Seed Cleaning

There are a number of reasons why it is important to detect the presence of a gene/transgene in a genebank accession. While not an exhaustive list, these include: • regulatory issues, especially related to phytosanitary or biosafety, where the country of import, and potentially the country of ( Seed Processing, Seed Cleaning, Stone separator, Combo Cleaner, Grading Machine, Gravity Separator  )

export, requires reporting on the presence of such genes; • situations in which the presence of such a gene/transgene could affect intellectual property rights either in the country where the genebank is located or in a country where the accession is to be sent; and • social issues necessitating that genetic identity be stated or that certain genes/transgenes should be limited. 

When should one detect the presence of a gene/transgene? It is generally accepted as unwise for crops containing transgenes to be incorporated into germplasm collections. The risk of inadvertent inclusion of transgenes can be classified as follows: • High probability: typically out-crossing crops with sexually compatible relatives on which extensive research in the field or commercial release is ongoing. • Low ( Seed Processing, Seed Cleaning, Stone separator, Combo Cleaner, Grading Machine, Gravity Separator  )

probability: typically crops which are highly self-pollinating, multiplied vegetatively or crops for which genetic engineering has either not been done or is in its very early stages. 83 Manual of Seed Handling • Medium probability: the remainder of crops. • Immediate attention: crops with transgenes that are already commercially distributed. • Near-future attention: experimental field work is ongoing or expected within one to three years. • Long-term attention: crops for which no significant work has been done in the field. Genebanks should take proactive steps to limit the risk of exotic genes, including transgenes, in their ex situ collections. Accessions that do not require testing include: • species where no transgenic events (commercial or research) have occurred; • accessions for which there were no commercial transgenes present at the time of acquisition (such as maize ( Seed Processing, Seed Cleaning, Stone separator, Combo Cleaner, Grading Machine, Gravity Separator  )

prior to 1996) or no transgenics near the collecting site; and • accessions for which there have been transgenic events, but good management practices have been followed in the accession process. In 2004, the Genetic Resources Policy Committee (GRPC) and the Science Council of the CGIAR organized a technical workshop to explore the ways and means to handle unintentional presence of transgenes in germplasm collections, with the goal of providing technical inputs into a process that would enable CGIAR Centre genebanks to draw up procedures aimed at preventing the unintentional introgression of transgenes into the collection. Further to this workshop, a guiding principle was prepared and adopted by the GRPC. For more information on this subject consult the Policies and Ethics section of Bioversity's website (www. ( Seed Processing, Seed Cleaning, Stone separator, Combo Cleaner, Grading Machine, Gravity Separator  )

bioversityinternational.org/About_us/Policies_and_Ethics/index. asp; last visited 20 December 2006). These guiding principles were also considered at the Third Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working group on Plant Genetic resources for Food and Agriculture held at FAO Rome October 26-28 October 2005. Further information about that meeting is available from the Commission web site http://www.fao.org/waicent/FaoInfo/Agricult/AGP/AGPS/ pgr/ITWG3rd/docsp1.htm Procedures to prevent unintentional gene flow from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) Transgenes and conventional genes are subject to the biological processes of mutation, gene flow, introgression, recombination and natural selection. Therefore, best practices for preventing introgression of conventional genes also provide an appropriate basis for preventing ( Seed Processing, Seed Cleaning, Stone separator, Combo Cleaner, Grading Machine, Gravity Separator  )

introgression of transgenes.