Program Area 5.
Biotechnology
Project:
Assessing the Effects of Bt Crops and Insecticides
On Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and
Plant Residue Carbon Turnover and Fate in Soil
Principal Investigator(s):
- Medha Devare - Cornell University
mhd6@cornell.edu
- Janice Thies - Cornell University
jet25@cornell.edu
John Duxbury - Cornell University
jmd17@cornell.edu
The enormous progress made in developing and disseminating
insect-resistant Bt crop varieties is exciting from the perspective
of increasing productivity and decreasing environmental and human
health hazards posed by the insecticides normally used to contain
pest damage. However, concerns regarding the use of this technology
have been expressed, among the foremost of which is its potential
impact on non-target organisms. To date, there have been few assessments
to determine if this technology poses any risks to the biomass and
diversity of microorganisms in the soil. Further, it is not clearly
understood whether potential variations in the dynamics of carbon
allocation and in field rates of residue decomposition between transgenic
and non-transgenic plants have implications for carbon sequestration in soil.
We propose to determine the effect of Bt corn, cotton, and rice
on soil organisms--with an emphasis on symbiotic associations between
plant roots and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi known as vesicular
arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) and on soil arthropods important in primary
decomposition of crop residue. We will also compare the rates of decomposition
and fate of Bt vs. non-Bt residue and evaluate the potential for
increasing carbon sequestration in soil using Bt crops. The crops
have been chosen so that we can evaluate effects on soil organisms
under both aerobic and anaerobic circumstances: Bt corn and cotton
are grown in aerobic soil while Bt rice is grown in primarily anaerobic
soil conditions. Through this work, we hope to provide regulatory
agencies with a more complete picture of the ways in which diversely
grown Bt crops affect soil ecology in comparison with commonly used
insecticides.
Annual Report:
biotech_cornell_2006-2007 **new (242 Kilobytes)
Project:
Genetic Characterization of Adaptive Root Traits
In the Common Bean
Principal Investigator(s):
- C. Eduardo Vallejos - University of Florida
vallejos@ufl.edu
- James Jones - University of Florida
jimj@ufl.edu
The work we are proposing is in line with the USAID strategic objectives
aimed at developing products that overcome soil-management constraints in different
agricultural settings. Identification and molecular tagging of genes that control
root growth and morphology will facilitate the development of cultivars suitable
for specific soil conditions. For instance breeding cultivars that have a strong
basal root system in the top soil capable of efficiently extracting phosphorus.
This project will combine two technologies not commonly used in the study of roots:
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis with molecular
markets.
Annual Report:
biotech_florida_2006-2007 **new (2,105 Kilobytes)
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