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Science Forum Index » Agriculture Forum » GM plants safe for bees
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| David Kendra |
 Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 3:10 pm |
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http://www.lifesciencenz.com/news-detail.asp?newsID=4880
GM plants safe for bees
Life Sciences Network
October 3, 2003
Studies have shown genetically modified plants have little or no impact on
bee health, says HortResearch scientist, Louise Malone.
However, bees still need to be taken into account when GM plants are
considered for field trials or release.
Malone, who spoke at the Foundations for Success conference in Wellington,
says bees contribute $2.7 billion to the New Zealand economy each year,
playing an important role in the pollination of clover in pastures and
also of vegetables, seeds and fruit, especially kiwifruit.
The New Zealand beekeeping industry makes $57m a year from honey, live
bees, pollen, wax and propolis.
Malone says of the crops grown in New Zealand for which GM varieties are
or may one day be available, some, including white clover, kiwifruit,
apples, canola, seed brassicas, eucalyptus and seed onions, are important
honey species or require bees for pollination.
Potatoes, maize and ryegrass can be visited by bees if there is no better
forage available and traces of pine pollen can also be found in beehives
because of the large amounts of pine pollen released.
Malone says HortResearch has looked at the possible impacts of GM plants
on bee health since 1995, working closely with overseas scientists.
Because bees only eat pollen, nectar, resins and honeydew of plants, a bee
can only be affected by a GM plant if the plant expresses a new protein in
these parts. That protein, in turn, must have some biological activity
against the bee.
The HortResearch team has developed a system where the possible effect on
honey bees can be studied without actually using GM plants.
Adult and larval bees are fed purified proteins -- at a range of
concentrations -- identical to those produced by GM plants.
Malone says the team choose proteins designed to control insect pest
populations because these are the most likely to affect bee health.
The trials found Bt toxins (designed to control caterpillars) and
biotin-binding proteins (for general insect control) had no effect on bee
health.
Protease inhibitors (used for caterpillar and beetle control) had a slight
effect on bees at high concentrations, shortening their life-span by
several days.
Malone says overseas studies, where it is easier for researchers to work
with flowering transgenic plants, have found most GM plants produce only
minute quantities of new proteins in pollen and none in nectar.
They have also found no negative effects on bees on plants modified to be
insect, herbicide or disease-resistant.
Malone says researchers in Canada are beginning a four-year study on
pollinator diversity on conventional, organic and GM canola and sweetcorn
crops. |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 7:42 am |
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On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 21:10:14 GMT, "David Kendra"
<dkendra@DELETETHISinsightbb.com> wrote:
Quote: Studies have shown genetically modified plants have little or no impact on
bee health, says HortResearch scientist, Louise Malone.
Have you asked the beekeepers whether they want GM pollen in their
products?
See here for some views:
http://www.gmfoodnews.com/honey.html
regards
Marcus |
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| Rene |
| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 11:14 am |
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Have you asked my grandfather whether he was ok with the fact that the
production of your computer caused another bit of pollution affecting
him?
Why are you so hypocritical?
Rene.
marcus@myrealbox.com wrote in message news:<5s28ovkcufo3n0c1vcp77kron29h14agbp@4ax.com>...
Quote: On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 21:10:14 GMT, "David Kendra"
dkendra@DELETETHISinsightbb.com> wrote:
Studies have shown genetically modified plants have little or no impact on
bee health, says HortResearch scientist, Louise Malone.
Have you asked the beekeepers whether they want GM pollen in their
products?
See here for some views:
http://www.gmfoodnews.com/honey.html
regards
Marcus |
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