Translating nematode resistant banana lines from successful field trials to uptake in Uganda

缩小主要作物的产量差距是确保未来世界粮食安全的一个优先事项。这就需要强调在乌干达烹饪香蕉，那里的香蕉产量占世界产量的30%。这种主要作物的人均消费量是全球最高的。超过80%的农村人口种植这种作物，其中99%以上用于国内消费。据估计，乌干达25%的人口营养不良，严重的全球饥饿指数为26。乌干达人口增长如此迅速，需要在25年内将粮食产量增加一倍以上才能降低饥饿指数。据几位研究人员报道，在乌干达，植物寄生线虫造成的烹饪香蕉损失在每个作物周期超过50%。目前缺乏控制选择。杀线虫剂不适合小规模农民，而且乌干达也没有。轮作控制不适合多年生作物。缺乏有效的抗性基因和不育限制了常规育种的进展，但不育也阻止了基因流动，强烈支持转基因方法。我们已经证明，半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂控制植物寄生线虫破坏他们的消化。第二种新的防御是基于一种肽，它可以破坏植物寄生线虫对宿主根的定位和入侵。我们的发现已经被其他研究人员证实适用于各种作物。在田间的功效已被证明，作物对环境没有有害影响，独立的食品安全试验表明，产品是完全安全的。乌干达已通过国家生物技术和生物安全法案本月（0ctober 2107），为大规模的田间试验和转基因作物的商业化释放扫清了道路。乌干达总统穆塞韦尼预计将在一个月内签署成为法律。我们提出的项目主要有三个方面：i）为抗线虫转基因烹饪香蕉的大规模生产和销售铺平道路，ii）开发所有相关生物安全信息的档案，iii）为种植者和那些对转基因作物进行实地评估的人制定明确的“最佳实践”指南。我们将在新植物提供给种植者之前确定需求、时间框架和最初的目标市场。这将涉及发展公私伙伴关系，并制定一项战略，提高这种营养作物的植物组织培养能力，以满足日益增长的需求。会议和对话将涉及美国。利兹，一个非洲合作伙伴小组和乌干达的商业香蕉组织培养公司。该国必须建立一个有效的生物安全监管体系，以满足农民的需求，并确保对人类健康和环境的完全安全。我们将通过提交迄今为止为抗线虫香蕉开发的生物安全档案来支持这一平衡进程。委员会的反馈将确定任何额外的需求，包括抗线虫性和其他性状。将建立证据库，以满足国家生物安全委员会的要求。预期在通过独立评价进行抗线虫抗性评价后，已满足食品安全要求的所有数据。将介绍现有的环境数据。检测任何转基因香蕉植物对土壤健康的任何不利环境影响的方法将从英国翻译到乌干达使用，以完成档案。非洲开发银行确定的一个关键需求是非洲小规模农民种植转基因作物时的管理。为此，将在NARO为常规栽培品种编写的手册的基础上，编写一本关于种植转基因香蕉的手册。它将借鉴过去的报告，并为未来的任何其他田间试验评估制定建议指南，以确保在最大限度地减少其他生物或非生物胁迫影响的情况下提供可靠的功效证明

Closing the yield gap of staple crops is a priority for ensuring future world food security. This requires emphasis on cooking bananas in Uganda where 30% of world production occurs. Consumption per capita of this staple crop is the highest globally. Over 80% of the rural population grow the crop with over 99% of it being consumed domestically. An estimated 25% of the Ugandan population is undernourished with a severe global hunger index of 26. The Ugandan population is increasing so rapidly that more than doubling of food production over 25 years is needed to reduce the hunger index.Cooking banana losses caused by plant parasitic nematodes of greater than 50% per crop cycle have been reported in Uganda by several researchers. There is a lack of current control options. Nematicides are unsuitable for small-scale farmers and are anyway not available in Uganda. Rotational control is inappropriate for a perennial crop. A lack of effective resistance genes and sterility limit progress by conventional breeding, but sterility also prevents gene flow, strongly favouring a transgenic approach.We have proven that cystatins control plant parasitic nematodes by disrupting their digestion. A second, novel defence is based on a peptide that disrupts location and invasion of host roots by plant parasitic nematodes. Our discoveries have been confirmed for a wide range of crops by other researchers. Efficacy in the field has been proven and the crops have no detrimental impact on the environment and independent food safety trials have shown the products to be completely safe.Uganda has passed the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill this month (0ctober 2107) that clears the way for large-scale field tests and commercial release of genetically modified crops. Ugandan President Museveni is expected to sign it into law within a month.There are three main aspects to our proposed project: i) preparing the way for large scale production and distribution of nematode resistant transgenic cooking bananas, ii) developing a dossier of all relevant biosafety information, iii) preparing clear "best practice" guidelines for growers and those carrying out field evaluations of transgenic crops. We will define the needs, time frames and the initial markets to target before the new plants become available to growers. This will involve developing public-private partners and laying down a strategy for increasing plant tissue culture capacity for this vegetative crop to match growing demand. Meetings and dialogue will involve U. Leeds, a panel of African partners and the commercial banana tissue culture companies in Uganda. The country must build a functional biosafety regulatory system to meet farmer demand and ensure complete safety to both human health and the environment. We will support that balanced process by presenting a biosafety dossier developed to-date for nematode resistant banana. Feedback from the committee will identify any additional needs, both for nematode resistance and other traits. The evidence base will be developed to meet the requirements of the National Biosafety Committee. The expectation is that all data for food safety requirements have already been met after evaluation of the anti-nematode resistance by independent evaluations. The environmental data already available will be presented. A methodology for detecting any adverse environmental impacts of any transgenic banana plants on soil health will be translated from UK to Ugandan use to complete the dossier. A key need defined by the African Development Bank is management of a transgenic crop when grown by small-scale farmers in Africa. This will be met by developing a booklet for growing transgenic banana, building on that prepared by NARO for conventional cultivars. It will draw on past reports and lay down recommended guidelines for any future, other field trial evaluations to ensure reliable proof of efficacy with minimised impact of other biotic or abiotic stress