摘要:

COMPANY NEWS Buying and selling Bayer acquires Aventis CropScience Bayer has acquired Aventis CropScience for EUR 7.25 bn the purchase price includes debts of EUR 1.9 bn. The deal will make Bayer No. 2 in crop protection after Syngenta. BASF sells insecticide line BASF has sold its mevinphos insecticide (Phosdrin) operations to AMVAC Chemical a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Vanguard. All active registrations are included in the deal together with access to data relating to registration and trademarks. Nippon Kayaku buys propentaphos Novartis Animal Health has sold the commercial rights to its propentaphos insecticide to Nippon Kayaku. The active ingredient has been produced by Nippon Kayaku and supplied to Novartis Animal Health.The organophosphate is the only one that has maintained permission for its use in the USA. It has low volatility and high efficacy and safety levels. It is used in the environmental health and veterinary sectors with global supplies currently 90 tonne/year based on the active ingredient. In the environmental health sector it is used to control cockroaches. Under the trade name Blowtick it is sold primarily in Oceania Iran and the CIS for control of sheep ticks and blow fly. Ishihara Sangyo in Europe Through ISK Bioscience Europe the 10% stake in Belchim Crop Protection Belgium held by Ishihara Sangyo has been increased to 25%. It has also acquired a 10% stake in Celanova Handles Austria. SNPE in talks with DuPont DuPont is in negotiations with SNPE over the sale of its herbicide plant in Loon Plage Dunkirk France.SNPE is owned by the French government and should the company acquire DuPont’s plant the state will provide SNPE with funds amounting to FFR 500 M. Marketing and distribution Sankyo to expand exports Sankyo is planning to launch its Please send any contributions to the NEWS sections in Pesticide Outlook to Hamish Kidd The Royal Society of Chemistry Thomas Graham House Science Park Cambridge CB4 0WF. FAX +44 (0)1223 420247; email pesticide@rsc.org 210 Pesticide Outlook – December 2001 This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 milbemectin insecticide on the US market under the Mesa trade name for treatment of ornamentals and citrus fruits.It will be distributed by Gowan with a sales target of Yen 1 bn/y. Sankyo is also planning to introduce the product into the EU. Sales of Matrik (chlomafenozid) in Japan have been proceeding satisfactorily since it was launched last season. The insect growth regulator was jointly developed with Nippon Kayaku. The product is to be introduced to customers in the EU and South East Asia. Monsanto’s take-all treatment Monsanto has been criticised by some UK agrochemical distributors for the insufficient supply of their new seed dressing silthiofam (Latitude) for autumn use. Silthiofam was recently approved for the control of take-all in wheat. The latest independent field trials show that adding the product to the basic seed treatment increased turnover by about £37/ha over that from wheat treated with the basic seed treatment alone.Green Guard goes global Green Guard a biological pesticide based on Metarhizium fungus developed through collaboration between the Australian Plague Locust Commission CSIRO and SGB Australia Pty Ltd is being developed in world markets for control of locusts and grasshoppers. Plant closures Syngenta plans closures and job cuts By 2004 Syngenta plans to close 10 of its 47 manufacturing sites and 6 of its 12 R&D centres. 3000 jobs will be lost saving a total of $525 M/year. Eight sites have already been closed with the loss of 1500 jobs . The production divisions in Dielsdorf (Switzerland) Yalding (UK) and Grimbsy (UK) will close.The toxicology operation in Stein Switzerland will also close. Plant expansions Syngenta develops at Grangemouth Syngenta has developed its facilities at Grangemouth UK further. Modular construction specialist and Portakabin subsidiary Yorkon was chosen to provide a new purpose-designed office scheme which would reflect the company’s strong image. Yorkon has also completed a second contract at the site as part of Syngenta’s multimillion pound investment in a new plant for second generation strobilurin fungicide. New BASF strobilurin plant BASF has commissioned a new plant in Schwarzheide Germany for the production of crop protection active ingredient F500 a strobilurin fungicide. Collaborations Two insecticide partnerships Devgen and FMC have extended their insecticide development collaboration beyond the original three years by up to a further a five years.Devgen will supply FMC with insecticide targets developed using Devgen’s novel highthroughput technology and screened using FMC’s compound libraries. The complementary skills of the two companies will enable them to create a new generation of insecticides. Elsewhere AgraQuest and Dragoco have begun a partnership to develop a natural mosquito repellent using a patented AgraQuest discovery. Syngenta and Aquaartis Syngenta and Aquaartis have signed an agreement covering research into active ingredients for agrochemicals. Under the terms of their contract Aquaartis will receive scheduled payments as well as royalties on any resulting products in return for allowing Syngenta access to its technology. Syngenta will have worldwide rights to any discoveries. Aquaartis will provide its PhycoScreen HTS databank of prefractionated extracts from micro algae and cyanobacteria for screening in agrochemical trials. Syngenta will be responsible for downstream structural studies optimisation work development and marketing. DOI 10.1039/b110535n

