Introduction: Biodiversity - the impact of biotechnology (Richard Braun and Klaus Ammann).- Sessi... more Introduction: Biodiversity - the impact of biotechnology (Richard Braun and Klaus Ammann).- Session 1: Impact of agricultural biotechnology on ecosystems.- Widening perspectives on biodiversity (Anatole F. Krattiger). Horizontal gene flow (Sir John E. Beringer). Vertical gene flow (Klaus Ammann). Genetically engineered crops and sustainable agriculture (Hans R. Herren). Technology, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity: the socio-economics of technology transfers (Willy de Greef).- Session 2: Social, ethical and legal issues.- The cultural implications of biodiversity and biotechnology: an underdeveloped area in the public understanding field? (Jill Turner). The role of communication in ecological assessments of genetically modified crops (Thomas E. Nickson). Intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge: proposals for action (Susette Biber-Klemm). Intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge: background, terminology and issues arising (Martin A. Girsberger). T...
Plant Biotechnology: Progress in Genomic Era, 2019
The analysis of the structure of the regulatory discourse needs a look behind the curtain about r... more The analysis of the structure of the regulatory discourse needs a look behind the curtain about reasons for the dissent, and we need to acknowledge the ‘Genomic Misconception’: Transfer of transgenes similar to natural mutation. The conclusion is to have a critical look at the present-day regulation and shift to a professional discursive structure of the regulatory rules. The unfortunate decision of the European Court to include all Gene Editing products hinders progress but encourages also to aim at a basic restructuring of the present-day regulation laws instead of only minor corrections. One of the important discursive elements is to include cultural responsibilities of modern agriculture in its broadest aspects.
Primarily outside the scientific community, misapprehensions and misinformation about recombi-nan... more Primarily outside the scientific community, misapprehensions and misinformation about recombi-nantDNA-modified (alsoknownas ‘geneticallymodified’, or ‘GM’) plants have generated significant ‘pseudo-con-troversy ’ over their safety that has resulted in unscientific and excessive regulation (with attendant inflated devel-opment costs) and disappointing progress. But pseudo-controversy and sensational claims have originated within the scientific community as well, and even scho-larly journals ’ treatment of the subject has been at times unscientific, one-sided and irresponsible. These short-comings have helped to perpetuate ‘The Big Lie ’ – that recombinant DNA technology applied to agriculture and food production is unproven, unsafe, untested, unregu-lated and unwanted. Thosemisconceptions, in turn, have given rise to unwarranted opposition and tortuous, dis-torted public policy.
Innovation in new crops will see a significant boost through the discoveries through genomic rese... more Innovation in new crops will see a significant boost through the discoveries through genomic research. Present day modern plant breeding is restricted on a very few world crops – modern plant breeding, in particular modern molecular analysis of plant genomes will change this hopefully, and a better knowledge of gene functions is of prime importance. Whereas there was only little reason to introduce the Precautionary Approach in the international legislation on biosafety in the times of the thoroughly tested transgenic crops of the first generation, there is no doubt, that the future of genomic research and the technology resulting from it with crops of the second and third generation will fully justify its introduction. We must realize that the problems in the discussion about the PA and GM crops are ‘wicked problems’, which means that linear planning is out and discursive processes within the systems approach is leading the way out of the dilemmas of complexity and knowledge lacuna...
1. Introduction.- 1.1. New developments.- 1.2. Main purposes of the book.- 1.3. How to use the me... more 1. Introduction.- 1.1. New developments.- 1.2. Main purposes of the book.- 1.3. How to use the method book.- 2. Glossary of terms and abbreviations.- 3. Categories and corresponding subcategories.- 4. List of subcategories with corresponding methods.- 5. List of methods with corresponding subcategories.- 6. Synopsis of subcategories and recommended methods.- 6.1. List of subcategories with corresponding references.- 6.2. List of categories with corresponding reviews.- 7. List of methods and their description.- 7.1. Organization of the description of the methods.- 7.2. List of methods.- 7.3. Description of methods.- 8. Genetic engineering techniques.- 8.1. Methods of DNA transfer.- 9. Inserted traits for transgenic plants.- 9.1. Herbicide tolerance.- 9.2. Pest tolerance.- 9.3. Pathogen tolerance.- 9.4. Changed flower characteristics.- 9.5. Changed metabolic content.- 9.6. Stress tolerance.- 9.7. Outlook for the future.- 10. Principles and procedures for risk assessment of transgenic ...
