Drought-tolerant biotech wheat gets USDA approval

By Ching Lee

A transgenic wheat variety with increased drought tolerance and resistance to the herbicide glufosinate has been given the green light for cultivation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In its regulatory review of HB4 wheat—developed using genetic engineering by the Argentine biotech firm Bioceres Crop Solutions—the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service last month determined the wheat “is unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk” compared to similar wheat plants. As such, HB4 wheat is not subject to federal regulations for movement of organisms modified or produced through genetic engineering.

Completion of the regulatory review paves the way for U.S. commercialization of HB4 wheat to be grown for food and feed, though other steps are needed before the product can be brought to market, including closed-system field trials.

Peter Laudeman, trade policy director for U.S. Wheat Associates, said the process could take three to five years.

“Certainly, this is the first time we’ve seen this from wheat, so it’s a new experience,” Laudeman said in a broadcast statement for the organization.

The U.S. is the fourth country to approve HB4 wheat for production, following Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

USDA said the product may still be subject to federal plant protection and quarantine permit and/or quarantine requirements. The transgenic wheat may also be subject to other regulatory authorities such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

No genetically engineered wheat is commercially grown in the U.S., though there have been attempts to bring certain transgenic traits to market, including salt tolerance, stem-rust resistance and wheat that would be safe for people with celiac disease, or an intolerance to gluten.

Monsanto was the first in 1997 to begin developing an herbicide-tolerant wheat through genetic engineering. But the company pulled its Roundup Ready wheat from the USDA approval process in 2004 due to consumer fears about transgenic foods and resistance from farmers and wheat exporters.

Claudia Carter, executive director of the California Wheat Commission, said farmers have always embraced new technologies, but she noted wheat has been behind in seed development compared to other commodity crops such as corn and soybeans.

In an overview of the wheat sector last month, the USDA Economic Research Service said genetic improvements in wheat have been slower due to the grain’s more complex genetics and lower potential returns from research investments.

“Farmers grow wheat primarily for human food use, and U.S. food processors are wary of consumers’ reactions to products containing genetically modified wheat,” the report said.

With farmers in California and other states hard hit by drought in recent years, there’s growing interest in crops that could better tolerate dry conditions, with some giving transgenic traits another look.

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, which promotes genetic engineering, says public acceptance of biotech wheat has changed. As far back as 2009, a grower survey by the National Association of Wheat Growers showed 76% of respondents favored commercialization of biotechnology in wheat, the group cited.

While farmers may welcome the improved traits offered by transgenic crops such as HB4 wheat, there’s still the question of global market acceptance. The U.S. remains a top wheat producer, behind China, the European Union, India and Russia.

Carter said it’s too early to know how international customers will take to HB4 wheat, adding cultivation of the transgenic wheat “might be cautiously implemented.”

“Growers won’t produce something they cannot sell,” she said.

(Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)