Scientists find GM material in native Mexican corn
Date: 30-Nov-01
Country: UK
Author: Patricia Reaney
Opponents of GM technology have argued that crops genetically modified by the addition or removal of genes or a change in their genetic structure to help them resist pests or the weather could threaten the environment.
Ignacio Chapela and David Quist of the University of California Berkeley have found traces of transgenic DNA in native corn, or criollo, from the remote region of Sierra Norte de Oaxaca in Mexico.
Their findings, which were confirmed and announced by Mexican scientists in October, are reported in detail for the first time in the science journal Nature.
"This is very serious because the regions where our samples were taken are known for their diverse varieties of native corn, which is something that absolutely needs to be protected," said Chapela, assistant professor of microbiology at the university.
Environmentalists called for an immediate global moratorium on growing GM crops and said the research raised concerns about contamination from GM crops in other countries.
"These findings are deeply disturbing and highlight the huge gamble the biotech industry is taking with nature," said Pete Riley of the environmental group Friends of the Earth.
"To my knowledge this is the first time anyone has found transgenic material in wild plants," he told Reuters.
MORE RESEARCH NEEDED
But Phil Mullineaux, a scientist at Britain's top plant research laboratory, the John Innis Institute, was less concerned.
"It is a very interesting observation," he said, adding it raised questions and more research was needed.
The Berkeley scientists found evidence of p-35S, a promotoer for the cauliflower mosaic virus which is used in nearly all commercial GM crops, in the criollo.
No signs of transgenic DNA were found in Peruvian maize or in samples from Mexican maize taken before the advent of transgenic crops.
"I repeated the tests at least three times to make sure I wasn't getting false positives," said Quist. "It was initially hard to believe that corn in such a remote region would have tested positive."
The scientists are not sure how the plants were contaminated because agricultural experts believe corn pollen is too heavy to be blown by the wind.
Mexico banned planting transgenic maize in 1998 but it is still imported from the United States. The closest area with GM corn to the contaminated crop is 60 miles (100 km) away. The scientists said the contamination could have occurred before the moratorium.
"Whatever the source, it's clear that genes are somehow moving from bioengineered corn to native corn," said Chapela.
Riley called for a thorough investigation of how the contamination took place so it can be stopped.