Federal government approves trial with genetically modified wheat
Published: Tuesday, Nov 5th 2024, 17:30
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Genetically modified wheat may be grown outdoors in the canton of Zurich for a research project. The Federal Office for the Environment has approved an application from Agroscope, the federal government's competence center for agricultural research.
The aim is to obtain disease-resistant plants, according to a press release issued by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) on Tuesday. Research is being carried out with the old Swiss winter wheat variety Arina. It was modified using the TEgenesis genetic engineering breeding method developed at the University of Basel, as Agroscope itself wrote.
The wheat does not receive new genetic material from other organisms with TEgenesis. Instead, existing sequences in the genome are placed in such a way that the plants develop new traits or lose undesirable traits. The focus of the experiment is on resistance to fungal diseases such as septoria, yellow rust, brown rust and mildew.
The release trial is intended to show how the plants behave in the field. It will begin this fall and last up to five years. The wheat will be cultivated on the protected site at Agroscope's Reckenholz ZH location. Agroscope submitted the application for approval of the release trial in March.
Agroscope must ensure that no genetically modified material can spread outside the trial area. This requirement is comparable to the requirements of previous trials, wrote the FOEN.
Switzerland has a moratorium on genetic engineering until the end of 2025. Genetically modified plants may be cultivated for research purposes. However, this requires a permit.
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