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110535n

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

Europe Annex 1 under 91/414/EEC A decision has not yet been possible as to whether the data submitted relating to eight listed active ingredients are sufficient to satisfy the requirement of Directive 91/414/EEC. A decision has been postponed and rapporteur Member States have been informed of the additional information required. The last date for submission of the studies is 25 May 2002. The substances concerned are carbendazim desmedipham mancozeb maneb metiram phenmedipham procymidone and thiophanate-methyl. A review of the dossier submitted by Cyanamid supporting the inclusion of chlorfenapyr in Annex I has led to additional questions particularly relating to the behaviour of the chemical within the environment and its fate when released.As support for further work on chlorfenapyr was not forthcoming from Cyanamid it will not be included in Annex I. Bayer defends Gaucho Bayer France is claiming damages and interest at the county courts after public criticism of its insecticide seed treatment imidacloprid (Gaucho). French bee keepers have repeatedly linked falling bee numbers with the use of Gaucho. Bayer is responding to the European Commission’s report of December 2000 which found that although residues of Gaucho’s active ingredient were found in soil samples there was no direct link between the product and the problems experienced by bee keepers. Switzerland ratifies Rotterdam treaty The 1998 Rotterdam treaty on the prior informed consent procedure for certain pesticides and hazardous chemicals in international trade has been ratified by Switzerland.145 countries have now signed the treaty. France to ban atrazine France will ban the herbicide atrazine on 30 September 2002. In addition to this all atrazine containing pesticides will be withdrawn from the market. North America Benlate fungicide lawsuits A Miami court dismissed a number of benomyl (Benlate)-related lawsuits against DuPont because the company’s actions did DOI 10.1039/b110536c REGULATORY NEWS not meet the legal standards for racketeering. The decision sets aside claims from 34 plant growers who allege DuPont withheld evidence showing that the fungicide damaged plants. Growers’ lawyers are expected to appeal against the ruling.In August a Florida jury found DuPont guilty of state racketeering fraud and negligence charges and ordered it to pay $78 M to plant growers for hiding test evidence. California court allows pesticide lawsuit to proceed An appeal court in California has ruled that pesticide producers and distributors can be sued if a pesticide product allegedly causes injury even though the product has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Metolachlor registration battle Syngenta and Cedar Chemical have gone to court over efforts by Cedar Chemical’s to register the herbicide metolachlor with the EPA. Syngenta started a phasing out of the product in 1997 to promote the more environmentally harmless S-metolachlor which allows application rates to be reduced by 35%.Falling pesticide use in California The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has reported a statewide drop in pesticide use for the second successive year in 2000 to the lowest point since 1992. Micro Flo charged The EPA has issued a complaint against BASF subsidiary MicroFlo for violations of the Federal Insecticide Fungicide & Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA has also levied a $3.7 M fine – its largest FIFRA fine ever. The EPA says MicroFlo distributed or sold pesticides that differed from its registration and falsified producer information on shipment documents. Specifically the EPA says the company used compositions and sources of two active insecticidal ingredients – acephate and permethrin - that were not approved at the time of its inspections in May 2000.UK NFU wins case on parallel imports In early November the National Farmers Union (NFU) won its case in the Court of Pesticide Outlook – December 2001 211 This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 Appeal challenging the UK’s current interpretation of the European law currently hindering UK farmers from importing cheaper products. The landmark decision by the Court should bring to an end an ongoing legal battle over the restrictions and limitations on parallel imports spanning more than 5 years. The NFU worked alongside DEFRA to win the case against the Crop Protection Association by providing additional arguments and legal representation in court.The Court of Appeal ruled that “to require literally the same formulation for the parallel import would be wholly disproportionate to the needs of safety and thus an unjustified restraint on trade…” The UK’s Pesticides Safety Directorate will now have greater flexibility to issue licences for parallel products from Europe meeting its standards. OP dip reprieve DEFRA has permitted the use of old-style organophosphorus sheep dip containers on farms to continue in the UK although the marketing of these OP dip containers was banned on 1 September 2001. DEFRA says that merchants with existing supplies can also continue to sell products. Manufacturers are continuing to work on the development of closed system containers which ensure OP dip moves directly into baths. New couch herbicide approved Bayer has received UK approval for the use of its new grass herbicide in winter wheat. Attribut (previously coded MKH6561) containing the new active ingredient propoxycarbazone-sodium has the unique ability to control couchgrass (Elytrigia repens) in the growing cereal crop. Applied at the four leaf-stage it destroys both the foliage and underground organs. The German Biologischen Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig (BBA) has also approved the herbicide for application in winter wheat.

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110536c

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

CONFERENCE REPORT WEEDS 2001 New features This year¡�s event included for the first time not only a preconference symposium (The World¡�s Worst Weeds �C see Pesticide Outlook 2001 12(4) 148) but also a 3-day parallel symposium entitled Pesticide Behaviour in Soils and Water and a marketing seminar entitled Distribution Its Role in Agrochemical Marketing. Hence along with two parallel sessions available throughout the conference dealing with such diverse topics as ¡ñ Impact of generic herbicides on future weed control ¡ñ Weed management in tropical and subtropical crops ¡ñ Non-chemical weed control ¡ñ Influence of weather on herbicide performance ¡ñ Benefits from crop biotechnology ¡ñ Herbicide-resistant weeds the event provided a very varied diet of weed-related information and discussion for researchers regulators distributors and practitioners.Hamish Kidd reports on this year¡�s BCPC Conference held at Brighton UK from 12�C15 November 2001 This year¡�s BCPC Brighton Conference was quieter than usual principally because of the unwillingness of international delegates especially those from the USA to travel following the events of September 11. The organisers who at one stage considered cancelling the event were however pleased with the eventual turnout which was only 20% down on the corresponding event 2 years ago. Overall there was a good stimulating programme and the smaller numbers meant there was more opportunity for questions at the end of sessions and for discussions with fellow delegates in the corridors etc.The cybercafe facility was even more popular this year with queues