Assignment #1: Lit review about genetic engineering and pesticides.

I think the annotated bibliography is longer than the actual paper.  Maybe it was supposed to be that way.  I've kind of erased this class from my hard drive, so to speak.  Along with most of the info in this article...I used to know this stuff backwards and forwards, but no one's made me write about it for a while.

Grade: A (a very small A)

Regarding Buctril's bromoxynil and other ingredients, the Environmental Protection Agency last year chose not to renew the "temporary federal food tolerances" for the herbicide, effectively banning its use--and leaving farmers who had wanted to purchase Rhone-Poulenc Ag. Co.'s Buctril-resistant cotton seed to find other plans (Associated Press 1). A Rhone-Poulenc spokesman is quoted in the Associated Press's article as saying that the company doesn't "think it is a decision based on sound science"--and certainly not on sound economics, at least for Rhone Poulenc itself (2). EPA scientists claim that "bromoxynil produces liver tumors in mice" and that the herbicide could enter the human diet through foods cooked in cottonseed oil and meat from animals that had eaten cottonseed meal (Associated Press 2). The article also quotes an EPA spokesperson, Lynn Goldman, who says that "[c]ontinued cultivation of the new cotton poses 'serious concerns about developmental risks to infants and children'" and that the chemicals could cause "irreversible human health effects" (Associated Press 1). Rhone-Poulenc claims that "the dietary risk is absolutely minuscule" (Associated Press 2).

Of course, not everyone is as worried about human health risks. The Leopold Center, an agriculture think tank at Iowa State University, states that "[w]eed scientists believe that weed resistance will develop with the prolonged use of herbicide-resistant crops" (2). The Center specializes in researching "profitable farming systems that conserve natural resources" and decreasing the "negative impacts of agriculture on natural resources and rural communities," and they have taken the official stance that herbicide-resistant crops are dangerous to the environment (Leopold Center 1). According to a position statement issued by their director, Dennis Keeney, they have decided not to concentrate on any systems that are "reliant on crop varieties genetically transformed to tolerate herbicide applications" (2). They believe that using herbicide-resistant crops will only encourage farmers to apply high doses of the herbicide, and that eventually this "short-term" solution will lead to "long-term problems" for both the environment and the farmer's budget (Leopold Center 2). If just one weed with a mutant gene is able to withstand the herbicide as well as the crop, then in a very short time such powerful herbicides as Roundup and Buctril will have as little effect on teeming weeds as doing nothing at all--and then a new, more powerful, possibly more toxic chemical will have to be found.

Some people prefer not to focus on the dark side of herbicide resistance, however; for example, DEKALB recently trumpeted in a press release that they would be "the first and only seed company marketing Roundup Ready (R) corn to growers for the 1998 growing season" (1). With the relative success of Roundup-resistant soybeans, seed companies were eager to extend their reach into another high-volume crop, corn, and the company is obviously quite pleased to be offering this new product. And why wouldn't they be? Youssef M. Ibrahim points out of Roundup Ready soybeans that Monsanto, the company who originally developed the Roundup resistance gene, "makes money licensing the technology and by selling lots more Roundup, too" (2). The seed company gets permission to sell seeds resistant to a highly effective herbicide; the herbicide company sells more of that highly effective herbicide because now they have a crop it won't kill along with the weeds. It's a clever strategy, but its very profitability raises doubts--can those with so much money at stake really be at all objective about their product's effects on the environment or humans, especially when they will probably also be the ones to come up with the next big chemical breakthrough to replace the ailing Roundup or Buctril?

Environmentalists and others who oppose herbicide-resistant crops may not have to wait for a chemical cataclysm to end their popularity--the amounts of money at stake appear to have caused some infighting among the companies themselves. In a press release from a little over a year ago, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a prominent seed company, announced that it would "not carry the Roundup herbicide resistance trait in corn" because of "the current restrictive terms proposed by Monsanto Co.," the trait's originator (1). Charles S. Johnson, the chairman, president, and CEO of Pioneer, stated that "[o]ne trait, especially resistance to a herbicide, should never be the sole criteria for hybrid selection" and vowed that his company would continue research on traits "that will add value to grain itself, improving nutritional values for feed and food" (PRNewswire, "Pioneer" 1). In a letter to customers explaining his decision, the seed company president made a point that many consumer advocate groups seem to have overlooked: that "once a herbicide kills a weed, it offers no other value to the plant or the grain" (2). Any kind of plant that doesn't have as much competition is bound to perform better, and powerful chemicals like Roundup and Buctril do eliminate much of the competition; but they can't make a better ear of corn or a better bean on their own. Farmers must also support their enhanced crop with other practices such as proper fertilization and erosion control.

