USDA Announces Deregulation of Cotton Developed Using Genetic Engineering

Jan 18, 2021

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing the deregulation of a cotton variety, designated as MON 88702, developed by the Monsanto Company (Monsanto) using genetic engineering for resistance to certain insects, primarily tarnished plant bugs (Lygus species)

As part of the petition process, APHIS prepared a draft plant pest risk assessment (PPRA) and draft environmental assessment (EA), and made these documents available for a 30-day public review and comment period on October 16, 2020.

APHIS considered all public comments and conducted a thorough review of the potential environmental impacts in its final EA pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), reaching a finding of no significant impact (FONSI).

APHIS concluded in its final PPRA that the MON 88702 cotton variety is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk to agricultural crops or other plants in the United States and is deregulating it effective January 19, 2021.

Source : usda.gov

Video: Developing disease resistance in new wheat varieties

Dr. Colin Hiebert, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – Morden, is focused on developing new tools that wheat breeders can use to improve, diversify and strengthen disease resistance in new wheat varieties. This includes new genomic tools that address resistance to five diseases including: Fusarium head blight, leaf rust, stripe rust, stem rust and common bunt.

Learn more about how research conducted at AAFC-Morden will impact wheat variety development, production and profitability for the future. This research is part of the Canadian National Wheat Cluster and funding is provided through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Grains, Sask Wheat, Manitoba Crop Alliance, Western Grains Research Foundation and Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance.