Archive for September, 2024


AUS - GM drought-tolerant wheat trials approved

Trigall Australia gets go-ahead for trial of GM wheat

Source: Grain Central – 16 September 2024

The commercial cultivation of genetically modified wheat is moving closer to reality after Trigall Australia received approval for field trials of the Argentinian-developed HB4 variety.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care – Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) on August 15 approved the licence application, which will permit the GM wheat to be grown at 10 sites per year with a maximum area across all sites of 20ha. The trial sites may be in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia or Western Australia. According to the application, the aim of the trial is to “gather research and regulatory data for the GM wheat under Australian growing conditions, including under environmental stress”. The GM wheat grown in the field trial will not be used for human food or animal feed.


USA - GM wheat approved for use

Drought tolerant genetically modified wheat is okayed for import in the United States

Source: Genetic Literacy Project – 03 September 2024

A type of genetically modified wheat developed by Argentina’s Bioceres Crop Solutions may be safely grown in the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The determination clears the U.S. market for production of HB4 wheat, which is modified to tolerate drought, Bioceres said on Wednesday. It is a potential win for farmers grappling with drought and more severe weather, but risks pushback from some consumers and importers.


AUS - GM banana a biosecurity win

QUT’s GM Banana A Milestone In Biosecurity Battle

Source: Mackay and Whitsunday Life – 05 September 2024

Australia’s place in the US $20 billion global banana market has been safeguarded, according to the federal government, with a new genetically modified banana being granted approval for commercial release and consumption. The QCAV-4 variety of the Cavendish banana has been developed by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to counteract the effects of Panama Disease or Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a fungal disease that starves bananas of their nutrients eventually killing the plant.