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Presented in partnership with Syngenta
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Green genes
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Is the world ready for another genetically modified turfgrass? Better yet, is the U.S. EPA ready for any genetically modified turfgrass?
The turf industry’s first attempt at bringing a genetically modified turfgrass (Roundup-Ready creeping bentgrass) to market has been a long and winding road — with no end in sight — but this has not deterred researchers at North Carolina State University, who have genetically modified tall fescue so that it is resistant to two particularly virulent diseases, gray leaf spot and brown patch.
The team of N.C. State scientists, led by Ron Qu, Ph.D., department of crop science, includes a post-doctoral researcher from Qu’s lab, Shujie Dong, Ph.D., who carried out most of the research; H. David Shew, Ph.D., and Lane Tredway, Ph.D., department of plant pathology; Eric Miller, Ph.D., department of microbiology; and other scientists from Qu’s lab, Jianli Lu, Ph.D., and Elumalai Sivamani, Ph.D.
Qu says the research began six years ago because of the turf industry’s demand for disease-resistant grasses. Tall fescue is an economically important cool-season grass used extensively for golf courses, lawns, landscaping and forage. According to GCSAA’s Golf Course Environmental Profile Survey, approximately 66,500 acres of tall fescue are grown just on U.S. golf courses. One million acres of the species are grown in North Carolina alone.
The organisms that cause gray leaf spot (Magnaporthe grisea = Pyricularia grisea) and brown patch (Rhizoctonia solani) also infect crops and grasses in addition to tall fescue. The gray leaf spot fungus, for example, has been known to wipe out a perennial ryegrass fairway overnight and is the cause of rice blast, a pernicious disease of rice.
The third player in this research is the T4 lysozyme gene, which is found in bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria). This gene produces enzymes that break down the cell walls of bacteria. When the gene is inserted in tall fescue, the grass begins producing enzymes that break down the cell walls of fungi that attack the grass.
The researchers found that six of the 13 genetically modified plants were highly resistant to a mixture of two M. grisea isolates from tall fescue, and three of those six were significantly resistant to an R. solani isolate from tall fescue. This finding could result in genetic engineering for resistance to other fungal diseases in other turfgrasses and in some crops as well.
As research at N.C. State continues with fieldwork and more laboratory work, Qu is hopeful that disease-resistant turfgrasses and crops will meet with EPA approval. “The main purpose … was to use a genetic approach to address the issue (controlling the diseases) and to reduce fungicide use, which is environmentally sound. … I am still optimistic (about obtaining EPA approval) if we have good products that help … and do not harm the environment.”
The study was described in the February 2007 issue of the journal Transgenic Research (http://www.springerlink.com/content/82u1382762466n1v/).
The Florida Turfgrass Association’s Research & Scholarship Committee recently awarded more than $150,000 in funding for turfgrass research and $7,500 for scholarships toward Florida turfgrass students. Along with several allied turf and golf industry groups, the association funded research projects at the University of Florida and Lake City Community College. Scholarships also were granted to the following turfgrass students and researchers: Olga Kostromytska, turfgrass entomology researcher; Troy Abbott, student; Nicholas Greene, turfgrass breeder/researcher; Michael Bolles, student; Kyle McCarty, student; and Knox Mack, student. Nufarm Americas Inc. has announced that its new line of insecticide products, which are based on the active ingredient imidacloprid, has received federal EPA registration. The insecticide is a low-rate neonicotinoid product that provides broad spectrum control of target pests in professional turf applications, the company says. The product will be sold and marketed under the brand name Mallet. Mallet 2F, a liquid formulation similar to Merit, is available in 2.5-gallon and 60-ounce containers. The state regulation process is under way with several states already having granted approval, the company adds. |
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