USA
April 22, 2015

In the next three weeks, the committee will conclude its information-gathering meetings. Don't miss the final webinars for the GE Crops Study! Click on the links below to register for webianrs on the following topics:

• Donor Organizations and GE Agriculture: Thursday, April 30 at 11am-1pm Eastern
• Intellectual Property Issues: Wednesday, May 6 at 3:30pm-5:30pm Eastern
• RNAi Technology: Thursday, May 7 at 11am-1pm Eastern
• Socioeconomic Issues in Developing Countries: Wednesday, May 13 at 10am-12pm Eastern

Remember, you can submit pertinent information to the committee at any time here or by submitting information to GECrops@nas.edu.

Recording Available of Webinar on Genetically Engineered Quality Traits

On April 21, the National Research Council committee for the study, "Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects," held a webinar on genetically engineered quality traits. The webinar featured guest speakers:

• Neal Carter, President, Okanagan Specialty Fruits
• Mark McCaslin, Vice President-Research, Forage Genetics International
• Craig Richael, Director of Research and Development, Simplot Plant Sciences

View Speaker Bios

The speakers discussed agricultural products that have been engineered to express enhanced quality traits. These products include apples that have been engineered to not brown when sliced, bitten, or bruised; alfalfa that has been engineered to contain less lignin, which extends the harvest window; and potatoes that have been engineered to be less prone to bruising and to contain less asparagine, which reduces the potential for acrylamide to form when they are cooked at high temperatures.

The webinar is an information-gathering meeting for the committee in which the speakers are invited to provide input to the committee.

Website: http://www.nasonline.org/

Published: April 22, 2015