|
The Gene A Public Voice |
The Exchange A Public Voice on Biotechnology and Agriculture Union of Concerned Scientists Fall/Winter 1998 |
What's Coming to Market?
An update on commercialization of genetically engineered crops and microorganisms
The chart below lists genetically engineered organisms approved for commercial use in the United Staes as of December 1998.
| Product | Institution | Altered Trait | Purpose | Sources of New Genes | Agency Action1 |
Approved for Sale /Name2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Canola (Oilseed rape) |
Monsanto/ Calgene | Altered oil composition -- high lauric acid | Expand use in soap & food products | Calif. bay, turnip rape, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/not req. |
1995 Laurical |
| Canola | Hoechst/ AgrEvo | Resistance to herbicide glufosinate | Control weeds | Bacteria | USDA/not req.4 FDA/approved3 EPA/not req.4 |
Yes Liberty Link |
| Canola | Monsanto | Resistance to herbicide glyphosate | Control weeds | NA5 | USDA/not req.4 FDA/approved3 EPA/not req.4 |
Yes Roundup Ready |
| Canola | Hoechst/ AgrEvo/ Plant Genetic Systems | Male sterility/ fertility restorer | Facilitate breeding | NA5 | USDA/not req.4 FDA/approved3 EPA/not req.4 |
Yes Unknown |
| Chicory, red hearted (Radicchio) | Bejo Zaden | Male sterility/ resistance to herbicide glufosinate | Facilitate breeding | bacteria |
USDA/approved FDA/approved EPA/not req. |
Yes Seed Link |
| Corn | Monsanto |
Resistance to corn borer (Bt toxin) |
Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
Yes YieldGard |
| Corn |
Hoechst/ AgrEvo/ Plant Genetic Systems |
Resistance to corn borer (Bt toxin) | Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
1998 Unknown |
| Corn (field & pop) | Novartis |
Resistance to corn borer (Bt toxin) |
Control insect pests | Corn, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
1995 (field) 1998 (pop) KnockOut |
| Corn | Mycogen |
Resistance to corn borer (Bt toxin) |
Control insect pests | Corn, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
1995 NatureGuard |
| Corn (field & sweet) |
Novartis/ Northrup King |
Resistance to corn borer (Bt toxin) |
Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
1996 (field) 1998 (sweet) Bt11 |
| Corn | Monsanto/DeKalb |
Resistance to corn borer (Bt toxin) |
Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
Yes Bt-Xtra |
| Corn | Monsanto | Resistance to herbicide glyphosate & to corn borer (Bt toxin) | Control weeds & insect pests | Bacteria |
USDA/approved
FDA/approved EPA/approved |
Yes Unknown |
| Corn | Monsanto/ DeKalb | Resistance to herbicide glufosinate | Control weeds | Bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
Yes Unknown |
| Corn |
Hoechst/ AgrEvo |
Resistance to herbicide glufosinate | Control weeds | Bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
Yes Liberty Link |
| Corn |
Hoechst/ AgrEvo/ Plant Genetic Systems |
Male sterility/ resistance to herbicide glufosinate |
Facilitate plant breeding/ control weeds |
Bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
1995 Seed Link |
| Cotton |
Monsanto/ Calgene/ Rhone Poulenc |
Resistance to herbicide bromoxynil | Control weeds | Bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
1995 BXN Cotton |
| Cotton | DuPont | Resistance to herbicide sulfonylurea | Control weeds | Tobacco, bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
Yes Unknown |
| Cotton | Monsanto |
Resistance to bollworm & budworm (Bt toxin) |
Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
1995 Bollgard |
| Cotton | Monsanto | Resistance to herbicide glyphosate | Control weeds | Arabidopsis, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
1996 Roundup Ready |
| Cotton | Monsanto/ Calgene/ Rhone Poulenc |
Resistance to herbicide bromoxynil & bollworms & budworms (Bt toxin) |
Control weeds & insect pests | Bacteria, virus |
USDA/approved
FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
1998 Unknown |
| Papaya |
Univ. Hawaii/ Cornell Univ. |
Resistance to papaya ringspot virus | Control virus disease | Bacteria, virus |
USDA/approved
FDA/approved3 EPA/approved7 |
1997 Sunup Rainbow |
| Potato | Monsanto |
Resistance to Colorado potato beetle (Bt toxin) |
Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
1995 New Leaf |
| Potato | Monsanto | Resistance to potato beetle (Bt toxin) and potato virus Y | Control insect pests and virus disease | Bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved |
1998 New Leaf Plus |
| Soybean | Monsanto | Resistance to herbicide glyphosate | Control weeds | Petunia, soybean, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
1995 Roundup Ready |
