GM wheat trial approved

Regulators have approved Australia's first field trial of wheat genetically modified for drought tolerance.

The trial will take place at two sites in Horsham and Mildura, both drought-prone areas, on small plots over one growing season.

It is being conducted by Professor German Spangenberg's research team at Victoria's Department of Primary Industries with funding from the Molecular Plant Breeding Cooperative Research Centre (MPBCRC).

Spangenberg said the purpose of the trial was to conduct proof of concept research to evaluate the agronomic performance, including yield, of the GM wheat lines under rain-fed, drought-prone conditions.

Seed will also be collected and retained for seed increase or further experimentation, subject to additional approvals.

Up to 30 GM wheat lines will be trialled. Each wheat line contains one of six different genes for drought tolerance derived from maize (Zea mays) and thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), a moss (Physcomitrella patens) and a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

"The introduced genes encode proteins that are intended to improve drought tolerance by regulating gene expression or modulating biochemical and signal transduction pathways in the wheat plants," Spangenberg said.

The GM wheat will be compared with non-GM wheat for the ability to secure greater yield under moderate to severe drought conditions.

The application has been reviewed by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR), and any potential hazards to human health or the environment have been assessed.