building up at times for use of this valuable service. Professor Chris Leaver the 28th Bawden Memorial Lecturer speaking at this year¡�s BCPC Conference projected to reach nine billion. The problem of feeding all these people is made more acute because of the uneven distribution of croplands. ¡°For example China has a quarter of the world¡�s population but only 7% of its farmland,¡± he said. In summary Professor Leaver felt that the challenge for the next 50 years will be to improve food security for the 6 billion to feed the extra 3 billion and to satisfy the demand for dietary upgrading that comes with increasing economic prosperity.What this means is a doubling or tripling of world food production. As a further complication this increase in food production must be achieved without extending the area of land cultivated and at a time when there is a dramatic decline in water availability. ¡°Crop biotechnology alone is not the magic bullet that will feed the world nor will it eliminate poverty,¡± Professor Leaver said. ¡°But this technology together with plant breeding and improved agricultural practice may provide solutions to some of the challenges and improve the quality of people¡�s lives.¡± Already genetically improved crops with resistance to herbicides and insects are being grown on some 44 million hectares mainly in North and South America and China. The potential for developing transgenic solutions to other agricultural problems including heat and drought tolerance salt tolerance water and nutrient uptake efficiency and bioremediation is expected to be more complex and involve the introduction of multiple genes but this will not always be the case.Tomato plants capable of growing in soils containing high levels of salt have already been developed. Bawden lecture The conference opened as usual with an invited lecture given this year by Professor Chris Leaver from the University of Oxford. Professor Leaver started by stating ¡°Over 15% of the world¡�s population 800 million people primarily in the developing countries are undernourished while at the same time yield improvements from conventional breeding appear to be reaching their limits.At present the annual rate of increase in cereal yields is below the rate of population increase.¡± And yet the world¡�s population currently at six billion continues to grow. Over the next 50 years it is 212 Pesticide Outlook �C December 2001 This journal is The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 DOI 10/1039/b110555h Current applications of plant biotechnology have in the main been driven by the agrochemical industry for farmers in the developed world who provide the majority of the grain staples for the developing world. In future it is expected that the main thrust will be to increase the efficiency and quality of food production in both the developed and the developing world thereby going some way to reducing the inequalities and dependence which exist today.The next generation of transgenic plants will ¡ñ Allow the exploitation of plants as biorefineries producing biopolymers for non-food use and as feedstocks for the chemical industry. A realisation of this potential could go some way to reducing dependence on declining global reserves of oil gas and coal ¡ñ Provide nutritionally enhanced macronutrients such as essential amino acids and improved micronutrients such as vitamins. Gene technology will be used to enrich naturally occurring phytochemicals such as anti-oxidants like the anti-cancer compounds isoflavones and anthocyanins ¡ñ Offer low-cost alternatives to fermentation-based production systems for the expression of foreign proteins with pharmaceutical and industrial value.These include vaccines antibodies biopharmaceuticals such as anticoagulants other blood products and industrial enzymes ¡ñ Allow the development of the technology for the production and oral delivery of inexpensive vaccines for people and animals. Indeed vaccines against foot and mouth disease rabies and common animal enteritis viruses have already been produced and may well be the first commercial products from this technology In conclusion Professor Leaver said ¡°It is both unrealistic and naive to expect GM technology to solve the problems of world hunger and poverty which are complex and do not just depend upon the amount of food produced. It is my belief that the application of plant biotechnology together with conventional plant breeding and improved agricultural practices may provide some of the solutions.If we are to satisfy the real and legitimate environmental concerns associated with modern high input agriculture and the threat of global warming and still feed the increasing world population in a sustainable manner we must assume responsibility for fully evaluating this technology to contribute to the security of future generations. Doing nothing is not an option.¡± New herbicides More of this years offerings were sulfonylureas ¡ñ trifloxysulfuron-sodium from Syngenta for postemergence use on cotton and sugarcane ¡ñ foramsulfuron from Aventis CropScience for foliar use in maize ¡ñ mesosulfuron-methyl also from Aventis CropScience for grass weed control in cereals In addition there was a new chloracetamide pethoxamid from Tsukuba Research Laboratories in Japan for selective CONFERENCE REPORT Trifloxysulfuron-sodium �C one of the sulfonylureas announced at Weeds 2001.weed control in maize and soybeans and the bioherbicide Xanthomonas campestris pv. poannua for control of annual bluegrass (Poa annua) on golf course greens. Generic herbicides An interesting session chaired by Pat Ryan of Syngenta emphasised the growing importance of generic herbicides in the marketplace. Generic are in fact the fastest growing sector in crop protection chemicals �C and include true generic manufacturers third-party suppliers and parallel importers. Imidazolinones and sulfonylurea herbicides and azole fungicides are the most important generics.The benefits of generics to farmers and growers was outlined by Adrian Sisson from Makhteshim-Agan ongest generic pesticide manufacturers. Jim Orson from the Morley Research Centre while admitting that generics will play a major role in crop protection also outlined some factors which might limit their future usage. This topic was the subject of a lively evening debate on the Tuesday. Crop biotechnology As expected there was a several sessions devoted to crop biotechnology including one organised by Roger Turner in which Harvey Glick from Monsanto painted a glowing picture of the advantages that North American farmers had gained from the new technology.Based on recent surveys he concluded that farmers were switching to herbicide tolerant varieties for superior weed control higher yields lower input costs and greater net returns. He even suggested that there had been some environmental benefits. John Pidgeon from IACR-Broom¡�s Barn UK gave an interesting presentation which illustrated the different approach to these matters in Europe. He reported on the herbicide-tolerant GM sugar beet work being carried out at Broom¡�s Barn using over-row band spraying instead of conventional spraying to allow weeds to grow between the rows to provide seed food for birds and encourage invertebrate populations and biodiversity. The system could be used flexibly as regards timings to achieve environmental objectives without compromising yields. The proceedings of the conference (ISBN 1 901396 61 4 for set of 2 volumes) can be obtained from BCPC Publications Bear Farm Binfield Bracknell RG42 5QE UK price ¡ê85. Pesticide Outlook �C December 20

