Brazil approves GM sugarcane for commercial use
Brazil’s Comissão Técnica Nacional de Biossegurança (CTNBio, or National Biosafety Technical Commission) has approved the commercial use of the first genetically modified (GM) Bt sugarcane, CTC 20 BT, developed by the Brazilian company Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC).
Brazil’s Comissão Técnica Nacional de Biossegurança (CTNBio, or National Biosafety Technical Commission) has approved the commercial use of the first genetically modified (GM) Bt sugarcane, CTC 20 BT, developed by the Brazilian company Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC). This is the first genetically-modified sugarcane approved for marketing in the world.
The new variety is resistant to crop damage caused by the main sugarcane pest in Brazil, the sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis). According to a survey carried out by agricultural experts, damage caused by the sugarcane borer results in approximately $1.5 billion per year, due to losses in sugarcane yield and quality, lower grower insecticide use and costs, and impacts on processors of sugar and ethanol. The Bt gene (Bacillus thuringiensis), found in CTC 20 BT, has been used widely in both Brazilian and global agriculture for more than 20 years in biotechnology-derived crops like soybean, maize, and cotton.
Following final approval and registration, CTC will work closely with producers, starting with CTC 20 BT seedling distribution and followed by closely-monitored field planting.