While the upward shift of plant species has been observed on many alpine and nival summits, the r... more While the upward shift of plant species has been observed on many alpine and nival summits, the reaction of the subalpine and lower alpine plant communities to the current warming and lower snow precipitation has been little investigated so far. To this aim, 63 old, exhaustive plant inventories, distributed along a subalpine-alpine elevation gradient of the Swiss Alps and covering different plant community types (acidic and calcareous grasslands; windy ridges; snowbeds), were revisited after 25-50 years. Old and recent inventories were compared in terms of species diversity with Simpson diversity and Bray-Curtis dissimilarity indices, and in terms of community composition with principal component analysis. Changes in ecological conditions were inferred from the ecological indicator values. The alpha-diversity increased in every plant community, likely because of the arrival of new species. As observed on mountain summits, the new species led to a homogenization of community compositions. The grasslands were quite stable in terms of species composition, whatever the bedrock type. Indeed, the newly arrived species were part of the typical species pool of the colonized community. In contrast, snowbed communities showed pronounced vegetation changes and a clear shift toward dryer conditions and shorter snow cover, evidenced by their colonization by species from surrounding grasslands. Longer growing seasons allow alpine grassland species, which are taller and hence more competitive, to colonize the snowbeds. This study showed that subalpine-alpine plant communities reacted differently to the ongoing climate changes. Lower snow/rain ratio and longer growing seasons seem to have a higher impact than warming, at least on plant communities dependent on long snow cover. Consequently, they are the most vulnerable to climate change and their persistence in the near future is seriously threatened. Subalpine and alpine grasslands are more stable, and, until now, they do not seem to be affected by a warmer climate.
I. INTRODUCTION Recent advances in biotechnology promise tremendous benefits, including fastgrowi... more I. INTRODUCTION Recent advances in biotechnology promise tremendous benefits, including fastgrowing, resilient crops, more nutritious foods, new medicines and vaccines, and even new technologies for environmental decontamination. Yet modem biotechnology also inspires fear and trepidation. Greenpeace International, one of the leading anti-biotechnology environmentalist groups, warns that geneticaily modified crops "threaten biodiversity, wildlife and truly sustainable forms of agriculture."' Luddite activist Jeremy Rifkin warns that "[ v ]irtuaiiy every geneticaiiy engineered organism released into the environment poses a potential threat to the ecosystem. .. . Each new synthetic introduction is tantamount to playing ecological roulette." 2 Some believe genetic engineering is part of a "human siege t Jonathan H.
Predicting the ecological impacts of transgenes for insect and virus resistance in natural and fe... more Predicting the ecological impacts of transgenes for insect and virus resistance in natural and feral populations of Brassica species.- A multisite-cooperative research programme on risk assessment of transgenic crops.- Monitoring the environmental impact of transgenic sugar beet Beta vulgaris subspec. vulgaris altissima Doll - are we able to ask the right questions?.- The role of modelling in risk assessment for the release of genetically engineered plants.- odelling the spread of disease resistance gene in natural plant populations.- The wave of advancement of introduced genes in natural plant populations.- Short-term effects, long-term effects and standardisation of limits.- Elimination of agrobacteria from transgenic plants.- Assessment of long-term environmental impacts of transgenic trees: Norway spruce as a case study.- Long-term questions related to agroecological effects of transgenic Bt-crops.- Molecular markers for monitoring transgenic plants.- Biogeographical assay and n...
In the previous article [Ammann, K. (2008) Feature: integrated farming: why organic farmers shoul... more In the previous article [Ammann, K. (2008) Feature: integrated farming: why organic farmers should use transgenic crops. New Biotechnol. 25, 101–107], in a plea for the introduction of transgenic crops into organic and integrated farming, it was announced that the complementary topic, namely that high tech farmers should integrate elements of organic agriculture, will be a follow up. Some selected arguments for such a view are summarised here. Basically, they comprise a differentiated view on agro-biodiversity outside the field of production; landscape management methods to enhance biodiversity levels. Both elements are compatible with basic ideas of organic farming. First, Precision Farming is given as one example of the many ways to support agricultural production through high technology, with the aim of reducing energy input, maintaining excellent soil conditions and enhancing yield. It is clear from this analysis that modern agriculture and certain elements of organic–integrated...