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110555h

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

R&D NEWS New BASF termiticide BASF has expanded its range of global pest products with the launch of its chlorfenapyr-based termiticide in France and Japan. BASF introduced the product as Mythic termiticide in France in autumn 2000 and as Stealth in Japan in early 2001. In the USA the termiticide carries the name Phantom and is being used by termite control professionals under an Experimental Use Permit project. Registration of Phantom in the US is expected in late 2001. The termiticide¡�s active ingredient chlorfenapyr is classified under the family pyrroles. Chlorfenapyr is non-repellent. Termites will not be able to detect the ingredient in the soil and will enter the treated zone picking up a toxic dose. Fungicide to control Oomycetes Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha Ltd of Japan has developed Ranman (cyazofamid) a novel fungicide for controlling a wide variety of Oomycetes and Plasmodiophoromycetes.The product offers good resistance to late blight in potatoes and tomatoes and downy mildew in melon and grapevine at very low application rates. The product showed no phytotoxicity during registration trials. It has a good environmental ecotoxicological and toxicological profile. The firm has submitted applications for registration in the USA Asia and Europe. It is planned to expand the product¡�s applications to include problems such as onion downy mildew Chinese cabbage downy mildew watermelon brown root and sweet pepper Phytophthora. In Japan the product will be offered as a 100 g active ingredient/litre suspension.Fighting invasive weeds Scientists at CSIRO in Australia are conducting research on biological control of a number of invasive weeds ¡ñ The beetle Deuterocampta quadrijuga to control blue heliotrope ¡ñ The South African leaf-rolling moth (Tortrix spp.) to control bitou bush ¡ñ The rust fungus Puccinia myrsiphylli to control bridal creeper (Asparagus asparagoides) Similarly USDA-ARS scientists in the USA 214 Pesticide Outlook �C December 2001 This journal is The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 are investigating the use of fungi to control similar troublesome weeds ¡ñ Septoria epambrosiae to control ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) ¡ñ Harknessia lythrii to control purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) ¡ñ Strains of the sicklepod fungus (Myrothecium verrucaria) to control kudzu and morning glories First non-toxic rat bait Natrocell is launching the world¡�s first rodenticide non-toxic to all but rodents.The cellulose-based material is digested by all animals except rodents; pathogenic bacteria are produced in their gut and cause death in 4 to 10 days. Two products are being marketed in the UK �C EradiRat and EradiMouse. The bait is made from natural vegetable material and cannot contaminate food cause secondary poisoning or be subject to resistance. BASF launches new herbicide family BASF has approval for PicoPro herbicide (picolinafen + pendimethalin). Picolinafen is a new molecule from the aryloxypicolinamides family from which further herbicides are expected to flow.It gives broad weed control in cereals with particular strength against cleavers. The company claims that the mixture shows true synergism in its weed control; pendimethalin¡�s control of cleavers is speeded up from 22 to 6 days. Potatoes Potato cyst nematode control Workers at Amsterdam University have shown that the use of solano-eclipin A a compound released by germinating potato tubers causes potato cyst nematodes to break their hibernation early and therefore starve to death in the absence of their potato hosts. The workers have managed to synthesise the complex molecule and have shown it is effective when applied to fallow fields.Purple potatoes resistant to blight? Carlo Leifert of the University of Newcastle has cultivated a purple potato from Hungary and shown that it is tolerant of attack by seven different strains of Phytophthora infestans (the causal agent of potato late blight). The work is the UK¡�s contribution to the European Union¡�s ¡ê3.5 million research programme ¡®Blight-Mop¡�. Nematode resistance USDA-ARS researchers have developed a new potato which is resistant to the golden nematode (Gloodera rostochensis). The new potatoes are under test at its New York and Pennsylvania Research Stations. Biocontrol of colorado beetles A glow bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens is being tested by USDA-ARS researchers as a possible biocontrol candidate against the Colorado beetle.Snippets ¡­ Malaysia¡�s Purnama Pesona Sdn. Bhd. has launched insect-repellent air fresheners. The key ingredient of Repel Roach and Repel Mosquito is reported to be lemon grass together with natural herb extracts. The products developed by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia with Global Herba (Perak) are claimed to be non-toxic and environmentally friendly. ¡­ USDA ARS researchers at Albany have examined the oils extracted from 16 spices and medicinal plants for effects against rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae). Methone (extracted from Japanese mint Mentha arvensis) was identified as the most active component and is undergoing further evaluation as a safe effective but nonpersistent fumigant for stored grain. Artificial cows against tsetse Artificial cows developed in the 1980s by researchers including scientists from the University of Greenwich UK have successfully eradicated sleeping sickness and nagana (transmitted by tsetse flies) from parts of Africa. The flies are attracted to the cows using kairomones to mimic the smell of real cattle. The fake cattle are impregnated with insecticides. With only 4 artificial cows needed per square kilometre to ensure effective pest control the use of insecticide is far more targeted than conventional aerial or ground spraying.

