Variety Of GMO Tests Are Available To Farmers
COLUMBUS, Ohio
Farmers who grow non-GMO
(genetically modified organ
ism) crops for specialty mar
kets can utilize a variety of
tests that determine whether
or not their crop is truly
GMO-free.
Ohio State University re
searchers have outlined a
number of tests available that
measure the level of herbicide
and insect tolerance of such
crops as corn or soybeans.
“These tests are commonly
used by grain elevators, crop
consultants and others when
they check grain before it’s
sent off to market,” said Ohio
State agronomist Peter
Thomison.
Thomison said such tests
could tell farmers what per
centage of their crop, if any,
contains GMOs, and would
allow them to compete in na
tional and international mar
kets where , non-GMO
certification standards are
strict.
Currently the standard for
GMO certification is set at
zero tolerance, although sev
eral proposals have been de
veloped to set the maximum
allowable levels between one
and three percent. Japan re
cently established new legis
lation that sets a zero
tolerance for seed and food
imports containing unap-
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proved biotech material.
Star Link corn is an example
of such a product. Japanese
legislation also outlines food
products containing less than
five percent of approved
biotech crops to be labeled as
non-GMOs. The European
Union (EU) has also pro
posed rules on the labeling of
foods containing GMOs, stat
ing that accidental traces of
GMOs would be allowed in
food and feed up to a maxi
mum of one percent without
being subject to labeling re
quirements.
“I would imagine a grower
would be in quite a bind if the
contamination level of his
crop exceeded that one per
cent or the tolerance level
that is set by the end user.
He’d have to sell his corn or
soybeans at the conventional
market,” said Thomison.
“This is something that or
ganic producers are con
cerned about. They want to
make sure their end users are
willing to take their products
and these tests will help them
achieve that.”
The most common types of
GMO tests used include her
bicide bioassays, ELISA
(enzyme-linked immunosor
bent assay) tests and the PCR
(polymerase chain reaction)
method.
Herbicide bioassays are
0%:
used to detect GMO
herbicide-resistant traits in
Roundup Ready and Liberty
Link soybeans. The test in
volves placing seeds in a ger
mination medium containing
diluted solution with the her
bicide or directly spraying the
seeds with the herbicide.
Seeds that develop normally
test positive for the GMO
herbicide trait, while those
that die or do not develop
normally are considered
GMO-free. The assay is inex
pensive ($2O-$3O), but takes
up to a week to obtain results.
ELISA tests detect for the
presence of a specific protein
that the GMO DNA produces
in the plant. Several versions
of the ELISA test exist, in
cluding the “strip test” or
“dipstick” procedure that
uses lateral flow strips and
delivers results in two to five
minutes, and the “plate test”
that uses color intensity to
determine what percentage
of the GMO is present.
The PCR method is more
accurate than ELISA tests in
that it measures exactly
where the GMO is present on
the DNA gene sequence. The
PCR method is advantageous
due to its sensitivity, but
takes up to three days to
complete and is expensive
($75-$3OO per sample).
“A typical procedure for a
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food-grade corn or soybean
producer, for example, might
be for him to test samples or
ask a certifying association to
come out and monitor his
field throughout the season,”
said Thomison. “The associa
tion would then certify his
field as non-GMO and final
ize the procedure by taking
samples of grain from the
field and checking it in their
lab. The grower would then
present that certification to
the end user, who would
probably turn around and
retest the product again.”
Thomison said the tests are
designed to identify traits of
different GMO “events,”
such as Bt-corn, or Roundup
Ready or Liberty Link
herbicide-resistant soybeans.
He said end users would sub
ject a farmer’s grain to a bat
tery of tests based on the
types of crops grown in Ohio
and how prevalent the GMO
“events” would be. Currently
six GMO “events” exist.
Rootworm Bt, a new GMO
“event”, is expected to be re
leased to the market next
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year.
“While there is a sizable
number of farmers who want
GMO crops, there are also a
number who don’t want them
either. Some farmers don’t
want GMO crops because
they have reservations about
possible risk to human health
and adverse effects to the en
vironment. Others are some
what indifferent to the GMO
issue and are trying to take
advantage of the market that
is there,” said Thomison.
“The industry hopes that
the furor of GMO products
will die down when the public
sees there are no negative
issues resulting from the use
of GMO products,” said
Thomison. GMO corn grown
in Ohio is less than five per
cent, while GMO soybeans
with regard to Roundup
Ready tolerance is nearly 70
percent.
For a list of labs that test
crops for GMOs, log onto
Ohio State’s C.O.R.N.
newsletter at http://corn.osu.
edu/archive/2001/sep/01-
31.html#linkc.
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