BBC - The
first field trials in China of a new variety of genetically-modified
rice suggest the crop could offer significant benefits to farming
and nutrition in the region, say international scientists.
The rice, which has been engineered to withstand damage from pests,
has a higher yield than conventional rice, according to researchers
from the Philippines and China who have developed and tested the
new breed.
Farmers harvest rice on a Chinese hillside
The genetically-engineered
commercial variety is designed to be resistant to certain insect
pests by producing Bt, an insecticidal protein of soil bacteria.
To date, the
only commercialised Bt crops have been cotton, maize and potato.
Rice has been
produced in the Orient for thousands of years. It is a staple
diet for 40% of the world's population.
Since 1976,
much of the rice grown in Asia has been of hybrid varieties, which
have higher yields than inbred types but are more vulnerable to
certain pests and diseases.
Scientists
have been developing new breeds of GM rice to try to solve the
problem of pest damage, which can wipe out a crop.
This latest
variety showed strong resistance against repeated infestations
of two pests, yellow stem borer and leaffolder, with little or
no effect on yield, according to the first field studies.
The new rice
technology may help farmers increase dwindling rice stockpiles
in developing countries.
However, critics
argue that while high yield rice may benefit farmers on good soil,
it does nothing to help the poorest farmers working in the worst
conditions.
Scientists
at Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China, and the International
Rice Research Institute, Philippines, carried out the work.
The research
is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
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