Terminator Technology
Encyclopedia
Genetic use restriction technology (GURT), colloquially known as terminator technology, is the name given to proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants
by causing second generation seeds to be sterile. The technology was developed under a cooperative research and development agreement between the Agricultural Research Service
of
the United States Department of Agriculture
and Delta and Pine Land company in the 1990s, but it is not yet commercially available. Because some stakeholders expressed concerns that this technology might lead to dependence for poor smallholder farmers, Monsanto Company, an agricultural products company and the world's biggest seed supplier, pledged not to commercialize the technology in 1999. However, customers who buy seeds from Monsanto Company must sign a Monsanto Technology/Stewardship Agreement. "The agreement specifically states that the grower will not save or sell the seeds from their harvest for further planting, breeding or cultivation". This legal agreement preempts the need for a "terminator gene". Late in 2006, Monsanto acquired Delta and Pine Land company, along with its greenhouse tests of Terminator seeds and rights to its Canadian patent on Terminator granted on October 11 2005. D&PL has long vowed to commercialize Terminator, targeting rice, wheat and soy in particular.
The technology was discussed during the 8th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
in Curitiba
, Brazil, March 20–31, 2006.
firms.
Non-viable seeds produced on V-GURT plants may reduce the propagation of volunteer plants.
Volunteer plants can become an economic problem for larger-scale mechanized farming systems that incorporate crop rotation
.
Under warm, wet harvest
conditions non V-GURT grain can sprout, which lowers the quality of grain produced. It is likely that this problem would not occur with the use of V-GURT grain varieties.
Use of V-GURT technology could prevent escape of transgene
s into wild relatives and prevent any impact on biodiversity
. Crops modified to produce non-food products could be armed with GURT technology to prevent accidental transmission of these traits into crops destined for foods.
, NGOs
, and some governments. In 2000, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity recommended a de facto moratorium
on field-testing and commercial sale of terminator seeds; the moratorium was re-affirmed in 2006. India
and Brazil
have already passed national laws to prohibit the technology.
Genetically modified food
Genetically modified foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms . Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques...
by causing second generation seeds to be sterile. The technology was developed under a cooperative research and development agreement between the Agricultural Research Service
Agricultural Research Service
The Agricultural Research Service is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture . ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area...
of
the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
and Delta and Pine Land company in the 1990s, but it is not yet commercially available. Because some stakeholders expressed concerns that this technology might lead to dependence for poor smallholder farmers, Monsanto Company, an agricultural products company and the world's biggest seed supplier, pledged not to commercialize the technology in 1999. However, customers who buy seeds from Monsanto Company must sign a Monsanto Technology/Stewardship Agreement. "The agreement specifically states that the grower will not save or sell the seeds from their harvest for further planting, breeding or cultivation". This legal agreement preempts the need for a "terminator gene". Late in 2006, Monsanto acquired Delta and Pine Land company, along with its greenhouse tests of Terminator seeds and rights to its Canadian patent on Terminator granted on October 11 2005. D&PL has long vowed to commercialize Terminator, targeting rice, wheat and soy in particular.
The technology was discussed during the 8th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...
in Curitiba
Curitiba
Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...
, Brazil, March 20–31, 2006.
Variants
There are conceptually two types of GURT:- V-GURT: This type of GURT produces sterile seeds meaning that a farmer that had purchased seeds containing V-GURT technology could not save the seed from this crop for future planting. This would not have an immediate impact on the large number of primarily western farmers who use hybrid seedHybrid seedIn agriculture and gardening, hybrid seed is seed produced by cross-pollinated plants. In hybrid seed production, the crosses are specific and controlled. The advantage of growing hybrid seed compared to inbred lines comes from heterosis...
s, as they do not produce their own planting seeds, and instead buy specialized hybrid seeds from seed production companies. However, currently around 80 percent of farmers in both Brazil and Pakistan grow crops based on saved seeds from previous harvests. Consequentially, resistance to the introduction of GURT technology into developing countries is strong. The technology is restricted at the plant variety level, hence the term V-GURT. Manufacturers of genetically enhanced crops would use this technology to protect their products from unauthorised use. - T-GURT: A second type of GURT modifies a crop in such a way that the genetic enhancement engineered into the crop does not function until the crop plant is treated with a chemical that is sold by the biotechnology company. Farmers can save seeds for use each year. However, they do not get to use the enhanced trait in the crop unless they purchase the activator compound. The technology is restricted at the trait level, hence the term T-GURT.
