Biotechnology Has Potential To Feed World's BALTIMORE, Md. - Offering the potential to "customize" plants for local growing condi tions, biotechnology can increase crop productivity and improve nutritional value to help feed the world's poor. But the poor won't benefit unless the public sector strengthens agricultural research internationally, espe cially in developing countries, according to Dr. G.H. Toenniessen, deputy director of agricultural sciences for The Rockefeller Foundation. "That (research) system must focus on crops of importance in marginal land areas and on traits of importance to poor farmers," Toenniessen told the October 18-22 annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) at the Baltimore Convention Center. The challenge in helping the world's poor is to focus biotech nology on the rural, marginal land areas, according to lie Precision Of White, he Ease Bf Central FW. 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Using India as an example, Toenniessen said it is a net exporter of cereals, yet its rural poor lack the money to buy the grains and, therefore, do not benefit from advancements that occur in prime growing areas. Toenniessen maintains that the "Only real solution" is to increase production and efficien cy of crops grown by poor farm ers, crops in marginal areas are often ignored by the private sec tor because they lack potential Up to three gangs of row units power through thick, standing stalks and other heavy residue, while accurately and gently placing seed in the ground. A large, 35 bushel, single seed hopper is quicker to fill than individual row units, and it’s more cost-efficient, To see how your operation can benefit from the most advanced plant- ing system available, stop by your AGCO® White Planter dealer today. 6 row 30” ! 13 row 15” 15 row 15” 8 row 30” for profit. He said one success story is rice biotechnology, where $BO million invested over the last 10 years has developed successful varieties for developing coun tries. Toenniessen cited success in manipulating carotenoid biosyn thetic pathways in crops in order to increase production of beta carotene —a source of provi tamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is a serious problem in developing countries, but increasing the vit amin for human consumption has received little attention. On the other hand, he said, similar work in crops for animal feed has flourished. According to the speaker, market forces —the potential for sales and profits—motivate pri vate research, he said the public sector —primarily governments will have to take up the chal lenge to enhance the nutritional value of food for humans, he pointed out efforts to manipu late gene structures to deliver more iron, since some 2.5 billion people worldwide are iron defi- 18 row 10” 17 row 15” 24 row 10” Keystone Farm Show Section 1, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 2, 1999—Page See the AGCO WHITE 6800 Central Fill Planter at the KEYSTONE FARM SHOW Booths 501-502 in the Horticultural Hall A] WHITE AGCO | PLANTERS PRECISION PERFORMANCE cient. He said crops also need to be developed to endure stresses of drought, flood and cold —as well as resist disease and insects in these marginal areas. Public research will improve "orphan crops"—a catch-all term for crops that don't receive attention in the commercial market. Crops such as cassava (a root crop), chickpeas, sorghum and millet are impor tant in areas where rice, wheat and maize can't be grown. Funding and "intellectual property rights' are two major challenges to publicly-supported research centers, according to Toenniessen. Not only do public institu tions need to fund their research, they are increasingly faced with additional costs in acquiring the rights to use cer tain developments. He said the former free exchange of information is now inhibited when companies and institutions take out intellectual property rights on their discov- See Your AGCO White Dealer Listed Below. Delaware Georgetown Baxter Farms Maryland Dayton J.D. Mullinix Pennsylvania Bechtelsville Miller Equipment Bethel Zimmerman’s Farm Service Carlisle Carlisle Farm Service Elizabethtown Hernley’s Farm Equip. Inc Glen Rock Wertz Farm &Power Equip Greencastle Meyers Implements Klingerstown Stanley’s Farm Service Lebanon Umberger’s of Fontana Oakland Mills Peoples Sales & Service Somerset Lincoln Supply & Equip ....... Poor cries, the information is no longer shared unless agencies pay for them or guarantee that the information will be confined to research. International research cen ters need to produce varieties that will go into commercial pro duction to feed people and be sold in local markets, Tbenniessen said. The question is whether public institutions will have legal rights to the tech nology. BUY, SELL, TRADE OR RENT THROUGH THE CLASSIFIED ADS IN Lancaster Farming PHONE 717-626-1164 717-394-3047 FAX 717-733-6058 Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 8 AM to 5 PM Thurs. 7 AM to 5 PM 81 OR
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