The United States approved the planting of drought-tolerant Argentine wheat in its fields

The United States today gave its approval to the planting in that country of the drought-tolerant transgenic Argentine wheat developed by the company Bioceres. It is the fourth country to approve the HB4 product for cultivation after Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. According to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Aphis) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), this cereal can be grown “safely” in that nation. The North American agency reviewed whether genetically engineered wheat plants presented greater risks, such as pests, compared to non-modified ones and the conclusion was that it is “unlikely” that this will occur. “From the perspective of the risk of plant pests, this modified plant can be safely grown and reproduced in the United States,” Aphis indicated. Transgenic drought-tolerant wheat originated in research by Dr. Raquel Chan and her team at Conicet together with the Universidad Nacional del Litoral, as well as Bioceres. Strictly speaking, the expert ...