Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Furthermore,.seedless.varieties.used.for.fruit,.raisins,.or.other.processing.contain.
abortive.ovules.without.embryos.
47,48
Potential for Contamination of Commercial Vineyards via Seed
Seeds.could.be.distributed.from.transgenic.vines.into.non-transgenic.vineyards.via.
animals.or.unintentionally.by.workers..However,.as.discussed.above,.the.selfed.seeds.
that.typically.would.result.lack.vigor.and.plants.from.them.do.not.mature.to.lower-
ing..Regardless,.even.if.selfed.or.hybrid.seeds.capable.of.lowering.were.produced,.
the.plants.would.tend.to.be.out.of.place.and.discarded.in.the.normal.practices.of.a.
commercial.vineyard.
Potential for Transgene Movement into Native
Vitis
Populations
There.are.native.species.and.feral.vines.of.
Euvitis
.grape.that.are.cross.fertile.with.
transgenic. varieties.. The. possibility. that. transgenes. may. be. transferred. to. native.
populations.of.
Vitis
.centers.both.on.the.frequency.of.seling.versus.out.crossing.that.
naturally.occurs.and.the.dynamics.of.pollen.low..If.only.selfed.seeds.are.produced,.
inbred. progeny. transferred. from. transgenic. plants. into. the. wild. will. tend. to. lack.
suficient.vigor.to.survive..How.frequently.hybridization.occurs,.how.far.viable.pol-
len.moves,.and.whether.hybrid.progeny.containing.transgenes.for.disease.resistance.
have.a.competitive.advantage.in.the.ecosystem.are.issues.that.should.be.considered..
For.example,.if.out.crossing.occurs.to.produce.hybrid.seed.among.transgenic.vines,.
or.if.transgenes.are.detected.in.seeds.of.outlying.vines,.or.progeny.are.more.vigorous.
in.nature.than.their.parents,.more.stringent.management.schemes.might.be.required.
than.if.transgene.low.is.found.to.be.restricted.or.its.consequences.benign.
m
ItIGatInG
e
nvIronmental
r
ISkS
vIa
c
ISGenIcS
e
nGIneerInG
The.advancements.in.molecular.genetics.and.its.application.now.allow.a.genetic.engi-
neering. approach. that. utilizes. only. grape-derived. genes. (cisgenes). and. genetic. ele-
ments.
23
.Such.a.cisgenic.approach.to.genetic.engineering.solves.issues.related.to.the.
release.of.foreign.genes.into.the.environment.and.should.overcome.reluctance.to.GM.
foods,.which.normally.contain.foreign.genes.and.gene.products.
36
.There.are.a.number.
of. grape-derived. (endogenous). genes. already. available. for. testing.. Furthermore,. the.
common.use.of.grafting.in.viticulture.may.allow.transgenic.rootstocks.to.be.utilized.to.
which.non-transgenic.scions.could.be.grafted.
Endogenous Genes
Certain. concerns. about. implementation. of. GE. technology. might. be. allayed. if.
endogenous. genes. from. the. grape. genome. itself. were. used. for. genetic. improve-
ment.through.overexpression.strategies..Recent.advances.in.plant.molecular.biology.
including. whole. genome. sequencing,. rapid. cloning,. and. eficient. gene. expression.
techniques.have.greatly.facilitated.efforts.to.exploit.plant.genes.associated.with.agro-
nomic.traits.based.on.manipulation.of.native.endogenous.genes.already.existing.in.
a.plant's.genome.
49
.Manipulation.of.endogenous.genes.includes.removal.of.introns.
and.codon.optimization.to.increase.eficiency..Endogenous.genes.may.be.placed.in.
a. construct. with. a. promoter. chosen. to. modify. expression. characteristics. and. then.
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