In Australia, the Victorian Department of Primary Industries has obtained
approval for further limited and controlled field trials with
drought-resistant genetically modified wheat.
Farmers in drought-plagued Australia have set their hopes on the development
of new wheat lines that one day might deliver high yields under field
conditions that are rain-fed and drought-prone. According to Joe Helper,
Victorian Minister for Agriculture, some types of genetically modified wheat
grown last year at Government sites produced up to 20 per cent higher yields
than do conventional crops under similar circumstances. This year, his
Department obtained approval for the trials of approximately 50 GM wheat
lines under limited and controlled conditions. The releases will take place
between now and March 2010 and will cover a maximum area of 0.4 hectares per
growing season.

The purpose of the release is proof-of-concept experiments that evaluate the
agronomic performance of the new wheat lines. These lines have been modified
to contain one of fifteen genes originally isolated from maize (Zea mays),
thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), the moss Physcomitrella patens and the
yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae. The introduced genes encode proteins that are
intended to improve the tolerance to drought. All wheat lines in question
contain an antibiotic resistance gene (bla) and a herbicide tolerance gene
(bar), which were used as selectable markers during initial plant
development in the laboratory.

The decision to issue the trial licence is the responsibility of the Office
of the Gene Technology Regulator's (OGTR). A Risk Assessment and Risk
Management Plan (RARMP) forms part of this decision and concluded that the
release poses negligible risks to people and the environment. Nevertheless,
in order to restrict the dissemination or persistence of the modified
plants, the approval is subject to strict safety conditions. Applicable
measures include the establishment of a 10 m monitoring zone free of plants
around each release site, as well as of an additional isolation zone that is
free of Triticaceae species for at least 490 m in breadth. Release sites
also will be surrounded with a wire fence that prohibits entry to animals
such as rabbits and all plant material will be harvested by hand to minimise
GM seed spillage. The GM wheat will not be permitted for use as human food
or as animal feed and must be destroyed after analysis, with the exception
of seeds that are kept for further research. Also, trial sites must be
monitored for 24 months after harvesting.

The OGTR previously has issued licences to Victoria for the conduct of field
trials of GM drought-tolerant wheat that involved six of the fifteen genes
in the current application. In the past, the Regulator also has issued
field-trial approvals for salt-tolerant GM wheat and for GM wheat with an
altered starch content. According to the Regulator's Office, there have been
no reports of adverse effects on human health or the environment resulting
from any of these releases.
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