World Grain - April 2023 - 21

years, most of the world's corn and soybean crops have
been genetically modified. Those crops primarily are
fed to livestock whereas US wheat primarily is used
for human consumption in bread, pasta and other processed
products. Genetically engineered seeds for major
field crops were introduced commercially in 1996.
By 2022, more than 90% of US corn, upland cotton and
soybeans were produced using genetically engineered
varieties, the USDA said.
Of the many GE traits that have been developed
- including virus and fungus resistance, drought resistance
and enhanced protein, oil or vitamin content
- by far the most commonly used traits in US production
of GE crops are herbicide tolerance and insect
resistance. Crop products sold as herbicide-tolerant are
designed to pay no heed to potent herbicides such as
glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba, giving farmers
several choices for effective weed control.
USDA survey data indicate 17% of domestic soybean
acres were planted with herbicide-tolerant seeds in 1997,
rising to 68% by 2001, plateauing at 94% in 2014 and
edging up to 95% in 2022. By comparison, herbicidetolerant
corn seed adoption initially was slower before
expanding considerably in 2000 and eventually accounting
for 90% of domestic corn acres in 2022. Genes from
the soil bacterium Bt produce insecticidal proteins
used in insect-resistant crops. Since the trait debuted in
1996, Bt corn acreage rose to 8% in 1997, 19% by 2000
and hit 84% by 2022, according to USDA survey data.
The herbicide tolerance trait has been tested with
Roundup-ready wheat. Insect resistance also could
boost yields and production, trimming away at least
one of the farmer's woes. That
much was evident to
any
witnesses
to the hordes of grasshoppers
munching on tillers during the
2022 Hard Spring Wheat Tour of
North Dakota. And yet GM wheat
has met with resistance from some
importing countries and therefore
grain companies and exporters.
A wide range of not-for-profit
nongovernmental
organizations,
many based in Europe, including
Greenpeace International and
Friends of the Earth International,
have mounted campaigns against
GM wheat. Bioengineered wheat
seeds were field tested in the United
States beginning in 1994. By 2004,
Monsanto, citing consumer fears
stoked by activist
groups, that
flour ground from bioengineered
wheat might not be safe, prevented
World-Grain.com / World Grain / April 2023
21
the marketing of such products in the United States
or abroad.
" It's disappointing to a lot of millers that wheat came
late to the GM party and found the door locked, " said
Richard C. Siemer, president, Siemer Milling Co.,
Teutopolis, Illinois, US. " While everyone else was having
a good time inside, wheat just sort of stands there. I guess
we have the advantage somewhat because on the other
hand we can tell everybody there is no GM wheat in the
flour. As a miller who is hoping for a lot of real tangible
improvement, I'm pleased with improvements we've
seen already, such as the wheat and barley scab initiative. "
Desired wheat traits
While insect and herbicide resistance could be desirable
traits for GM wheat, the current focus is on
drought tolerance in the wake of several crop years
where a lack of precipitation ate into yields and pushed
average protein content levels higher than most millers
prefer for their grinds.
Droughts can last for multiple years or even decades,
meteorologists say. Most last a few months or a few years
as El Niño and La Niña climate patterns shift irregularly
every two to seven years. El Niño features warmer-thanusual
surface water in the tropical Pacific Ocean near
Mexico and South America, which can fuel more rain in
the southern United States. La Niña, when the Pacific's
waters are cooler than normal, tends to push rain and
cooler temperatures to the northern United States, creating
hotter, drier weather in the South.
In the years since the previous push for GM wheat,
droughts have adversely affected parts of US wheat
GM wheat
has been met
with resistance
from some
importing
countries.
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World Grain - April 2023

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