Possible advantages
Where effective intellectual property protection systems don't exist or are not enforced, GURTs could be an alternative to stimulate plant developing activities by biotechBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
firms.
Non-viable seeds produced on V-GURT plants may reduce the propagation of volunteer plants.
Volunteer (botany)
In gardening and botanical terminology, a volunteer is a plant that grows on its own, rather than being deliberately planted by a farmer or gardener...
Volunteer plants can become an economic problem for larger-scale mechanized farming systems that incorporate crop rotation
Crop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...
.
Under warm, wet harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
conditions non V-GURT grain can sprout, which lowers the quality of grain produced. It is likely that this problem would not occur with the use of V-GURT grain varieties.
Use of V-GURT technology could prevent escape of transgene
Transgene
A transgene is a gene or genetic material that has been transferred naturally or by any of a number of genetic engineering techniques from one organism to another....
s into wild relatives and prevent any impact on biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
. Crops modified to produce non-food products could be armed with GURT technology to prevent accidental transmission of these traits into crops destined for foods.
Possible disadvantages
Initially developed by the United States Department of Agriculture and multinational seed companies, "suicide seeds" have not been commercialized anywhere in the world due to an avalanche of opposition from farmers, indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
, NGOs
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
, and some governments. In 2000, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity recommended a de facto moratorium
Moratorium (law)
A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law. In a legal context, it may refer to the temporary suspension of a law to allow a legal challenge to be carried out....
on field-testing and commercial sale of terminator seeds; the moratorium was re-affirmed in 2006. India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
have already passed national laws to prohibit the technology.
See also
- Cartagena Protocol on BiosafetyCartagena Protocol on BiosafetyThe Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international agreement on biosafety, as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.The...
- Convention on biological diversityConvention on Biological DiversityThe Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...
- Diamond v. ChakrabartyDiamond v. ChakrabartyDiamond v. Chakrabarty, , was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with whether genetically modified organisms can be patented.-Background:...
- Genetic pollutionGenetic pollutionGenetic pollution is a controversial term for uncontrolled gene flow into wild populations. This gene flow is undesirable according to some environmentalists and conservationists, including groups such as Greenpeace, TRAFFIC, and GeneWatch UK.-Usage:...
- Hybrid seedHybrid seedIn agriculture and gardening, hybrid seed is seed produced by cross-pollinated plants. In hybrid seed production, the crosses are specific and controlled. The advantage of growing hybrid seed compared to inbred lines comes from heterosis...
- Genetically modified organismGenetically modified organismA genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...
- Seed savingSeed savingIn agriculture and gardening, seed saving is the practice of saving seeds or other reproductive material from open-pollinated vegetables, grain, herbs, and flowers for use from year to year for annuals and nuts, tree fruits, and berries for perennials and trees...
- Transgenic maizeTransgenic maizeGenetically modified maize has been deliberately genetically modified to have agronomically desirable traits. Traits that have been engineered into corn include resistance to herbicides and resistance to insect pests, the latter being achieved by incorporation of a gene that codes for the...
External links
- Scientific explanation of Terminator Technology
- USPTO Patent Number 5,723,765 - method for producing a seed incapable of germination, (claim no. 10)
- Sterile Seeds audio broadcast on Kootenay Co-op Radio's Deconstructing Dinner program
- International Seed Federation: Position Paper Supporting GURT development
- Ban Terminator Organization
- Detailed timeline of history of Terminator Technology
- UN Convention on Biological Diversity - Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
- Eco-matters website, providing resources from Progressio, Chair of the UK Working Group on Terminator Technology