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110539f

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

Terminator technology The Department of Agriculture of the USA has licensed the Terminator Technology to Delta & Pine Land (D&PL). Both parties are co-owners of three patents based on the controversial technology which genetically modifies plants to produce sterile seeds so that farmers cannot reuse harvested seeds. Under the licensing deal the technology will not be used on heirloom varieties of garden flower and vegetables and will not be used in any variety of plant available in the marketplace prior to 1 January 2003. Non-GMO certificates in Tyrol The South Tyrol in Austria is the world’s first region to introduce an official guarantee that food is free from GM materials. The production process from seed to finished food is subject to constant monitoring before the food is awarded a special green logo.NSF funds more Arabidopsis research The National Science Foundation announced in October the allocation of 28 awards under its new 2010 project. The awards amount to $43.8 million over four years as the first in a programme to identify within the next ten years how each of the plant’s 25,000 genes functions. The work will be on Arabidopsis following the completion of the genome sequencing programme. EU finds GM crops probably as safe as conventional ones The EU Commission has recently published the findings of some 81 Fifth Framework Programme research projects conducted by over 400 scientific teams in the EU over the past 15 years on the safety of genetically modified (GM) crops.It failed to find any new risks to human health or the environment from GM crops or food derived from them and concludes that they are probably as safe as conventional crops and foods. The report is available at http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp5/eag -gmo.html VISIT OUR WEBSITE Have a look at the Pesticide Outlook Website on http://www.rsc.org/po DO1 10.1039/b110540j BIOTECHNOLOGY NEWS UK GM report The UK’s Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission reports that ethical concerns of the public as well as strategic and economic issues must be accommodated before commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops. The Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops (SCIMAC) the body responsible for overseeing the introduction of GM crops has declared its full support for the viewpoint and for local consultation on trial sites.The biotechnology industry has reiterated its commitment to farm-scale trials despite their criticism in the UK. The impasse between SCIMAC and the organic farming sector on the separation distances between GM and organic crops remains however. GM traceability The EU Commission tabled proposals in July 2001 on tightening up the labelling and traceability of GM materials in foodstuffs. Concerns were expressed in a September debate in the EU parliament however particularly on the inability of consumers to identify unlabelled produce from animals raised on GM feed and the lack of evidence that produce from animals fed on GM material is identical to that from animals fed on conventional feed.In response the Commission stated that only GM material approved by the EU would be considered for inclusion in animal feed. The Commission intends that final agreement by parliament will kick-start the hitherto moratorium-bound GM approvals process. Monarch butterflies and corn pollen It has been shown that milkweed plants growing in cornfields in the Midwest USA sometimes support monarch butterfly larvae at the same time that corn pollen is being shed. In such instances the larvae could be exposed to Bt-pollen. The further north the cornfields the later the pollen is shed and the greater the risk of exposure.There are not sufficient data to reach the conclusion that there is no risk to larvae or that the risk is negligible. It was also noted that in the field corn plants shed part of Pesticide Outlook – December 2001 215 This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 their anthers as well as pollen (anthers tend to have a higher concentration of Bt than the pollen) and this was not tested in laboratory-based experiments. Syngenta sells Leiden operation Syngenta is selling its research operation Syngenta Mogen at Leiden Netherlands and consolidating its biotechnology activities in the USA and the UK. Syngenta Mogen specialises in the genetic manipulation of food crops. Its work includes the development of a genetically modified potato with resistance to certain diseases including to Phytophthora.Snippets …Says-Lesage and co-workers from the INRA centre at Aubiere have described a new method of detection of trace contamination of sunflower seeds with downy mildew caused by Plasmopara halstedii. The authors use a PCR method to detect mildew specific DNA and plan to use the technique in a commercial diagnostic test system. …CropGen reports the development of a method of inserting a gene into a tomato that does not involve the DNA from a cell’s nucleus. The advantage is that the genetically modified (GM) trait is not passed on to the progeny so preventing the risk of spreading the modified gene. The development is expected to aid research into the production of edible plant vaccines and pharmaceuticals. …workers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Ames Iowa have succeeded in cloning the powdery mildew resistance gene from barley. The work was a collaboration with the UK’s Sainsbury Laboratory and involved isolation of two of 30 alternative forms of the Mla resistance gene Mla6 and Mla1. The genes have been patented. …The European Court of Justice has concluded that biotechnological patenting should be halted across Europe. …Tesco’s the UK supermarket chain is to increase its annual organic food sales to £1 billion within 5 years.

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110540j

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

RISK ASSESSMENT NEW APPROACHES TO ASSESSING PESTICIDE RISKS Introduction A scientific workshop held in the Netherlands in June 2001 has recommended important additions to approaches for assessing pesticide risks to the environment. EU Directive 91/414 requires member states to analyse the impact of plant protection products on the environment. Current methods of risk assessment are deterministic and do not take full account of uncertainties affecting risk. This leads to substantial difficulties in decision-making. Probabilistic risk assessment can be used to estimate the frequency and magnitude of adverse effects and to take account of such variability and uncertainty. The EU¡�s Scientific Committee on Plants has recognised their potential and they are already being implemented for assessing ecological risks of pesticides in the USA.The European Workshop on Probabilistic Risk Assessment for the Environmental Impacts of Plant Protection Products (EUPRA) was organised by the Central Science Laboratory (UK) with funding from the European Commission under the 5th Framework Programme. The workshop began by reviewing the state of the art with 52 presentations by participants from government industry academia and nongovernmental organisations. The participants examined the potential advantages and disadvantages of using probabilistic methods and concluded that they would be a useful addition to the tools for risk assessment provided they were implemented appropriately to minimise potential disadvantages.It was recommended that the EU should adopt a coordinated strategic approach to implementation in collaboration with other countries and stakeholders. The EUPRA report presents detailed recommendations for research and other actions to implement probabilistic methods. The EUPRA report also includes contact details for relevant research studies that were already under way at the time of the workshop. Andy Hart from the Central Science Laboratory York UK reports on a European workshop from which recommendations have been made to the EU regarding the assessment of pesticide risks to the environment assessment and should be used together with other lines of evidence. Deterministic methods are likely to remain the primary tool for lower tiers of risk assessment.Probabilistic methods constitute one of several approaches that may be used for refined (¡°higher tier¡±) assessments. ¡ñ As probabilistic methods for specific parts of risk assessment gain acceptance they should be introduced to regulatory practice and added to existing EU guidance documents. ¡ñ Measures should be taken to facilitate the adoption of probabilistic methods in all parts of the expanding EU including provision of training and expert advice and adoption of standard computer software and databases. ¡ñ Appropriate procedures should be established for the peer review of probabilistic assessments. ¡ñ A framework should be established for the appropriate use of probabilistic methods in the regulatory process ¡ñ Research should be conducted to develop and evaluate probabilistic approaches that can be used when data are limited.¡ñ The major components for probabilistic assessment should be validated. However the workshop recognised that comprehensive validation is probably unachievable. ¡ñ Specific research is needed to develop probabilistic approaches for many sources of uncertainty affecting ecological risks of pesticide. ¡ñ Where similar issues need to be addressed for different groups of organisms it may be efficient to coordinate the necessary research in a single project or a set of linked projects. ¡ñ Priority should be given to research that is important for current deterministic assessments as well as probabilistic assessments.¡ñ There is a large amount of existing data that could be valuable in developing and using probabilistic approaches. Early action is needed to make these data accessible. Consideration should be given to whether this could be undertaken by the EU Environment Agency. ¡ñ When official guidelines for toxicity test guidelines are reviewed consideration should be given to whether revisions are required to make them better suited to probabilistic assessments. The final report of the workshop can be downloaded as a PDF file from the EUPRA website (http://www.eupra.com) and paper copies of the full report can be requested (while stocks last) by sending an email to Andy Hart (CSL) at a.hart@csl.gov.uk. Workshop recommendations ¡ñ The EU should adopt a coordinated strategic approach to implementing probabilistic methods in collaboration with other countries and other stakeholders. ¡ñ Probabilistic methods should be introduced gradually to assist decision-making on the ecological risks of pesticides beginning with those cases where they are most needed. As experience accumulates the role for probabilistic methods may expand. ¡ñ Probabilistic methods are not the only tool for risk 216 Pesticide Outlook �C December 2001 This journal is The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 DOI 10.1039/b110

