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Ag-Biotech World Forum '99 Chapter This chapter was published as part of the proceedings of the Ag-Biotech World Forum held in Las Vegas, Nevada (June 9-11, 1999). This document contains technical information and jargon which lay readers may find difficult to understand. Please note also that our product names are slightly different in this chapter: NAI 4-641, NAI 4-326 and NAI 6-168 are used in place of BIOFUME™, BIOFOL™ and BIOBUG™, respectively. Disclaimer Genetically engineered crops are discussed briefly in our chapter, and Naturale-Agro, Inc. would like to emphasize that it does not endorse the production of many of the genetically engineered crops currently under development. We feel that the production of crops containing single gene disease resistance genes, Bt toxin genes, or herbicide resistance genes is a misuse of genetic engineering technology- a risky, high-tech way to accomplish something which could be accomplished with greater long-term effectiveness, and lower economic and environmental costs, via alternate methods. Pathogens and insects have demonstrated that they can quickly evolve resistance to single disease resistance genes and constitutively expressed BT toxin expressed in plants. Herbicide-resistant crops encourage the over and misuse of herbicides, while the weeds the herbicide is intended to combat could become herbicide resistant, thanks to the dissemination of genes via pollen. The powerful tool of genetic engineering is more appropriately used to accomplish feats which would otherwise be impossible- the production of medicines such as human insulin or hormones in plant tissues, for example, which can be grown and harvested more easily or humanely than the animals or other organisms currently used to produce them. Copyright Notice This is a copyrighted document provided for educational purposes only, and we would prefer that our readers not create or disseminate copies for any other purpose without our written permission. This chapter is published in Global AG BioTech Progress, a compedium of papers from IBC USA's AgBiotech World Forum (June 9-11, Las Vegas, NV). Global AG BioTech Progress may be purchased from Drug & Market Development Publications, 225 Turnpike Road, Southborough MA 01772, www.drugandmarket.com.
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