Genes from a genetically engineered grass travel much farther than previously measured and can spread biotech traits to related plants at least 13 miles away, according to a study made public this week.
"That is just huge," said Norm Ellstrand, genetics professor at UC Riverside and an expert in biotech gene movement. "How could you possibly contain it?"
The results are fodder for backers of Measure Q, an initiative on November's ballot, that would ban all genetically engineered crops in San Luis Obispo County. They said the study shows that buffer zones and other techniques used to prevent the spread of genetically engineered crops are not as effective as believed.
"It's just an example of the idea that we cannot control these genetically engineered organisms," said Mike Zelina, a Measure Q organizer. "Every time they do one of these studies, they find that they can go farther and farther."
The Farm Bureau and other organizations oppose Measure Q because they say it would deprive them of crops that could reduce the use of pesticides and keep them competitive.
"This case shows that the current process is working the way it should and is stopping harmful products before they go to market," said Jackie Crabb with the county Farm Bureau. "That's what the testing and regulation are all about."
The findings from the Oregon test plot raise questions about the adequacy of controls for some experimental plants and show that biotech grasses might spread fast and far if approved for commercial use. The peer-reviewed study on bentgrass -- used on golf courses -- will be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The issue of biotech gene flow looms especially large in California, home to dozens of biotech field tests every year, nearly 1,000 golf courses and activists trying to keep genetically engineered plants out of several counties.
The study, written by scientists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, concerns creeping bentgrass, a common wind-pollinated grass planted on golf course greens and fairways around the world.
Working together, Monsanto Co. and The Scotts Co. have engineered the grass to withstand the popular weedkiller Roundup, making it possible to chemically kill weeds without harming the grass. The companies say the biotech grass would reduce herbicide use and make for easier weed control.
The companies have applied for permission to sell their novel seed commercially but are headed for a potentially lengthy environmental review, partly because of the EPA findings.
The non-biotech variety of creeping bentgrass can form hybrids with at least a dozen grasses in the United States. It pops up everywhere from ditches to marshes, raising the stakes for control and generating concern about the spread of herbicide-tolerant strains.
"This is ... a pretty clear cautionary tale," said Joseph Mendelson, legal director at the International Center for Technology Assessment, a public interest group in Washington. "Thinking we can contain (biotech plants) is increasingly being proven to be false."
In their request for federal marketing approval, Scotts and Monsanto said that escaped Roundup-resistant grasses would be easily controlled by other herbicides and are not expected to have major environmental consequences.
Scotts officials said Monday that golf courses mow their lawns so frequently that the grass would not be expected to go to seed. The company said it won't sell to homeowners.
Despite such controls, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently ordered an environmental impact study on biotech bentgrass before the agency decides its fate. It was the first time the USDA has demanded such a review for a biotech crop. The agency also may increase the isolation area around biotech bentgrass tests next year, based on the EPA findings.
At Scotts headquarters in Marysville, Ohio, officials said because of the environmental review they won't predict when they might be able to sell the grass.
"We want to make sure . . . that we can introduce this product with confidence that it is not going to be a risk to the environment," said Michael P. Kelty, executive vice president at Scotts.
Federal records show nearly 20 tests of biotech bentgrass -- the vast majority smaller than 1 acre -- were approved nationwide this year, including at least four in California.
The USDA approved plantings of the herbicide-resistant grass on up to 600 acres in Oregon and Idaho for this year. However, Scotts said actual plantings are confidential.San Luis Obispo Tribune