Introduction: Biodiversity - the impact of biotechnology (Richard Braun and Klaus Ammann).- Sessi... more Introduction: Biodiversity - the impact of biotechnology (Richard Braun and Klaus Ammann).- Session 1: Impact of agricultural biotechnology on ecosystems.- Widening perspectives on biodiversity (Anatole F. Krattiger). Horizontal gene flow (Sir John E. Beringer). Vertical gene flow (Klaus Ammann). Genetically engineered crops and sustainable agriculture (Hans R. Herren). Technology, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity: the socio-economics of technology transfers (Willy de Greef).- Session 2: Social, ethical and legal issues.- The cultural implications of biodiversity and biotechnology: an underdeveloped area in the public understanding field? (Jill Turner). The role of communication in ecological assessments of genetically modified crops (Thomas E. Nickson). Intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge: proposals for action (Susette Biber-Klemm). Intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge: background, terminology and issues arising (Martin A. Girsberger). T...
Plant Biotechnology: Progress in Genomic Era, 2019
The analysis of the structure of the regulatory discourse needs a look behind the curtain about r... more The analysis of the structure of the regulatory discourse needs a look behind the curtain about reasons for the dissent, and we need to acknowledge the ‘Genomic Misconception’: Transfer of transgenes similar to natural mutation. The conclusion is to have a critical look at the present-day regulation and shift to a professional discursive structure of the regulatory rules. The unfortunate decision of the European Court to include all Gene Editing products hinders progress but encourages also to aim at a basic restructuring of the present-day regulation laws instead of only minor corrections. One of the important discursive elements is to include cultural responsibilities of modern agriculture in its broadest aspects.
Primarily outside the scientific community, misapprehensions and misinformation about recombi-nan... more Primarily outside the scientific community, misapprehensions and misinformation about recombi-nantDNA-modified (alsoknownas ‘geneticallymodified’, or ‘GM’) plants have generated significant ‘pseudo-con-troversy ’ over their safety that has resulted in unscientific and excessive regulation (with attendant inflated devel-opment costs) and disappointing progress. But pseudo-controversy and sensational claims have originated within the scientific community as well, and even scho-larly journals ’ treatment of the subject has been at times unscientific, one-sided and irresponsible. These short-comings have helped to perpetuate ‘The Big Lie ’ – that recombinant DNA technology applied to agriculture and food production is unproven, unsafe, untested, unregu-lated and unwanted. Thosemisconceptions, in turn, have given rise to unwarranted opposition and tortuous, dis-torted public policy.
Innovation in new crops will see a significant boost through the discoveries through genomic rese... more Innovation in new crops will see a significant boost through the discoveries through genomic research. Present day modern plant breeding is restricted on a very few world crops – modern plant breeding, in particular modern molecular analysis of plant genomes will change this hopefully, and a better knowledge of gene functions is of prime importance. Whereas there was only little reason to introduce the Precautionary Approach in the international legislation on biosafety in the times of the thoroughly tested transgenic crops of the first generation, there is no doubt, that the future of genomic research and the technology resulting from it with crops of the second and third generation will fully justify its introduction. We must realize that the problems in the discussion about the PA and GM crops are ‘wicked problems’, which means that linear planning is out and discursive processes within the systems approach is leading the way out of the dilemmas of complexity and knowledge lacuna...
1. Introduction.- 1.1. New developments.- 1.2. Main purposes of the book.- 1.3. How to use the me... more 1. Introduction.- 1.1. New developments.- 1.2. Main purposes of the book.- 1.3. How to use the method book.- 2. Glossary of terms and abbreviations.- 3. Categories and corresponding subcategories.- 4. List of subcategories with corresponding methods.- 5. List of methods with corresponding subcategories.- 6. Synopsis of subcategories and recommended methods.- 6.1. List of subcategories with corresponding references.- 6.2. List of categories with corresponding reviews.- 7. List of methods and their description.- 7.1. Organization of the description of the methods.- 7.2. List of methods.- 7.3. Description of methods.- 8. Genetic engineering techniques.- 8.1. Methods of DNA transfer.- 9. Inserted traits for transgenic plants.- 9.1. Herbicide tolerance.- 9.2. Pest tolerance.- 9.3. Pathogen tolerance.- 9.4. Changed flower characteristics.- 9.5. Changed metabolic content.- 9.6. Stress tolerance.- 9.7. Outlook for the future.- 10. Principles and procedures for risk assessment of transgenic ...