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110545k

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

CUMULATIVE RISK ASSESSMENTS IN THE FOOD QUALITY PROTECTION ACT (FQPA) Mark Whalon from the Department of Entomology and the Center for Integrated Plant Systems Michigan State University USA outlines progress by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) towards achieving the DOI 10.1039/b110546a FQPA mandate to develop a framework for cumulative risk assessment of pesticides The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) became law August 6 1996. This legislation requires that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers the cumulative effects of pesticides and other substances to human health. Since no methodology to achieve this goal existed in the U.S. pesticide risk assessment framework the Agency has developed a range of new methods protocols and tools to achieve the FQPA’s mandate.Within the U.S. EPA the office of Pesticide Programs has developed a framework for conducting cumulative risk assessment on pesticides. This framework is based on consideration of what the agency in conjunction with the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) believed to be common mechanisms of toxicity. That is a group of pesticide chemistries that exhibit a similar mode of action. Following the establishment of a common mechanism of toxicity groups the Agency has begun conducting aggregate exposure and risk assessment before completing the final FQPA-mandated cumulative risk assessment. The common mechanism of toxicity grouping process consists of identifying which pesticides exhibit the same mode of action based on scientifically reviewed and reliable data.This process is an attempt to link different pesticides by the same sequence of major biochemical events in target and non-target organisms alike. EPA sponsored and participated in a work group by the ILSI to develop a common mechanism framework1. EPA also published a draft Guidance for Identifying Pesticides that have a Common Mechanism of Toxicity on August 6 1998. A revised guidance was published on February 5 1999 (U.S. Federal Register 64 FR5795) entitled Guidance for Identifying Pesticide Chemicals and Other Substances That Have a Common Mechanism of Toxicity. Finally the agency consulted with the U.S. Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) in four different sessions between March 1998 and September 1999 to consider the SAP recommended changes.The aggregate risk assessment portion of the cumulative analysis includes consideration of exposures to a pesticide from food drinking water and residential/non-occupational sources. Again ILSI has held workshops and the Agency has sponsored various panel discussions with independent scientists on topics related to aggregate exposure. The Agency has published a number of publications outlining 1 A Case Study of Organophosphorus Pesticides Toxicological Sciences 1998 41,8–20. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 Pesticide Outlook – December 2001 217 their framework for aggregate exposure and risk assessment. These publications include An Assessment of Methods To Estimate Pesticides In Drinking Water (1998) Aggregate Exposure Assessment Workshop Report (1998) A Framework For Estimating Pesticide Concentrations In Drinking Water For Aggregate Assessments (1999) and Aggregate Exposure Assessment Model Evaluation and Refinement Workshop (2001).The EPA has also published several guidance documents related to drinking water exposure assessment including Estimating the Drinking Water Component of A Dietary Exposure Assessment (November 10 1999) Standard Operating Procedure for Incorporating Screening-Level Estimates of Drinking Water Exposure in Aggregate Risk Assessments (October 11 2000) and Drinking Water Screening Level Assessments Part A – Guidance for Use of the Index Reservoir in Drinking Water Exposure Assessments (October 11 2000).EPA has also published guidance on conducting residential exposure assessments including standard operating procedures for residential exposure assessment (January 4 1999) and a framework for assessing non-occupational/non-dietary exposure to pesticides (January 4 1999). The Agency also convened various science advisory panels and public hearings from March 1997 through October 3 2001. In all more than twenty such meetings have been held in the last four years. The U.S. EPA’s framework for assessing cumulative risk has involved developing ways to combine various exposures to different substances that have different degrees of toxicity while taking into account various exposure mechanisms and spatial and temporal variables.The Agency has also pursued an open peer-reviewed process to develop the cumulative risk assessment methods and approaches. This public participation process was pioneered and became routinized during the Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee’s (TRAC) interaction with the agency in progressing through the individual organophosphate insecticide risk assessments. This public process is composed of six phases and is available over the EPA’s web site (www.epa.gov/pesticides/ op/status.htm). The EPA conducted a technical briefing for cumulative risk assessment for the committee to advise on re-registration and transition on August 22 2001. Many of the materials presented in this open public meeting are available on the above web site.Essentially the Agency has outlined its cumulative methodology and it is now soliciting input opportunities. Cumulative risk assessment steps will likely include RISK ASSESSMENT Table 1. Elements of a Public Process for Cumulative Risk Assessment and Expected Timeframes for Revision of Certain Science Policy Papers (2001�C2002). Description Date September 2001 Hazard Methodology (Revised RPF Paper) to SAP Science Policy Paper Release Revised Guidance Documents on the FQPA Safety Factor (Generic) October 2001 Science Policy Paper Release Revised Guidance Document on Cumulative Risk Assessment (Generic) Science Policy Paper Release Proposed Guidance on Relationship of FQPA Safety Factor to Cumulative Risk Assessment (Generic) Technical Briefing on Food Water and Residential Exposure Methodologies and Approaches in Integration of Multiple Pathways of Exposure December 2001 Release Preliminary Cumulative Risk Assessment Technical Briefing on Preliminary Risk Assessment January 2002 60-Day Public Comment Period on Preliminary Risk Assessment Closes Stakeholders Brief Agency on Their Comments February 2002 August 2002 FQPA Deadline to Reassess 66% of the Tolerances Complete Revised Cumulative Risk Assessment RISK ASSESSMENT ¡ñ identifying the common mechanism group ¡ñ identifying the potential exposures and roots of exposure ¡ñ characterizing and selecting common mechanism end points ¡ñ determining the cumulative assessment pesticide groupings ¡ñ determining the absolute and relative potencies for all chemistries within a common mechanism group ¡ñ developing a point of departure for an index chemical in order to relate (index) all other chemistries in a common mechanism group ¡ñ developing detailed exposure scenarios for all routes and durations of exposure using two very sophisticated independently developed modeling systems ¡ñ conducting final cumulative risk assessment.The final process will be finalized after interaction across a broad array of stakeholders. The calendar opposite (Table 1) details critical opportunities for public stakeholder input into the cumulative risk assessment framework. This timeline was published for the USDA�CEPA Committee to Advise on Reassessment and Transition (CARAT).The agency has yet to bring before the FIFRA�CSAP a number of continuing issues. These issues include selection and performance of dose-response models combining cholinesterase data from multiple data sets to derive relative potency and benchmark dose estimates enumeration of the approach for selection of the index cls in cumulative risk assessment and the use of steady state cholinesterase data for estimating both the relative potency and the points of departure for index chemicals in each common mechanism group. The Agency plans to bring these various issues before the FIFRA�CSAP on the schedule outlined in Table 1. Further the Agency plans to post a series of technical briefings on its exposure methodologies in October 2001.It will release its preliminary risk assessments for organophosphates during a technical briefing in December of 2001. Finally US�CEPA will release its revised risk assessment including the cumulative analysis on the August 6 2002 deadline. For a thorough discussion of this brief summary please see the US�CEPA¡�s web site (http://www. epa.gov/pesticides/cumulative). CROP PROTECTION BOOKS FROM THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY Crop Protection Agents from Nature Edited by L. G. Copping (ISBN 0 85404 414 0 ¡ê140.00) Metabolic Pathways of Agrochemicals Editors-in-chief Terry Roberts and David Hutson Part 1 Herbicides and Plant Growth Regulators Part 2 Insecticides and Fungicides ISBN 0 85404 489 2 ¡ê425.00 (package Parts 1 and 2) Pesticide Chemistry and Bioscience.The Food-Environment Challenge Edited by G. T. Brooks and T. Roberts ISBN 0 85404 709 3 ¡ê59.50 Chemistry & Mode of Action of Crop Protection Agents by L. G. Copping & H. G. Hewitt (ISBN 0 85404 559 7 ¡ê19) Order to be sent to Sales & Customer Care Royal Society of Chemistry Thomas Graham House Science Park Milton Road Cambridge CB4 0WF UK. Tel +44 (0)1223 432360. Fax +44 (0)1223 423429. e-mail sales@rsc.org. 218 Pesticide Outlook �C Dec

