 2009-2010, showing a growth rate of 17% over the previous year.
This growth reveals that investments in Research and Development activities is huge at present and also will increase multifolds in the near future, thereby generating new technologies in the biotech sector. Here, as we all know that, IP professionals play a key role and I presume there is going to be a huge demand for IP Services as well.