While the upward shift of plant species has been observed on many alpine and nival summits, the r... more While the upward shift of plant species has been observed on many alpine and nival summits, the reaction of the subalpine and lower alpine plant communities to the current warming and lower snow precipitation has been little investigated so far. To this aim, 63 old, exhaustive plant inventories, distributed along a subalpine-alpine elevation gradient of the Swiss Alps and covering different plant community types (acidic and calcareous grasslands; windy ridges; snowbeds), were revisited after 25-50 years. Old and recent inventories were compared in terms of species diversity with Simpson diversity and Bray-Curtis dissimilarity indices, and in terms of community composition with principal component analysis. Changes in ecological conditions were inferred from the ecological indicator values. The alpha-diversity increased in every plant community, likely because of the arrival of new species. As observed on mountain summits, the new species led to a homogenization of community compositions. The grasslands were quite stable in terms of species composition, whatever the bedrock type. Indeed, the newly arrived species were part of the typical species pool of the colonized community. In contrast, snowbed communities showed pronounced vegetation changes and a clear shift toward dryer conditions and shorter snow cover, evidenced by their colonization by species from surrounding grasslands. Longer growing seasons allow alpine grassland species, which are taller and hence more competitive, to colonize the snowbeds. This study showed that subalpine-alpine plant communities reacted differently to the ongoing climate changes. Lower snow/rain ratio and longer growing seasons seem to have a higher impact than warming, at least on plant communities dependent on long snow cover. Consequently, they are the most vulnerable to climate change and their persistence in the near future is seriously threatened. Subalpine and alpine grasslands are more stable, and, until now, they do not seem to be affected by a warmer climate.
I. INTRODUCTION Recent advances in biotechnology promise tremendous benefits, including fastgrowi... more I. INTRODUCTION Recent advances in biotechnology promise tremendous benefits, including fastgrowing, resilient crops, more nutritious foods, new medicines and vaccines, and even new technologies for environmental decontamination. Yet modem biotechnology also inspires fear and trepidation. Greenpeace International, one of the leading anti-biotechnology environmentalist groups, warns that geneticaily modified crops "threaten biodiversity, wildlife and truly sustainable forms of agriculture."' Luddite activist Jeremy Rifkin warns that "[ v ]irtuaiiy every geneticaiiy engineered organism released into the environment poses a potential threat to the ecosystem. .. . Each new synthetic introduction is tantamount to playing ecological roulette." 2 Some believe genetic engineering is part of a "human siege t Jonathan H.
Predicting the ecological impacts of transgenes for insect and virus resistance in natural and fe... more Predicting the ecological impacts of transgenes for insect and virus resistance in natural and feral populations of Brassica species.- A multisite-cooperative research programme on risk assessment of transgenic crops.- Monitoring the environmental impact of transgenic sugar beet Beta vulgaris subspec. vulgaris altissima Doll - are we able to ask the right questions?.- The role of modelling in risk assessment for the release of genetically engineered plants.- odelling the spread of disease resistance gene in natural plant populations.- The wave of advancement of introduced genes in natural plant populations.- Short-term effects, long-term effects and standardisation of limits.- Elimination of agrobacteria from transgenic plants.- Assessment of long-term environmental impacts of transgenic trees: Norway spruce as a case study.- Long-term questions related to agroecological effects of transgenic Bt-crops.- Molecular markers for monitoring transgenic plants.- Biogeographical assay and n...
In the previous article [Ammann, K. (2008) Feature: integrated farming: why organic farmers shoul... more In the previous article [Ammann, K. (2008) Feature: integrated farming: why organic farmers should use transgenic crops. New Biotechnol. 25, 101–107], in a plea for the introduction of transgenic crops into organic and integrated farming, it was announced that the complementary topic, namely that high tech farmers should integrate elements of organic agriculture, will be a follow up. Some selected arguments for such a view are summarised here. Basically, they comprise a differentiated view on agro-biodiversity outside the field of production; landscape management methods to enhance biodiversity levels. Both elements are compatible with basic ideas of organic farming. First, Precision Farming is given as one example of the many ways to support agricultural production through high technology, with the aim of reducing energy input, maintaining excellent soil conditions and enhancing yield. It is clear from this analysis that modern agriculture and certain elements of organic–integrated...
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