80 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2017 STATUS AUSTRALIA Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have developed a banana rich in pro-vitamin A, part of a humanitarian project backed by nearly $10 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The decade-long research, led by James Dale, QUT distin- guished professor, ultimately aims to improve the nutritional content of bananas in Uganda, where the fruit is the major staple food in their diet. The research, published in Plant Biotechnology Journal, involved extensive labora- tory tests as well as field trials in north Queensland. Dale shares that the genetic modi- fication process had resulted in the identification and selec- tion of banana genes that could be used to enhance pro-vitamin A in banana fruit. “The East African Highland cooking banana is an excel- lent source of starch,” Dale says. “It is harvested green then chopped and steamed. But it has low levels of micro- nutrients particularly pro- vitamin A and iron.” Dale and his team have essentially taken a gene from a banana that originated in Papua New Guinea that’s nat- urally very high in pro-vitamin A but has small bunches and inserted it into a Cavendish banana. “Over the years, we’ve been able to develop a banana that world STATUS A look at seed industry developments around the globe. Plant breeders through breeding; seedsmen through business deals; and educators, policymakers and development leaders through conferences seek to advance their country’s supply of food and crop production. has achieved excellent pro- vitamin A levels, hence the golden-orange rather than cream-colored flesh,” Dale says. “Achieving these scien- tific results along with their publication is a major mile- stone in our quest to deliver a more nutritional diet to some of the poorest subsistence communities in Africa. “Our science works, and it’s a technology that was devel- oped here at QUT. We tried and tested hundreds of dif- ferent genetic variations here in our lab and in field trials in Queensland until we got the best results. “These elite genes have been sent to Uganda in test tubes where they have been inserted into Ugandan bananas for field trials there.” As a result, it’s expected that Ugandan farmers will be growing pro-vitamin A rich bananas in 2021. STATUS EGYPT A one-day workshop on biosafety was held at the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) under the leader- ship of professor Abdel Monem ElBanna, the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and professor Mahmoud Sakr, president of ASRT. In a speech Hamdi Abdel Aziz, vice president of the National Strategy for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Executive Committee, emphasized the importance of genetic engineering, stressing that it should be a priority. “Research and development also require government sup- port to scientific research in Egypt in order to access alter- native or innovative products to solve the problems of agri- culture,” he said, assuring attendees that Egypt has developed a scientific base that is fully qualified to deal with these products. “Scientific research should not be carried out of fear, rather, it is necessary to have legal systems governing the circulation of these products,” he said. “There is consensus in international forums that the products of genetic engi- neering are completely safe.” He concluded that safety is ensured by providing clear information in a transparent manner about these products. A presentation was given by Professor Naglaa Abdallah, director of EBIC on the global status of biotech/GM crops and the new breeding tech- niques for crop improvement. She gave a comprehensive talk about CRISPR-Cas9 as a new, cost-effective, quick and safe technique, which could be used with all living organisms. The meeting was attended by 50 top scientists and stakeholders who are con- nected with the biosafety law in Egypt. The biosafety law is expected for release by the end of this year.