Directory of K-State Factsheets and Web Pages on Biotechnology

April 2, 2007 -- In this paper, Kansas State University reviews the scientific basis for discussions about the benefits and questions surrounding agricultural biotechnology. As a public institution, the university aims to provide accurate scientific information about biotechnology as it relates to public health, environmental protection and the state’s agricultural economy. The goal is to facilitate an informed discussion about agricultural biotechnology, leading to sound decisions on public policy and economic opportunities. As of February 2007, there were nearly 370 bioscience companies in Kansas. New bioscience facilities were built recently at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and Kansas City; at Kansas State University; and at Pittsburg State University. The state is aggressively pursuing an opportunity to land the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s proposed $451 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan or Leavenworth. The university’s goal in biotechnology research is to solve problems for farmers and add value for consumers. University research also aims to evaluate the benefits and risks of agricultural biotechnology, particularly those related to the health and safety of American food and fiber products.

Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture, http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp A glossary of terms from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. The glossary is available in English, French, Arabic and Spanish.

Myths and facts about plant and animal biotechnology, www.bio.org/foodag/facts.asp From the Biotechnology Industry Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Biotechnology Q&A’s, glossary of terms and more, http://www.usda.gov/agencies/biotech/ This is the USDA’s official Web site for information on agricultural biotechnology.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ This is one of the agencies largely responsible for approving the safety of biotechnology food products in the United States.

U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/index.html This is the U.S. agency that regulates the field testing, movement, and import of genetically engineered organisms that are known to be, or could be plant pests.

Statement on Biotechnology by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, http://www.fao.org/biotech/stat.asp The U.N.’s stance on biotechnology, first published in March, 2000.

National Center for Food and Agriculture Policy, http://www.ncfap.org/whatwedo/biotech-us.php This site is NCFAP’s “2006 Update of Impacts on US Agriculture of Biotechnology-Derived Crops Planted in 2005.” The report was released in November, 2006.

Farmers' Guide to GMOs, will help farmers understand genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the many legal issues associated with them. The guide was published by the Farmers' Legal Action Group (FLAG) and the Rural Advancement Foundation International

The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology has updated its fact sheet on the amount, and types, of genetically modified crops grown in the U.S. to include 2004 data recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

"GM food - opening up the debate." by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the United Kingdom. The 20-page publication provides basic information on genetic modification; food assessment methods; labeling; and sale, growth, and consumption of biotech crops.

"Agricultural Biotechnology: Informing the Dialogue"> A New Agricultural Biotechnology Publication Available from Cornell. A thoughtful, balanced publication that answers fundamental questions about why genetically engineered food crops are developed, whether they are safe for humans and the environment, and how they affect the global food system.

Transgenic Plants (Slide Presentation by Phil Sloderbeck, Southwest Area Office - 1997)

Li, H. R., B. Oppert, F. Huang, R. A. Higgins, L. L. Buschman, and K. Y. Zhu. 2005. Susceptibility of Dipel-resistant and -susceptible European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to individual Bacillus thuringiensis protoxins. Journal of Economic Entomology 98(4): 1333-1340.

Huang, F., L. L. Buschman, and R. A. Higgins. 2005. Larval survival and development of susceptible and resistant Ostrinia nubilalis on diet containing Bacillus thuringiensis. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 7: 1-8.

Li, H., B. Oppert, R. A. Higgins, F. Huang, L. L. Buschman, J-R Gao, and K. Y. Zhu. 2005. Characterization of cDNAs encoding three trypsin-like proteinases and mRNA quantitative analysis in Bt-resistant and -susceptible strains of Ostrinia nubilalis. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 35: 847-860.

Li, H. R., B. Oppert, R. A. Higgins, F. Huang, K. Y. Zhu, and L. L. Buschman. 2004. Comparative analysis of proteinase activities of Bacillus thuringiensis-resistant and -susceptible Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera : Crambidae). Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 34 (8): 753-762.

Li, H. R., J. Gonzalez-Cabrera, B. Oppert, J. Ferre, R. A. Higgins, L. L. Buschman, G. A. Radke, K. Y. Zhu, and F. Huang. 2004. Binding analyses of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac with membrane vesicles from Bacillus thuringiensis-resistant and -susceptible Ostrinia nubilalis. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 323: 52-57.

Hyde, J., Martin, M.A., Preckel, P.V., Buschman, L.L., Edwards, C.R., Sloderbeck, P.E. and Higgins, R.A. 2003. The value of Bt corn in southwest Kansas: A Monte Carlo simulation approach. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 28: 15-33.

Li, H., Oppert, B., Zhu, K. Y., Higgins, R. A., Huang, F. and Buschman, L. L. 2003. Transgenic plants expressing Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxins. Entomologia Sinica 10: 155-166.

Huang, F., L. L. Buschman, R. A. Higgins, and H. Li. 2002. Survival of Kansas Dipel-resistant European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids. Journal of Economic Entomology; 95: 614-621. Abstact

Onstad, D. W., C. A. Guse, P. Porter, L. L. Buschman, R. A. Higgins, P. E. Sloderbeck, F. B. Peairs, and G. B. Chronholm. 2002. Modeling the development of resistance by stalk-boring Lepidoptera (Crambidae) in areas with transgenic corn and frequent insecticide use. Journal of Economic Entomology; 95: 1033-1043.

Pilcher, C. D., M. E. Rice, R. A. Higgins, R. L. Hellmich, J. Witkowski, D. Calvin, K. R. Ostlie, and K. L. Steffey. 2002. Biotechnology and the European corn borer: Measuring farmer perceptions and the adoption of transgenic Bt corn as a pest management strategy. FORUM section: Journal of Economic Entomology; 95: 878-893.