Bibliography

Associated Press. "Herbicide Buctril Ban." Herbicide Tolerant Varieties 7 Jan. 1998 <http://www.pmac.net/buctril.htm>.

Ibrahim, Youssef M. "Genetic Soybeans From the U.S. Alarm Europeans." New York Times 7 Nov. 1996: 1-4.

Leopold Center. "Herbicide Tolerant Crops and the Leopold Center." Herbicide Tolerant Varieties May 1997 <http://www.pmac.net/herbtol.htm>.

PRNewswire. "Pioneer Announces Decision on Herbicide Resistance in Corn." Herbicide Tolerant Varieties 13 Nov. 1997 <http://www.pmac.net/pioneer.htm>.

PRNewswire. "DeKalb Announces Roundup Ready (R) Corn for 1998 Growing Season." Herbicide Tolerant Varieties 29 Jul. 1997 <http://www.pmac.net/dekalb.html>.

AgrEvo. "Scientific EU Committee: 'No Dangers to health or environment by AgrEvo herbicide tolerant to oil seed rape.'" News Releases at Hoechst AG 4 Nov. 1998 <http://www.hoechst.com/english/news/01364500.htm>
This is a press release by the "German plant production company" AgrEvo stating that the European Union Scientific Committee on Plants has offered its support for AgrEvo's new variety of herbicide-tolerant winter oilseed rape. The company says that the EUSCP's "opinion" was "clear and unambiguous" in stating that this new variety would not have any ill effects on either human health or the environment. The EUSCP also says that herbicide-tolerant crops should be monitored and managed closely.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. "Availability of Determination of Nonregulated Status for Genetically Engineered Cotton." Federal Register 60.141 (1995): 37870-37871.
The United States Department of Agriculture announces that two varieties of Monsanto's Roundup Ready cotton have been approved for sale without any more regulations than unaltered crop varieties. The article lists the technical requirements the cotton varieties had to meet, the history of the process, and the material reviewed to make the determination. They claim that the Roundup Ready cotton varieties are not harmful to the environment.

Associated Press. "Herbicide Buctril Ban." Herbicide Tolerant Varieties 7 Jan. 1998 <http://www.pmac.net/buctril.htm>
The Environmental Protection Agency has decided that it will no longer allow the use of a herbicide called Buctril because its active ingredient bromoxynil (as well as other ingredients) may cause "unspecified birth defects." Unfortunately, the seed company Rhone-Poulenc Ag Co., which manufactures Buctril, also manufactures a variety of cotton which is Buctril-resistant. The EPA is concerned that food products made with cottonseed oil might pass the dangerous chemicals on to humans, but the seed company believes that such a risk is "absolutely minuscule."

Bloomberg, Toni Clarke. "Mississippi Investigates Monsanto's RoundUp Ready Cotton." Memphis Commercial Appeal 18 Aug. 1997: 1.
At least four farmers in the Mississippi Delta area have complained that Monsanto Co.'s new cotton variety, which was genetically engineered to resist the company's RoundUp herbicide, is growing "malformed" cotton bolls and otherwise performing poorly. A spokesman for Monsanto claims that it's just new product jitters, but a local lawyer has already begun filing complaints with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

Ibrahim, Youssef M. "Genetic Soybeans From the U.S. Alarm Europeans." New York Times 7 Nov. 1996: 1-4.
This article features reactions from various European companies and protest groups to Monsanto's exportation of Roundup Ready soybeans. Although many food company executives don't personally see a problem with the soybeans, they admit that they will most likely follow consumer demand when it comes to purchasing products made with the genetically altered crop. The article also mentions that many of the protests might be related more to political conflicts, such as disagreement over the U.S.'s economic sanctions against several countries, than to concerns over food safety.

King, David. "Biotechnology and sustainability: a marriage made in heaven?" GenEthics News Oct./Nov. 1997: 1-4.
The author believes that although genetic engineering may indeed be the best way to produce enough crops for a growing population, the entire attitude towards agriculture must change before a truly efficient, safe farming system will be found. He says that the current system is controlled by seed and chemical companies, which often create new products just to sell more of their old products without really considering how to increase sustainability. He suggests that agricultural knowledge must be more "people-centered," focusing on the experience and wisdom of actual farmers as opposed to money-oriented corporations.

Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. "Herbicide Tolerant Crops and the Leopold Center." Herbicide Tolerant Varieties May 1997 <http://www.pmac.net/herbtol.htm>
The Leopold Center, an organization based at Iowa State University, is dedicated to helping farmers improve their crops without harming the environment. This position statement from Director Dennis Keeney announces that the Center has decided not to support the use of herbicide-resistant crops because it is basically a short-term solution that may lead to herbicide-resistant weeds. They will not use any of their resources to develop farming systems based on herbicide-resistant crops.

MacArthur, Mary. "Canola Crossbreeds Create Tough Weed Problem." New Scientist 17 Oct. 1998: n.p.
Farmers and crop scientists in Alberta, Canada, claim that the Roundup-resistant gene in a field of canola has carried over to another field, resulting in Roundup resistant plants "where none was recently planted." One of the scientists believes that this is an expected problem finally coming true, but no one else seems particularly concerned about it. Monsanto, the company that manufactured the Roundup Ready canola, admits that some cross-pollination occurred in test plots and is most likely the result of bee activity.

Myerson, Allen R. "Seeds of Discontent: Cotton Growers Say Strain Cuts Yields." New York Times 19 Nov. 1997: 1.
Farmers in Mississippi claim that they will lose "millions of dollars" because a new variety of cotton they planted failed by forming unusable cotton bolls. Monsanto Co. insists that the damage is not very widespread and may have been caused by "abnormally cold, wet" weather. The new variety was engineered to resist the herbicide Roundup.

Pesticide Action Network. "Opposition Grows to Genetically Engineered Soybeans." Roundup Ready Soybeans 14 Oct. 1996 <http://www.pmac.net/pansoy.htm>
This article mentions the protests in Europe and the United States against genetically-engineered corn and soybeans. Several major European companies have decided not to buy corn and soybeans from the U.S. unless they are either unaltered or labeled as genetically engineered. Also, Greenpeace recently targeted a field of Roundup Ready soybeans in Iowa, marking it with non-toxic spray paint and "biohazard" signs.

PRNewswire. "DeKalb Announces Roundup Ready (R) Corn for 1998 Growing Season." Herbicide Tolerant Varieties 29 Jul. 1997 <http://www.pmac.net/dekalb.html>
This press release from DEKALB Genetics Corporation announces that the company will be the sole provider of Roundup Ready corn for 1998--"pending final governmental approvals." The company is very proud of this new product and is anticipating its great success, particularly because of Roundup's "grower familiarity." The release also mentions how DEKALB researched the new variety and how it intends to meet the expected demand.

PRNewswire. "Pioneer Announces Decision on Herbicide Resistance in Corn." Herbicide Tolerant Varieties 13 Nov. 1997 <http://www.pmac.net/pioneer.htm>
This press release from the seed company Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., announces that they will no longer carry Roundup Ready corn due to a disagreement with Monsanto over the cost of the product. An included letter from company chairman Charles S. Johnson assures customers that glyphosate resistance is still a safe, desirable trait in crops, but warns that such resistance should not be the only reason for using a crop. The company states that they are still trying to "resolve these issues" with Monsanto and that they will continue offering Roundup Ready soybeans.

Sanogo, Soum, and XB Yang. "Herbicide-tolerant crops and plant diseases." Integrated Crop Management 19 Jan. 1998: 3.
This article hints that Roundup-Ready soybeans, produced by Monsanto Co., may not have very much disease resistance. Apparently these disease-resistance genes are currently being bred into the soybeans and a couple different varieties are already available with more on the way. The article also offers advice to farmers on choosing the right variety for their disease- and herbicide-resistance needs.

Union of Concerned Scientists. "Case Study: Roundup Ready Soybeans." Agriculture: Biotechnology <http://www.ucsusa.org/agriculture/soybeans.html>
This group of scientists denounces the use of herbicide-resistant crops (citing Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans specifically). They claim that glyphosate (Roundup herbicide) isn't really as environmentally safe as it's been portrayed and that the main reason Monsanto created the Roundup Ready soybeans was to increase herbicide sales. They also mention that herbicide-tolerant crops could lead to herbicide-tolerant weeds and that there are other, more environmentally-friendly ways to increase crop yield than with more chemicals.

Vargas, Ron. "Herbicide Tolerant Cottons Roundup Ready Studies." California Cotton Review June 1996: n.p.
The author believes that new cotton varieties resistant to herbicides like glyphosate and bromoxynil will reduce farming costs and be "environmentally friendly." He cites two recent studies in which Roundup was successfully used to control weeds in cotton without damaging the cotton or inhibiting its growth. He also brings up, but doesn't answer, many questions provoked by herbicide-resistant crops.