GMW: Feral GMOs around Japanese ports/News about Japan

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GMW: Feral GMOs around Japanese ports/News about Japan

" GM WATCH " <info

Sun, 3 Dec 2006 16:14:22 GMT

 

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

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1.Monitoring the escape of transgenic oilseed rape around Japanese

ports and roadsides

2.News about Japan from Akiko Frid

 

EXTRACT: To our knowledge, this is the first published example of

feral, transgenic populations occurring in a nation where the transgenic

crop has not been cultivated commercially. (item 1)

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1.Monitoring the escape of transgenic oilseed rape around Japanese

ports and roadsides

Environ. Biosafety Res. 4 (2005) 217-222

DOI: 10.1051/ebr:2006003

 

Monitoring the escape of transgenic oilseed rape around Japanese ports

and roadsides

Hikaru Saji1, Nobuyoshi Nakajima2, Mitsuko Aono1, Masanori Tamaoki2,

Akihiro Kubo1, Seiji Wakiyama3, Yoriko Hatase3 and Masato Nagatsu3 [see

end for authors' addresses]

 

Abstract

An investigation was carried out to monitor the escape and spread of

oilseed rape (Brassica napus) transgenic plants and the introgression of

transgenes to its closely related feral species in Japan. We screened a

total of about 7500 feral B. napus, 300 B. rapa, and 5800 B. juncea

seedlings from maternal plants in 143 locations at several ports,

roadsides, and riverbanks. The presence of glufosinate-resistance or

glyphosate-resistance transgenes in these seedlings was confirmed by

means of

herbicide treatments and also immunochemical and DNA analyses. B. napus

plants with herbicide-resistant transgenic seeds were found at five of

six major ports and along two of four sampled roadsides in the Kanto

District. Transgenic oilseed rape plants have not been commercially

cultivated in Japan, suggesting that the transgenes would probably

have come

from imported transgenic seeds that were spilled during transportation

to oilseed processing facilities. No transgenes were detected in seeds

collected from B. napus plants growing along riverbanks in the Kanto

District or in seeds from closely related species (B. rapa and B.

juncea).

To our knowledge, this is the first published example of feral,

transgenic populations occurring in a nation where the transgenic crop

has not

been cultivated commercially.

 

Corresponding author: Hikaru Saji hsaji

 

1 Environmental Biology Division, National Institute for

Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305-8506, Japan

2 Biodiversity Conservation Research Project, National Institute for

Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305-8506, Japan

3 Japan Wildlife Research Center, 3-10-10 Shitaya, Taito-Ku, Tokyo,

110-8676, Japan

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2.News about Japan from Akiko Frid

 

Dear Friends,

 

Hello from Japan. Hope you are all well.

 

Please read my husband's blog about the codex meeting in Japan as well

as the GMO Free Zone in Japan here:

http://martinjapan.blogspot.com/

 

And also please check the CBIC's website about the recent information

in Japan:

http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cbic/english/index.html

 

We will hold an event this weekend to think back the 10 years of

campaigning to oppose GMOs. Now we have many new NGOs and groups who've

joined the campaign:

http://www.no-gmo.org/12.02_no_gmo_party/index.html

 

As you might know that I have been working with Greenpeace Japan on the

GMOs and will be here until next year:

http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/gm/diary/

 

We are doing well here in Japan and people's awareness about the danger

of GMOs are increasing. We have made a GMO guide: True Food Guide in

Japan too:

http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/gm/truefood/search_html?aisle=0 & keyword= & ra\

nk=all & flag=1

 

At the moment, our targeted company is Morinaga & Co.

http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/gm/cyberaction/morinaga_card

We are receiving many messages from people in Japan.

 

It is very strange that the US has approved LLrice601, but I know we

will stop GMOs!

 

Let's keep working together!

 

Sincerely,

Akiko

 

 

 

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