| Soybean | DuPont | Altered oil composition -- high oleic acid | Increase stability, reduce polyunsat. fatty acids | Soybean, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/not req. |
1997 Unknown |
| Soybean |
Hoechst/ AgrEvo |
Resistance to herbicide glufosinate | Control weeds | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved6 |
1998 Unknown |
| Squash | Seminis Vegetable Seeds/ Asgrow | Resistance to watermelon mosaic 2 & zucchini yellow mosaic viruses | Control two virus diseases | Viruses | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved7 |
1995 Freedom II |
| Squash | Seminis Vegetable Seeds | Resistance to cucumber mosaic, watermelon mosaic 2, & zucchini yellow mosaic viruses | Control three virus diseases | Bacteria, viruses | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/approved7 |
1997 Unknown |
| Tomato (cherry) | Agritope | Altered ripening | Enhance fresh market value | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/not req. |
1996 Unknown |
| Tomato | Monsanto/ Calgene | Delayed ripening | Enhance fresh market value | Tomato, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/not req. |
1994 Flavr Savr |
| Tomato | DNA Plant Technology | Delayed ripening | Enhance fresh market value | Tomato, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/not req. |
1995 Endless Summer |
| Tomato | Monsanto | Delayed ripening | Enhance fresh market value | Bacteria | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/not req. |
1995 Unknown |
| Tomato |
Zeneca/ PetoSeed |
Thicker skin, altered pectin | Enhance processing value | Tomato, bacteria, virus | USDA/approved FDA/approved3 EPA/not req. |
1995 Unknown |
| Bacillus thuringiensis | Ecogen | Toxicity to Colorado potato beetle and caterpillar insect pests (Bt toxin) | Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/not req. FDA/not req. EPA/approved |
1995 Raven |
| Bacillus thuringiensis | Ecogen | Toxicity to caterpillar insect pests (Bt toxin) | Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/not req. FDA/not req. EPA/approved |
Yes Lepinox |
| Bacillus thuringiensis | Novartis | Toxicity caterpillar insect pests (Bt toxin) | Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/not req. FDA/not req. EPA/approved |
Yes CoStar |
| Pseudomonas flourescens8 | Mycogen | Toxicity to caterpillar insect pests (Bt toxin) | Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/not req. FDA/not req. EPA/approved |
Yes M-Peril MVP |
| Pseudomonas flourescens8 | Mycogen | Toxicity to caterpillar insect pests (Bt toxin) | Control insect pests | Bacteria | USDA/not req. FDA/not req. EPA/approved |
Yes Mattch |
| Sinorhizobium meliloti | Urbana Labs/Research Seeds | Enhance nitrogen fixation | Increase yield in alfalfa | Bacteria | USDA/not req. FDA/not req. EPA/approved |
1997 PC-2 |
| Vaccinia virus vaccine | Rhone Merieux | Immunity to rabies | Control raccoon rabies epidemics | Rabies virus | USDA/approved FDA/not req. EPA/approved |
1995 Raboral |
1Action may respond to either voluntary or required submissions from companies.
2Because of arrangements among some companies to market each other's crops, it is no longer possible to track all names of products. If we know the original name assigned to a production, we will list that name only. 3FDA approval means that FDA has completed consultations with a company and will allow the product to enter the market once regulatory requirements are met at other agencies. Except for the Calgene tomato approved in 1994, FDA consultations are abbreviated reviews of company safety assessments.
4Companies are importing canola seeds to crush and sell as oil and feed. Since the seeds are not being planted in the United States, approval was not necessary.
5Information not available.
6EPA "approval" means that EPA registers the herbicide to be used on the transgenic crop. The agency does not evaluate the risks of the transgenic crop itself.
7EPA "approval" means that EPA grants a tolerance for the viral gene and protein produced in the transgenic crop. The agency does not evaluate the risks of the transgenic crop itself.
8The organism is killed before it is applied in the environment.
Sources: Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety; U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Federal Register notices; communications with company representatives and staff of US Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency; W.D. Gelernter, "Transgenic Pest Control Products: Development and Commercialization Status," Transgenic Plants in Mesoamerican Agriculture, A.J. Hruska and M.L. Pavon, eds., pp. 39-47, Zamorano Academic Press, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 1997.
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