Genetically Modified Plants

Roger Hull graduated in botany from Cambridge University and undertook his graduate studies in plant virus diagnostics and epidemiology at London University. He lectured on agricultural botany there and at Makerere University in Uganda. In 1965 he moved to fundamental studies of plant viruses, first at Cambridge in the United Kingdom and then at the John Innes Institute (now Centre) in Norwich. He spent a sabbatical year (1974) at University of California, Davis, where he learnt the fundamentals of the newly developing molecular biology technology. He applied to this to plant virus characterisation, diagnostics and virus control, especially in tropical crops such as rice and plantain bananas. He retired in 1997 but continued research, lecturing and book writing. Dr Hull was an honorary professor at University of East Anglia in the UK and Peking and Fudan Universities in China, a Doctoris Honoris Causa at the University of Perpignan in France, and a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers on plant virology and more than 40 reviews in scientific journals, and has authored five books. In retirement Roger Hull also became involved in promoting the uptake of transgenic technology by developing countries as one approach to alleviating food insecurity. He was on the International faculty of the e-learning diploma course training decision makers, mainly in developing countries, in plant biotechnology regulation. Dr. Graham Head is the Global Head of Resistance Management at Bayer Crop Science in St Louis, MO. Graham received his B.Sc. Honours degree in Zoology from Monash University in Australia and his Ph.D. in Ecology and Population Genetics from Princeton University. He has spent 23 years working on agricultural biotechnologies first at Monsanto Company and now at Bayer Crop Science in a variety of roles ranging from Discovery to Regulatory Sciences. Two areas of focus throughout his career have been assessing the environmental impacts of biotechnology and designing effective resistance management strategies for agricultural pests. He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and represents Bayer Crop Science on a number of industry expert groups. George Tzotzos received his education in the UK where he obtained two PhD degrees at the University of Bristol (School of Chemistry) and the Open University (Dept. of Health, Life & Chemical Sciences). Until 2011, he worked at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). More recently, he was affiliated at the Vale Institute of Sustainable Development (Belém, PA, Brazil) as a principal researcher (pesquisador titular) in charge of the Biotechnology and Biodiversity research group. During his tenure at UNIDO, he established and managed an international biosafety training network with partners at the Universities of Concepción (Chile), Gent (Belgium), and Marche (Italy). He organised and taught in numerous GMO risk assessment workshops. His academic and publication records can be seen at: ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9258-4338 Loop: https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/193663/publications

Preface

List of abbreviations

1. Setting the Context: Agriculture and Crop/Food Sustainability

2. Technologies for Crop Improvement

3. Current Progress and Future Needs of Genetically Modified Plants

4. Principles of Risk Assessment

5. Evolution of Regulatory Systems and National Biosafety Frameworks

6. Molecular Characterization of GM plants

7. Risk Assessment and Management: Human and Animal Health

8. Risk Assessment and Management: Environment

9. Risk Perception and Public Attitudes to GM

10. The Future

Appendix A: Glossary

Appendix B: Climate Change and Global Warming

Appendix C: Details of Major Biotic Constraints

Appendix D: Genetics and Gene Expression

Appendix E: Mutations

Appendix F: Information required on an application for environmental release of a GMO

Appendix G: GM food labeling in different countries

Appendix H: Differences in public uptake of GM foods