Monsanto is thrilled with the results of genetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready (RR) canola varieties at a trial at Wallendbeen, NSW, roughly halfway between Wagga Wagga and Cowra.
One of the major grower issues with GM canola commercially available in Australia thus far has been that the varieties are older and are not as good agronomically as new conventional lines.
However, the results of the trial showed that the RR varieties outyielded both of the major strains of conventional weed-managed focused canola varieties, the traditionally lower yielding triazine tolerant (TT) lines, along with Clearfield cultivars, designed to be tolerant to the imidazolinone herbicide, On Duty.
The Wallendbeen trials featured the leading RR lines, TTs and Clearfield varieties, and consolidated results from last year that showed RR beat TT lines comfortably in terms of yields.
“Our trials with Roundup Ready canola have shown an 11 percent yield increase above the triazine tolerant varieties, which is consistent with our previous findings and with growers’ experience,” said James Neilsen, Monsanto canola technical specialist.
However, anti-GM lobby group Gene Ethics has warned Australian growers to consider the costs involved when weighing up whether to plant GM varieties.
Gene Ethics director Bob Phelps pointed to research coming out of North America from the US Organic Center showing that there were ‘sharply escalating’ prices for GM seed.
He pointed the finger at biotech patents as the reason for the price hike and said farmers needed to be wary.
"Australian farmers who adopt GM canola will also be trapped by spiralling input costs and royalty payments,” he said.
“We have already seen this here with cotton, with the cost of GM cottonseed almost doubling over the past five years, from $155 a hectare for Ingard to $315 a hectare for Bollgard cottonseed.”
He also said the trial data was debatable.
"To be reliable and independent, the trials would need to have been conducted under a variety of different climatic and soil conditions around Australia by independent scientists," he said.
“They would also have compared the GM canola with the best conventional varieties, as well as the TTs and Clearfield varieties, but they did not.
"Comparing GM with TT and Clearfield herbicide tolerant varieties alone is meaningless and unfair as those other varieties have always suffered large yield penalties.
"The independent National Variety Trials were conducted at multiple sites across Australia and showed the best conventional canola varieties out-yielded all others, including GM.
"Monsanto's claims of higher yields with GM are also constantly refuted by robust reports from around the world.
“The 'Failure to Yield' report by the Union of Concerned Scientists analysed 13 years of official US Department of Agriculture data and found that GM soy, corn, cotton and canola all suffered from yield drag and lagged way behind the best conventionally bred varieties.”
However, Dr Neilsen empathised the strong agronomic benefits the RR varieties have.
“It proves you don’t need to sacrifice yields for weed control,” he said.
He also claimed the trial results highlighted the benefits of the RR system, as it provided an alternative to other herbicide control systems, with Clearfield yields impacted by heavy weed pressures from Group B herbicide resistant weeds.
“This is another tool in the grower’s toolbox and offers real choice to growers. Roundup Ready is a more flexible and environmentally friendly herbicide control system and, as it is a non-residual herbicide, you could say it’s a cleaner and greener canola,” said Dr Neilsen.
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