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OSU's Jeff Edwards Says We Are At Least a Decade Away from Biotech Wheat Cultivars Available
Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:26:49 CST
This past week, the Oklahoma Wheat Commission went on the record to urge Oklahoma State Univesity to consult with Oklahoma wheat producers before they cut any deals with private companies in regards to wheat breeding efforts by the Wheat Improvement Team at OSU.
In response, OSU State Wheat Specialist Dr. Jeff Edwards has sent this message out to the wheat industry in the state:
There has been a great deal of speculation as to what Monsanto's purchase of WestBred will mean for public wheat breeding programs, including the our program at OSU. An integral part of the OSU Wheat Improvement Team's mission is communication with our clients and supporters throughout Oklahoma, so we wanted to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about how this event might impact OSU's wheat breeding program.
When will we have biotech wheat?
Development of a wheat variety is a long-term effort that takes 10-12 years. Introduction of biotech traits into wheat is no different, and we are likely ten years away from the possibility of seeing viable biotech traits in released cultivars. The excitement of the potential of biotech wheat should be tempered with the realization that there are still several hurdles that will need to be crossed before any biotech wheat varieties come to market. In fact, it is not currently known which biotech traits, if any, that are currently available in other crops will prove viable and valuable in wheat.
Has OSU signed a "deal" with Monsanto? Are you going to?
No agreement or partnership has been executed with Monsanto, or any other private company with commercial interests in wheat variety development. Conceivably, an agreement could be executed under certain conditions. These include, but may not be limited, to the following:
1) Terms of any agreement must be consistent with the principles of collaboration already adopted by cooperative public breeding programs in the hard winter wheat region (including Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota) and under further review by OSU administration and stakeholder groups.
2) Though implicit to condition 1, any partnership with a private entity must ensure the freedom to operate with public breeding programs in the region, just as currently allowed in the environment that engenders public and private wheat variety development.
OSU is working with OWC and OWGA to ensure that Oklahoma wheat's voice is heard as this process continues.
Is OSU going to "sell" our wheat varieties to Monsanto?
Oklahoma State University does not sell its wheat varieties; it does license wheat varieties in ways that ensure long-term sustainability of wheat improvement research now conducted by the Wheat Improvement Team. We want our producers to know that OSU is committed to honoring the investment of its stakeholders, and that OSU is committed to fostering a healthy research environment throughout the hard winter wheat production area, and that OSU will maintain its competitiveness in the national and international wheat research community.
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