I was also brought in lending to 0 in youngThe slowdown that 2008 should be moderate Understand campaigns more sensual more incisiveBut it is the sector which displays the lowest growthYesterday the stock market welcomed this projectJust to negotiate a better price of outputHowever this radical point of view is no unanimityThe current global finance is preposterous24 million jobs per year and it is 10 million9 since the summer 2005 but decreased by 3Genetically modified organisms are beginning to get out of the controversial research. In rendering its opinion on the MON810 corn a few days ago, Committee on GMOs was able to reach a scientific consensus. It is now known that it is impossible to avoid "contamination" of conventional or organic plots in a region containing GMO crops. Experts relied on several international publications, especially that of the European research program Sigmea. The magnitude (44 partners over 3.5 years), this study has silenced the denials of radical supporters of GMOs. Yet, Sigmea may also contribute to helping the seed, farmers and researchers in transgenesis to grow GM crops.
Because the work, researchers have designed a tool to characterize the coexistence of GMO and non-GMO fields. This software models the gene flow of corn, and to a lesser extent of oilseed rape and beet. It was developed from 180 sets of data from field experience. The most relevant data are especially the relocation of the pollen grains of corn that researchers measure for years on experimental plots. To do this, agronomists plant corn with a gene that colored grain.
During flowering (2 to 3 weeks), the male maize GMO disperse their pollen to wind or insects. GMO gametes come fertilize female corn non-GMO and transmit their transgenes to offspring. In fact, 90 of the pollen particularly within 5 metres around their transmitter but 1 exceeds the 50 metres away. Measurements show even that a small part can be dispersed over several kilometres because of rising winds. Aircraft observations have found pollen at 2,000 metres above sea level. And unlike the seed's claimed, altitude does not condemn the gametes, the humidity on the contrary they like.
Researchers are then colored ears of parcels non-GMO to infer a contamination rate. Sigmea has found in its data several plots to "risk" 2 to 3 of the corn received transgenes, often small fields.
Critical threshold
By synthesizing many climatic or agronomic situations in Europe, the program was able to extrapolate a model. The software calculates "contamination" of every piece based on the agricultural scenario given to local natural conditions. For a given area, researchers fit the description of the parcel in two dimensions, then the proposed plot GMO percentage. Representative climate from year is described at the time almost. A simple rain stops the issuance of the corn pollen. It must also indicate the practices of farmers: just a week of offset plantations and the blooms of the GMOs parcel to strongly reduce the cross-pollination in the other fields. The result comes out in the form of "contamination" map which each pixel is 5 to 10 square meters.
Antoine Méssean, Sigmea has demonstrated two things: "It is impossible to guarantee that a parcel of conventional corn remains free of GMOs at the scale of a small agricultural area." But we also know that it is possible to reconcile GMO crops in an agricultural area now less than 0.9 rate of cross-pollination. "In some cases, the members of a zone can cultivate maize GMO share while retaining that 0.9 of GMO grain on average in the silos. This rather arbitrary threshold is essential farmers, because it represents the limit from which their agri-food clients must report on their label GMOs. A prohibitory record for consumers. This is why Sigmea partners advance an economic argument to justify clearly separate GM crops and non-GMO, across specialized regions. Without even considering the impact environmental or health, even in scientific debate, researchers therefore argue for more regulation.
In three dimensions
Scientists now want to improve the software with a representation of a field in three dimensions, history to take into account the effect of hills or the obstacles to the wind. The project also aims to refine the model of maize flowering. "The current software is reliable for 0.9 pollination rates, but must still increase the precision if political or economic users want to achieve lower resolutions," warned Antoine Méssean.
Researchers also want similar calculation codes for other transgenic species such as sunflower or rapeseed. Modeling of the spread of rapeseed is more complicated, because this plant is mainly self-pollinating, it will fertilize itself and then ejects its (embryos) seeds on the ground. Unlike corn, seeds can survive several years in the land, and therefore "contaminate" a field replanted in conventional crops. The life of the seeds in the land is still complex to describe. Modeling is all the more difficult that the GM rapeseed is not permitted and therefore not cultivated in Europe.
Finally all GMOs do not require a specific modeling, and some releases are prohibitive. The American Environmental Agency has banned a resistant to herbicide Roundup grass because its very lightweight pollen travel tens of kilometres. It was intended to cover golf greens to make maintenance easier.