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110546a

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

EXPLOITING THE MAIZE GENOME Professor Keith Edwards Chair in Cereal Functional Genomics at Bristol University and Dr Donal O’Sullivan of the Institute of Arable Crop Research describe the current state of public maize genomics research Of course every academic institute involved in maize research as well as every major agrochemical/seed company has a long list of traits which could be improved in some way or other. Most such lists include disease/pest resistance as well as the composition and quality of the kernel in protein oil and starch. Tolerance to various types of environmental stress e.g. drought salinity nutrient deficiency as well as agronomic characters such as flowering time and yield also feature. Any significant progress in the intelligent manipulation of these characters by either GM (genetic modification) or non-GM technology requires knowledge of the myriad of molecular components encoded in the genome that participate in or control these processes.So maize researchers need a comprehensive list of all maize genes along with a map that shows the precise location of each gene in the genome. Introduction In 1998 farmers produced a total of 650 million metric tons of maize grain (FAO yearbook 1998). Although American farmers were responsible for the majority of this harvest European farmers grew four million hectares of maize specifically for grain and another four million hectares for silage. Given that the majority of maize grown by western farmers is derived from F1 hybrid seed it should come as no surprise that a significant amount of public and private resource is currently being invested in all aspects of maize biology biotechnology and agronomy.As one example of this in 1998 and 1999 the US National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded over 40 million dollars to maize-based research programmes (http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants.htm). Although similar figures are as yet unavailable for the EU Framework V programme (http:// www.cordis.lu/life/src/ projects.html) it is clear that here also maize-based programmes represent a significant proportion of the funded projects. Given that the first of the NSF-funded maize genomics programmes are now two years on we thought that it would be useful to both assess the state of current public maize genomics-based research and suggest future directions that might be taken by such research given the enormous potential of this truly amazing crop.The Tools of Maize Genomics – A Glossary BAC (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome) clone fairly large individual segments of DNA from a genome of interest e.g. maize are propagated in bacteria after they have been linked to bacterial signal sequences that induce the bacterium to maintain and replicate the foreign DNA as it replicates and maintains its own chromosomal DNA SSR (Single Sequence Repeat) marker DNA sequences composed of arrays of short tandem repeats e.g. GAGAGAGA etc. Mistakes are frequently made in the replication of such sequences making them highly variable and thus suitable for mapping EST (Expressed Sequence Tag) the messenger RNA molecules that are generated when active genes are transcribed can be purified from tissues of interest e.g.leaf root and converted to DNA. Decoding even part of the sequence of these converted gene transcripts yields a specific ‘tag’ for each new gene encountered. High-density EST arrays DNA from large numbers of distinct EST ‘tags’ are placed in an ordered grid on a glass slide. Fluorescently-labelled messenger RNA from a particular tissue will make the spots corresponding to genes active in that tissue fluoresce. The quantity of fluorescence is related to the level of expression of that gene and changes in the expression of many genes can be simultaneously monitored making this the premier new tool for gene function studies.Gene knockouts Genes whose structural integrity has been compromised so that they no longer produce a mRNA which is capable of being translated into a functional protein. DOI 10.1039/b110544m This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 Pesticide Outlook – December 2001 219 GENOMICS Towards a comprehensive list of all maize genes The maize gene discovery programme (Gai et al. 2000) which was funded in the 1998 round of NSF awards was charged with generating a significant number of single pass sequenced maize expressed sequence tags (ESTs see GENOMICS glossary) from a variety of maize cDNA libraries (http://www. zmdb.iastate.edu/zmdb/nsf_grant.html). As of the 1st July 2001 the Zea mays Database (ZmDB) contained 89,481 sequences derived from 16 different libraries.Preliminary analysis of these sequences suggests that the 89,481 individual sequences could be reduced to 13,532 unique contiguous sequences (contigs). Although this figure is well short of the estimated 50,000 genes in the maize genome it does represent a useful starting point in the search for candidate genes underlying agronomically important traits. Furthermore given that the maize gene discovery programme is not yet finished we can expect to see significantly more (up to 150,000) ESTs added in the near future. Mapping the maize genome A large effort is currently underway to provide a map of the maize genome that will be sufficiently detailed to provide a basis for the correct ordering of sequences from any future efforts to obtain the genome complete sequence.This entails making a detailed genetic map which allows any heritable character to be associated with its nearest molecular marker and a physical map which defines each chromosome in terms of a series of manageable ¡®chunks¡� of DNA (BAC clones see glossary) assembled in their proper linear order. These BAC clones represent the physical units of DNA to which each gene fragment (EST) and molecular marker from the gene catalogue and genetic map respectively can then be assigned. They are also amenable to complete sequencing where desired. As of 1st July 2001 1735 simple sequence repeat (SSR see glossary) markers had been located on the maize genetic map (750 markers per chromosome on average).The physical map showed some 75,616 BAC clones had been assembled forming 13,197 contigs and 419 molecular markers were placed on these contigs (see Clemson University Genomics Institute website at http://www.genome.clemson.edu/projects/maize/fpc/). As additional clones are fingerprinted and added to the existing contig framework it is anticipated that the contigs will merge to as few as 1000 final contigs (100 contigs per chromosome) all anchored to the genetic map using the growing number of fine-mapped SSR markers. Large-scale sequencing of selected gene-rich and genepoor regions of the maize genome has revealed much useful information about maize genome structure (for example Fu et al. 2001; SanMiguel et al.1996) and continues alongside sequencing efforts specifically targeted at gene-rich regions (Martienssen 1999). Furthermore we predict that a full genome-wide sequencing effort will soon get underway led by US scientists. Functional genomics Understanding the function of the 50,000 or so maize genes is now the primary task of maize geneticists world-wide. Current technology is based upon both high-density method works and the genes selected for in these first EST arrays and so-called gene knockouts (see glossary). experiments were already characterised underlying well- High-density EST arrays have recently become publicly studied traits. However extended to a much larger number available at a reasonable price (~$140 for two slides) from of anonymous genes of unknown function association 220 Pesticide Outlook �C December 2001 the University of Arizona via the Maize Gene Discovery Programme (http://gremlin3.zool.iastate.edu/zmdb/ microarray/).The arrays come in various formats but they usually consist of approximately 8,000 ESTs derived from a variety of sources. Although we are unaware of publications that have utilised these arrays it can only be a matter of time before their us commonplace for the determination of gene expression profiles. A complementary approach to determine the function of a specific gene is via gene knockouts. In this approach transposable elements are inserted into the gene thereby removing its ability to generate a functional RNA and/or protein. The resulting plant can then be observed for any obvious phenotype.This approach has sometimes been called the gene machine approach (Meeley and Briggs 1995). Maize transposable elements have now been used extensively as ¡°gene machines¡± for several years (Das and Martienssen 1995). Such an approach has several advantages including ¡ñ the rapid production of mutant plants for functional analysis ¡ñ the generation of molecular tags which permit the rapid isolation of the mutated gene ¡ñ the provision of a reversible phenotype aiding molecular analysis of the trait Currently the BBSRC funded investigating gene function programme (IGF http://www.cerealsDB.UK.net/index.htm) and the NSF-funded maize programme (http://mtm.cshl.org/) are both offering a public service in which transposon insertions into virtually any gene can be obtained for as little as $1,000.Evolutionary genomics An important feature of maize is that for all target traits there is a myriad of pre-existing natural variation in the form of inbreds and landraces which are currently being used by subsistence farmers for very diverse end uses and in highly divergent climates. This variation can be used for traditional breeding purposes in the first instance but as we will explain the power of genomics will in the near future allow us to pinpoint the precise differences in the genetic makeup that underlie particular phenotypes of interest. This approach¡ªcalled association testing¡ªas outlined in Figure 1 is remarkably simple.As presented to the 43rd Maize Genetics Meeting (Doebley 2001) Buckler and co-workers have used this approach to associate variation in the dwarf8 gene with variations in flowering time (Thornsberry et al. 2001) and the sweet maize phenotype with a single alteration to the sugary1 gene. In a similar manner researchers at DuPont have recently shown that the familiar yellow colour of maize kernels is explained by an insertion just upstream of the yellow1 gene which could represent a signal to make larger amounts of the protein encoded by yellow1. These are of course just illustrations of how the Conclusion Maize has progressed over the past ten years from being a model species known for its many active transposons and large collection of phenotypic mutants to becoming what is rapidly being seen as the next frontier in plant genomics.Its large genome size – almost as large as the human genome and at least five times larger than the rice genome (Sasaki 1999) – with many internal duplications will provide a major challenge however the abundance of functional genomics tools now available give us the hope that the new knowledge of maize biology and gene function needed to secure future food supplies will in themselves not be in short supply. Figure 1. Principle of association testing applied to maize. A large number of maize lines representing a suitable cross-section of maize diversity are evaluated for any variable phenotype of interest. In this schematic example 9 lines are arranged in descending order for their phenotypic score (plant height for example).Genes which are postulated to influence plant height are amplified using PCR from each line and their nucleotide sequence obtained. Only nucleotide positions that vary from the established consensus are shown and in this case a clear-cut association between the ‘A’ in the last variable position of candidate gene 1 and tallness. Advanced statistical methods are used to eliminate false associations and to detect more subtle trends in the data. Advantages of this approach are that the same set of lines can be used to investigate almost any trait of interest. testing seems to offer a revolutionary new way to find out what newly discovered genes do. Fu H.; Park W.; Yan X.; Zheng Z.; Shen B.; Dooner H.K. (2001) The highly recombinogenic bz locus lies in an unusually gene-rich region of the maize genome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA in press. Gai X.; Lal S.; Xing L.; Brendel V.; Walbot V. (2000) Gene discovery using the maize genome database ZmDB Nucleic Acids Research 28 94–96. Martienssen R. A. (1999) Differential methylation of genes and retrotransposons facilitates shotgun sequencing of the maize genome. Nature Genetics 23 305–308. Meeley R. B.; Briggs S. P. (1995). Reverse genetics for maize. Maize Genetics Newsletter 69 67–82. SanMiguel P.; Tikhinov A.; Jin Y.-K.; Motchoulskaya N.; Zakharov D.; Berhan A.; Springer P.; Edwards K. J.; Lee M.; Avramova Z.; Bennetzen J. (1996) Nested retrotransposons in the intergenic regions of the maize genome. Science 274 765–768. Sasaki T. (1999) Rice Genome Project Pesticide Outlook 10(3) 114. Thornsberry J. M.; Goodman M. M.; Doebley J.; Kresovich S.; Nielsen D.; Buckler E. S. (2001) Dwarf8 polymorphisms associate with variation in flowering time. Nature Genetics 28 286–289 GENOMICS References Doebley J. (2001) Meeting Report An Evolutionist Visits the 43rd Annual Maize Genetics Conference. Plant Cell 13 1255–1259. Pesticide Outlook – December 2001 221

