Originally published February 26 2006
New strategy could provide a safe method for enhancing crops
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Scientists believe that tilling, which stands for "targeting induced local lesions in genomes," could prove an effective and safe way to maximize the nutritional value of crops.
Genetically modified crops have received an official thumbs-down internationally, promises of feeding the world notwithstanding.
But a new technology could get the same results without actual genetic modification.
It's called Tilling, or targeting induced local lesions in genomes, and it uses reverse genetics to pinpoint mutations that might enhance nutritional value or eliminate allergens.
The technology thus far has not raised the hackles of environmental groups the way genetic modification has.
The controversy surrounding biotech foods often focuses on transgenics, the controversial technique that involves inserting genes from one species into another.
"The issue with transgenics is the capacity to bring in new genes that haven't been in that genome before," says Jane Rissler, a senior scientist at the Washington, D.C., Union of Concerned Scientists.
Tilling, on the other hand, avoids these concerns because it relies solely on genes already in the plant.
Scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Crop Production and Pest Control research unit on the campus of Purdue University, have launched a Tilling project with the goal of making hypoallergenic soybeans.
"It may be possible to identify mutants in the Tilling population that do not produce specific allergens," said Niels Nielsen, a geneticist working on the soybean project.
They estimate that trans-fat-free nonhydrogenated soybean oil will be available in one year, while soybean oil that will rival olive oil for its monounsaturated fats is three years away.
Steven Henikoff and his colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle first developed Tilling, a process that begins with soaking seeds in chemicals to induce mutations.
Researchers then plant the seeds, and analyze genes from the mutated plant.
They collect and store DNA samples containing mutations on a given gene.
Tilling can be used in a variety of plants.
Researchers at Arcadia Biosciences in Davis, California, recently showed it could help develop an improved line of bread wheat.
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