Browsing by Browse by FOR 2020 "300105 Genetically modified field crops and pasture"

The issue of Adventitious Presence (AP) of genes, those that are not "naturally" present in food and crops but rather have been placed there using recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology, has become a hot issue for producers and consumers. It can also be a major problem for exporters. Part of this problem is the reality that zero presence is now impossible to guarantee in some crops and products. Pressure has arisen to establish a Low Level Presence (LLP) threshold, one that is above zero, to be determined at an international level. This would allow crops to be imported and exported without the AP genes being approved in the importing country if they are approved in another country. The reality of biotechnological innovation in crops is that it is inevitable that there will be gene "flow" between varieties. This article examines the background of AP, the current state of policy and legislation, and why this has become contentious for producers, importers and exporters. This article examines the Canadian position towards AP as an illustration of a nation that produces many agricultural products based on genetically modified crops.

PLANTING can be a complicated operation with numerous decisions to make and many factors determining the success of the crop establishment. Establishment is a result of correct seed placement within well-formed beds allowing optimal seed-soil contact, sufficient but not excessive temperatures and moisture levels, vigourous seed and the absence of biotic threats (e.g. disease and insects) and physical barriers (e.g. surface crusting). It is unrealistic to expect perfect sowing conditions.

The range of contributing factors needs to be balanced to ensure success. But have you ever wondered about the relative influence of each of these factors? We did, and we turned to a computer to help us assess this and challenge our beliefs.

In 2018 a Nuffield scholar returning from Canada brought the idea of soiling a pair of cotton undies to investigate soil health to the attention of Oliver. This soil health engagement tool seemed like a brilliant idea and so Oliver with the assistance of his colleagues in CottonInfo organised for a few dozen pants to go out to some cotton growers. The plan was the growers would soil them (i.e. burying them in the soil) and bring them in to the Australian Cotton Conference to start a conversation around soil health. The discussion the returned pants generated and the competition for the most degraded pair of pants between growers led to an extension of the project, which over the next few years grew beyond our cotton farms, into their communities and eventually across every state and territory in Australia in a citizen science challenge. The result of this simple engagement tool, which involves burying a pair of cotton pants five cm deep for eight weeks and then looking at the level of degradation, has got thousands of Australians thinking about their soil health and ways to either maintain or improve it (Figure 1).