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110544m

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

AWARDS CROP PROTECTION AWARDS ACS Industrial Innovation Award Five scientists and the President and CEO of AgraQuest have been named recipients of Industrial Innovation Awards from the American Chemical Society’s Western Region for their innovation in the discovery and development of Serenade® biological fungicide. In a recent ceremony at Santa Barbara California Sherry Heins Denise C. Manker Jennifer Ryder Fox Stephen Flanagan Jimmy Orjala and CEO Pamela G. Marrone of AgraQuest Inc. in Davis California received their awards. Serenade® a Bacillus subtilis (QST713 strain) was found in an orchard in Fresno County California and has been developed by Marrone and her team into a biological fungicide to control a variety of fungal and bacterial diseases including grey mold powdery mildew leaf and stem blights and fire blight.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the product for agricultural and home and garden use and it is also approved for use by organic growers. AgraQuest is developing and commercializing a pipeline of natural pest management products; Serenade® is its first product and will be the foundation for the discovery and development of other natural products for the pest management industry. Hamish Kidd reports on a few recent awards made in the area of crop protection Organic Agriculture and GM Foods in both of which he continues to have research interests. Catharine Knott (see page 224 in this issue) Cathy joined the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) in 1975 where she was employed for 25 years becoming ‘The Authority’ on weed control in peas and beans.Whilst at PGRO she was involved in the development of most of the herbicides for legume crops. Her variety screens showing the ‘reaction to herbicides’ have been used by manufacturers distributors consultants and farmers as the ‘bible’ on crop safety. Cathy campaigned vigorously to encourage manufacturers to maintain registration of products to use on legume crops. Many older active substances will not be supported in the EC review because manufacturers cannot justify the cost of support for minor uses. As a member and latterly chairman of the BCPC Minor Uses Working Group she played a vital role in creating the list of requests for ‘Essential Uses’ which Pesticides Safety Directorate has submitted to the European Commission.Ted Southcombe Ted joined Fisons in 1969 as an agricultural engineer where he built up a wide-ranging knowledge of all types of pesticide application equipment. As well as designing and developing a range of crop sprayers for lease/hire to UK farmers Ted worked on many research projects involving the application of the company’s agricultural and pest control products both in the UK and overseas. As the company FBC merged to form Schering and subsequently AgrEvo Ted became Head of the Applications Department from which he took early retirement in 1999. He still remained active active on the BAA Agronomy and Applications Committee as an applications specialist representative for the industry.Through the committee he was key in drawing together applications specialists from all parts of the industry to develop principles and guidelines for pesticide application including the BCPC Spray and Nozzle Classification System which has now been developed into an international system. His BCPC publications Hand-held and Amenity Sprayers Handbook and the Boom and Fruit Sprayers Handbook along with his Get the Best out of your Sprayer handbook and slides set are used extensively as the basis for training and certification of all UK pesticide equipment operators. The BCPC Medals At its recent conference at Brighton the British Crop Protection Council (BCPC) the BCPC Medal to three crop protection professionals for their outstanding contributions.Professor David Atkinson David joined East Malling Research Station in 1969 where he worked for over 15 years on crop root systems orchard soil management herbicide use and agronomy. During this period he also acted as an advisor to NFU Soft Fruit committee and its Strawberry Breeding sub-committee was the joint editor of the classic text The Herbicide Glyphosate. In 1985 David was appointed Head of the Soil Fertility / Plants Division at the Macaulay Institute conducting research on soil factors influenced crop performance through effects on roots and their associated microorganisms. In 1988 he became Professor of Agriculture at the University of Aberdeen a joint post with the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC). His has risen over the years to his present position as Vice Principal (Research and Education) and Academic Director. He is SAC spokesperson on both 222 Pesticide Outlook – December 2001 This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 DOI 10.1039/b110694p

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110694p

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC

摘要:

INSECTS AND DISEASE UK from 10–12 September 2001 Richard Wall from the School of Biological Sciences at Bristol University reports on some of the highlights at the biennial international symposium of the Royal Entomological Society held at the University of Aberdeen of natural selection of traits controlled by a single or a few genes may provide insights into the way introduced novel genes in transgenic insect strains might behave in natural populations. This theme was extended by Denis Bourguet (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique La Miniere France) who considered the potential for the development of resistance in insects pests against the Bt toxin expressed in genetically modified crops. While theoretically possible Dr Bourguet’s studies indicated that resistance is likely to be slow to develop.Tariq Butt (University of Swansea UK) outlined the use of fungi for insect pest control and John Pickett (IACR-Rothamsted UK) described the use of plant derived semiochemical signals to manipulate the behaviour of the pest insect in push-pull strategies. Paul Christou (John Innes Centre UK) suggested that insect pest resistance to plants engineered with single insecticidal genes is more likely than to plants with multiple modifications and described work underway to explore pyramiding resistance in rice using multiple insectidal genes that target the same insect through a variety of different mechanisms. A second strategy is also proposed which uses fusion proteins that bind active proteins and appropriate receptors in the mid-gut of the insect pest.John Sutherland (University of Southampton UK) presented an overview of a risk assessment scheme for exploring the potential environmental impact of transgenic plants and raised the possibility of using genes to insert traits for plant characters that might be advantageous for biocontrol. The biochemistry and genetics of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes was comprehensively described by Janet Hemingway (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine UK). The insect-host disease interface Following a comprehensive overview of the emerging techniques for the control of plant and animal pests and pathogen vectors by John Pickett (IACR-Rothamsted UK) John Gatehouse (University of Durham UK) described studies of the digestive protease enzymes used by phytophagous insects and the potential for incorporation of genes into crop plants for the synthesis of protease inhibitors directed against the digestive system of the pests.Don Champagne (University of Georgia USA) outlined the complex physiological responses of the vertebrate host to the probing of blood-feeding insects which he argued must be fully evaluated if intervention points in the process of disease transmission by vectors are to be identified. George Dimopoulos (Imperial College UK) described the effects of malaria parasites on the mosquito vector highlighting the fact that only a relatively small number of mosquito species are capable of acting as vectors of malaria largely as a result of their longevity.The ability of the mosquito immune system to destroy the parasites as they pass through the gut which is particularly evident in refractory strains was highlighted and the genetics underlying the immune response of refractory mosquito lines oulined. This theme was extended by Rob Goldbach (Wageningen University the Netherlands) who described the relationship between plant pathogen Tospoviruses and their thrip vectors. However in this case despite active replication in the thrip vectors and the devastating effects on the hosts of Tospoviruses such as Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) the pathogen seems to have no negative effect on the vector. Flaminia Catteruccia (Imperial College UK) described current studies directed towards the development of transgenic mosquitoes with a non-permissive phenotype for malaria transmission.As part of this work studies have been undertaken to look at competition between transgenic green or red fluorescent protein expressing lines with wild-type Anopheles stephensi. Results to-date show that the transgenic strains have a competitive disadvantage and are rapidly excluded in culture. Finally Frank Collins (University of Notre Dame USA) described the state of progress in the project to sequence the entire genome of Anopheles gambiae and the potential value of this information in the development of novel genetic techniques for vector control. Insect control in the new millennium Richard ffrench-Constant (University of Bath UK) discussed the idea that a greater understanding of the molecular basis DOI 10.1039/b110585j This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2001 Pesticide Outlook – December 2001 223 CONFERENCE REPORT The Royal Entomological Society Founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of London the Royal Entomological Society plays a major national and international role in disseminating information about insects and improving communication between entomologists.Many eminent scientists of the past Darwin and Wallace to mention but two have been Fellows of the Society. The aim of the Society is “the improvement and diffusion of entomological science”. The aim is achieved by holding meetings on all aspects of entomology; publishing the results of entomological research in six primary journals maintaining a large entomological library; supporting entomological expeditions; and informally by generating discourse between entomologists both amateur and professional.

ISSN:0956-1250    

DOI:10.1039/b110585j

出版商:RSC    

年代:2001

数据来源: RSC