AOCS Division Newsletter




	printer-friendly version . send feedback on this newsletter AOCS Biotechnology Division Newsletter September 2007 Crop biotech news David Hildebrand Large-scale farm production of genetically engineered (GE) crops is now in its eleventh year. To date, most GE crops have specific traits popular with farmers, mainly herbicide tolerance and yield resistance. Exciting quality trait crops are on the horizon, such as very high-oleate soybeans, long chain omega-3-producing oilseeds. The trait usually of most interest to growers, yield, has previously been more intractable to biotech approaches due to the complexity and large numbers of genes involved. However more and more advanced genetics/biotechnology is tackling yield enhancement in crop plants. For example, researchers in England, France and in Germany have identified one of the processes that controls seed size in corn (http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/media/pressreleases/07_07_30_maize.html). Monsanto recently announced that its next-generation soybean technology, Roundup RReady2YieldT soybeans, has completed the regulatory process in both the United States and Canada. Three years of field comparisons have demonstrated that the technology can deliver a yield advantage of 7 to 11 percent over its first-generation Roundup Ready counterpart. On July 31, 2007 Pioneer/DuPont and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory announced a collaborative arrangement on crop genetics and yield enhancement of crops such as corn and soybeans (http://www.bio.com/newsfeatures/newsfeatures_industry.jhtml?cid=32200008). Some may remember the exciting presentation from the biotech dinner speaker at our 2006 meetings in St. Louis on corn genetically engineered for significantly enhanced yield and drought resistance. Also in this newsletter: Notes From the Chair, by Tom McKeon 99th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo Minutes of Biotechnology Division Board Meeting 3rd Annual Meeting of the International Society of Biotechnology and Biocatalysis 2007 Biotechnology Division Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Dr. Yuji Shimada Biotechnology Division web page AOCS, 2710 S. Boulder, Urbana, IL 61802-6996 USA	Division Officers Chairperson Thomas McKeon phone: 1-510-559-5754 fax: 1-510-559-5768 Vice Chair/Prog. Comm. Ramesh Patel phone: 1-732-519-2026 fax: 1-732-519-1166 Secretary/Treasurer Daniel Solaiman phone: 1-215-233-6476 fax: 1-215-233-6795 Member-at-Large Yuji Shimada phone:81-669638073 fax: 81-669638079 Member-at-Large Randall Weselake phone: 1-780-492-4401 fax:1-780-492-4265 Member-at-Large Hans Christian Holm phone: 45-44423499 fax: 45-44491050 Member-at-Large Xuebing Xu phone: 45-45252773 fax: 45-45884922 Immed. Past Chair David Hildebrand phone: 859-257-7319 fax: 859-257-2185