World Grain - December 2024 - 38

GM wheat
INCHES FORWARD IN US
Stakeholders mull prospects of Bioceres' HB4 drought-tolerant trait
by Russ Redman
Cultivation of
HB4 wheat has
been approved
in Argentina,
Brazil, Paraguay
and recently the
United States.
D
espite the promise brought by US Department
of Agriculture (USDA) approval of Bioceres
Crop Solutions' HB4 drought-resistant wheat
technology, industry stakeholders remain in a waitand-see
mode on the platform's potential to yield the
US market's first genetically modified wheat product.
Expectations are positive but tempered, not just by
the time required to develop, field-test and commercialize
HB4 wheat but also possible resistance to a bioengineered
core food product by a range of players, from
growers, millers and food manufacturers to global and
domestic trading partners, regulators and consumers.
" US Wheat has been and continues to be supportive
of developing innovative technologies, including GMO
wheat, that are helpful to producers and bring benefits
throughout the supply chain, " said Peter Laudeman,
director of trade policy
at US Wheat Associates
(USW). " For HB4 specifically, one thing we've been
trying to make sure folks understand is that the regulatory
approval is a big step, but that's a distinct step
from commercialization.
" Bioceres has been clear that they're intending to
move forward with the commercial track, but that's
still probably a minimum of three to five years down
the road. And we're supportive of that. We look forward
to continuing to engage with the company. But
in terms of timeframes, this isn't going to be growing
in a wheat field near you tomorrow. There's just a little
bit of time and process that needs to take place to get to
that commercial step. "
According to Rosario, Argentina-based Bioceres,
the HB4 technology - using a modified sunflower
gene to enhance drought tolerance - has been shown
38
to raise wheat yields by an average of 20% in waterlimited
conditions. That adaptation also favors doublecropping
systems, where water management is pivotal.
In addition, Bioceres said, HB4 data have shown no
drag on wheat yield in high-yield conditions, meaning
a crop with that trait would be productive in areas with
occasional drought as well.
The technology also has exhibited environmental
benefits. Bioceres said that, under no-till practices, HB4
soy-wheat rotations result in an estimated 1,650 kgs of
carbon fixed into the soil per hectare per year, versus
positive emissions from conventional soy monoculture.
" With the deregulation of HB4 (wheat) for consumption
here in the US, the National Association of Wheat
Growers and US Wheat Associates both put out statements
praising this decision to move forward and really
hoping that this opens the gates for the wheat industry
to continue to look at management practices so that we
can continue to be competitive, " said Chandler Goule,
chief executive officer of the National Association of
Wheat Growers (NAWG).
" When you look at the wheat industry, the last 20
years we have continued to lose acreage every year, " he
said. " A lot of that has to do with the margins that wheat
has. But the other part is that corn and soy have been
able to take advantage of gene technology, and they've
been doing it since the '80s. Twenty-five years ago,
we did not have 72-day corn growing on the Canadian
border, and now we do. So, as we continue to move
forward, the wheat industry being able to embrace and
use some of this innovation and technology that other
commodities have had at their fingertips for decades is
critical so that we can continue to be competitive. "
December 2024 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
Photo courtesy of Bioceres
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - December 2024

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