DPI Victoria's application for the release of drought-resistant wheat is under review Photo: Altan Ramadan

The Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI Victoria) has filed an application for the intentional release of genetically modified wheat designed to withstand drought.

The application is currently under review by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR).  DPI Victoria proposes the development of up to 50 lines of wheat over 0.225 ha at sites in Horsham (0.15 ha) and Mildura (0.075 ha) in Victoria, for two growing seasons from May 2008 to March 2010.

Genes for drought tolerance were derived from the plants maize and thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), as well as the moss Physcomitrella patens and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Scientists modified the plants by placing one of the 15 genes encoding proteins expected to enhance drought tolerance in each line, regulating gene expression or modulating biochemical and signal transduction pathways in the plants. The expression of six of the genes is regulated by either a stress inducible promoter or a constitute promoter, whilst the expression of the other nine genes is regulated by a constitutive promoter only.

Genes were introduced to the plant via particle bombardment, and transformed plants were identified using the expression of the marker genes and grown into plants in the laboratory. Molecular analysis was then used to confirm the presence of the genes.

DPI Victoria outlines a number of controls for the study, including a 10 m monitoring zone free of plants around each release site, a 1.2 m high wire fence with lockable fence suitable for excluding animals, harvesting all plant material by hand, post harvest monitoring of the trial sites for 24 months and not using the GMO in human or animal feed.

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Some details of the six introduced genes, including their names and classes, as well as the names and origins of the promoters, have been previously declared Confidential Commercial Information (CCI). The application requests the other nine introduced genes be similarly protected, which is currently under consideration.

The OGTR has previously issued licences to DPI Victoria for the conduct of field trials of GM drought- tolerant wheat involving six of the genes in the current application. Five field trials of different types of GM wheat have been approved by the former voluntary system, overseen by the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee (GMAC), as well as licence approvals for Grain Biotech for GM salt- tolerant wheat and CSIRO for GM wheat with altered starch content. There have been no reports of adverse effects on human health or the environment from these trials.

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