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S. K. HARLANDER, BIOrational Consultants, Inc, 3215 Linden Dr., New Brighton, MN 55112 New technologies to improve the production or intrinsic nutritional or functional characteristics of cereal grains are critical for these crops to maintain their prominent role in the global food supply. Cereal crops enhanced by biotechnology are in various stages of development by public and private institutions around the world. Although in the past, the focus has been on agronomic improvements such as disease resistance and herbicide tolerance, cereal crops are poised for a second generation of nutritionally improved crops along with additional agronomic improvements. For wheat alone, at least 211 field trials, by 16 public and 18 private institutions, have been approved in 12 countries since 1993. Most of these new wheat varieties have either enhanced agronomic or quality traits. The agronomic traits (137 trials) include herbicide tolerance, fungal and viral disease resistances, stress tolerances, yield increase and male sterility. The first biotech wheat product likely to be marketed, Roundup ReadyR wheat, is currently under regulatory review in the US and Canada. For quality traits, 47 trials have been approved for varieties offering diverse characteristics such as protein quality, improved digestibility, starch metabolism and starch composition. Additional work at earlier developmental stages include wheat with enhanced nutritional or health value. Wheat genomics research has the potential to identify many more traits of significant benefit. The vast array of biotechnologically enhanced wheat varieties have great promise to provide significant benefits to growers, processors, the food industry and ultimately the consumer.
Session 13, Second generation genetically modified foods
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