Huang, F., L. Buschman, and R. Higgins. 2001. Larval feeding behavior of Dipel-resistant and susceptible Ostrinia nubilalis on diet containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Dipel ES). Entomological Experiementalis et Applicata. 98: 141-148. Abstract

Pilcher, C., M. Rice, R. Higgins, and R. Bowling. 2001. Pollen drift from Bacillus thuringiensis corn: Efficacy against European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in adjacent rows of non-Bt corn. Environmental Entomology; 30: 409-414.

Ortman, E. E., B. D. Barry, L. L. Buschman, D. D. Calvin, J. Carpenter, G. P. Dively, J. E. Foster, B. W. Fuller, R. L. Hellmich, R. A. Higgins, T. E. Hunt, G. P. Munkvold, K. R. Ostlie, M. E. Rice, R. T. Roush, M. K. Sears, A. M. Shelton, B. D. Siegfried, P. E. Sloderbeck, K. L. Steffey, F. T. Turpin, and J. L. Wedberg. 2001. Transgenic insecticidal corn: The agronomic and ecological rationale for its use. BioScience 51: 900-902.

Huang, F., L. L. Buschman, and R. A. Higgins. 1999. Susceptibility of different instars of European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to diet containing Bacillus thuringiensis. Journal of Economic Entomology 92: 547-550. Abstract

Huang, F., R. A. Higgins, and L. L. Buschman. 1999. Heritability and stability of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis in Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Bull. Entomol. Res. 89: 449-454. Abstract

Huang, F., K. Y. Zhu, L. L. Buschman, R. A. Higgins, and B. Oppert. 1999. Comparison of Midgut Proteinases in Bacillus thuringiensis-Susceptible and -Resistant European Corn Borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. 65:132-139. Abstract

Huang, F., L. L. Buschman, R. A. Higgins, and W. H. McGaughey. 1999. Inheritance of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Dipel ES) in the European corn borer. Science 284: 965-967. Abstract

• Huang, F., R. A. Higgins & L. L. Buschman. 1997. Baseline susceptibility and changes in susceptibility to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki under selection pressure in European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 90:1137-1143. abstract

Bt corn web page (Provides links to various Bt corn trials from the Department of Entomology and the Southwest Area Extension Office)

2002 – Optimization of sorghum transformation parameters using genes for green fluorescent protein and B-glucuronidase as visual markers – Hereditas 137: 20-28

J. M. Jeoung – Department of Agronomy, S. Krishnaventi – Department of Biochemistry, S. Muthukrishnan – Department of Plant Pathology, H. N. Trick – Department of Plant Pathology, G. H. Liang – Department of Agronomy

2005 – Efficient genetic transformation of Sorghum using a visual screening marker —Genome 48: 321-333

Zhensheng Gao – Department of Agronomy, J. Jayaraj – Department of Biochemistry, S. Muthukrishnan – Department of Biochemistry, Larry Claflin – Department of Plant Pathology, G. H. Liang – Department of Agronomy

2004 – Genetically modified turfgrass: A critical review – Recent Res. Devel. Genet. Breeding 1:317-347

Daolin Fu – Department of Agronomy, Ned A. Tisserat – Department of Plant Pathology, Y. M. Xiao – The Interdepartment Genetics Program, George H. Liang – Department of Agronomy

2005 – In vivo performance of a dual genetic marker, manA-gfp, in transgenic bentgrass – Genome 48: 722-730

Daolin Fu – Department of Agronomy, Yanmei Xiao – Department of Plant Pathology, S. Muthukrishnan – Department of Biochemistry, George H. Liang – Department of Agronomy

Researchers have successfully transferred a disease resistance gene from maize to rice and shown that it can control the spread of bacterial streak disease. The authors transferred Rxo1 to rice and found that 36 of the 82 transgenic rice lines displayed strong resistance when infected with X o. pv Oryzicola, characterized by a limited spreading of the lesions. All 36 resistant rice plants contained the Rxo1 transgene when sequenced. The authors note the success of transferring resistance between these two distantly related plants means nonhost resistance genes could provide a new tool to control diseases in a variety of crops. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Article #05-03023: “A Maize Resistance Gene Functions against Bacterial Streak Disease in Rice” by Bingyu Zhao, Xinghua Lin, Jesse Poland, Harold Trick, Jan Leach, and Scot Hulbert MEDIA CONTACT: Scot Hulbert, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS; Phone: (785) 532-1380; E-mail: shulbrt@ksu.edu

For the Birds: How Biotechnology and Conservation Tillage Improve Bird Habitat
Biotechnology is helping to create better habitat for bird species that live in and around cropland, say experts who've studied the connection between crop production and its effect on the environment. Since biotech cotton came on the market in 1996, songbird populations that frequent habitats around cotton fields have grown 20 percent in Arizona, 37 percent in Mississippi, 34 percent in Alabama and 10 percent in Texas, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.^{1 (}Byford, Jim. "GMO Systems Good for Wildlife," Southeast Farm Press, December 18, 2002)

Field of Genes, Making Sense of Biotechnology in Agriculture. An innovative curriculum designed to boost students' enthusiasm and interest in the burgeoning field of biotechnology was developed through a partnership involving National 4-H Council, Monsanto The Agricultural Group, and Pioneer hi-Bred International. The curriculum was reviewed by leaders in industry, education, and environmental issues before production. If you are interested in receiving a hard copy of the Field of Genes curriculum, please contact
frohlich@fourhcouncil.edu.


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Agricultural Biotechnology and the Biosciences in Kansas