TERMINATOR SEED TECHNOLOGY
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Terminator technology, or genetic use restriction technology, involves modifying plants to produce sterile seeds to prevent farmers from saving and reusing harvested seeds. The potential commercialization of this technology poses significant risks, particularly for small-scale farmers in developing countries who rely on saved seeds, leading to higher seed costs and loss of traditional crop varieties. While it may offer benefits in developed farming systems, its overall impact raises concerns about agricultural sustainability, biodiversity, and farmer rights.
TERMINATOR SEED TECHNOLOGY
- 1. Presented By: Ashish V V Ashny K E Archana T Shaji Om Prakash Parvathy Shankar Rakesh Kumar
- 2. Definition Terminator technology refers to plants that have been genetically modified to rendersterileseeds at harvest – it is also called Genetic Use Restriction Technology or GURTS Terminator technology was developed by the multinational seed/agrochemical industry andthe United Statesgovernmenttoprevent farmers from saving and re-planting harvestedseed. Terminator has notyet been commercialized or field- tested but tests are currently being conducted in greenhouses in the United States.
- 3. Types V- GURT (Varietal GURT) T-GURT (Trait GURT)
- 4. V- GURT (Varietal GURT) This typeof GURT produces sterileseeds meaning that a farmer that had purchased seeds containing V-GURT technology could not save the seed this crop for future planting This would not havean immediate impacton the large number of primarily western farmers who use hybrid seeds, and instead buy specialized hybrid seeds from seed productioncompanies
- 5. V- GURT (Varietal GURT) The technology is restricted at the plantvariety level, hence the termV-GURT Manufacturers of geneticallyenhanced crops would use this technology to protect their products from unauthorised use
- 6. T-GURT (Trait GURT) A second typeof GURT modifies a crop in such a way that the genetic enhancement engineered into the cropdoes not function untill the cropplant is treated with a chemical that is sold by the biotechnology company Farmers can save seeds for use each year. However, theydo notget touse theenhanced trait in thecrop unless they purchase theactivatorcompound The technology is restricted at the trait level, hence the termT-GURT
- 7. Why is Terminator a problem? The top 10 largest seed companies control half the world’s commercial seed market. Across the world, over 1.4 billion people, primarily small-scale farming families in the developing world, depend on farm-saved seed as their primary seed source If Terminator is commercialized, corporations will likely incorporate sterility genes into all their seeds. That’s because genetic seed sterilization would secure a much stronger monopoly than patents — instead of suing farmers for saving seed, companies are trying to make it biologically impossible for farmers to re-use harvested seed
- 8. Impact of Terminator seeds on farmers? Terminator would results in higher seed prices at a timewhen farmers areexperiencing theworst income crisis in the history of modernagriculture. Terminator is a majorviolationof the rights of farmers to save and reuse their own seeds. Through pollen movement in the first generation, Terminator genes could contaminate farmers’ crops - farmers mightthen unknowingly save and reuse seeds that are contaminated and will notgerminate
- 9. Impact of terminator technology on agro-biodiversity The world’sagro-biodiversitydepends heavilyon seed saving, selecting and re-planting. This practice has resulted in crop varieties that are adapted to the local environment, soil and localpests. This technique has also resulted in creating new crop varieties that fetch more money in themarket For example, Basmati rice of India andPakistan. Introducing “terminator seeds” will replace theage-old practice of seed saving and can lead to the loss of traditional seed varieties
- 10. Socio-economic impact of terminator technology Terminator technology can be good for the intensive farming operations in thedeveloped world. These farms produce high-value produce and rarely save seeds for replanting making it less vulnerable to terminator technology. But, medium, low and subsistence farming practices dominate theagricultural systems of thedeveloping world. These farming practices rely heavilyon saved seeds and use it for replanting. If “terminator seeds” are introduced in thesesystems itwill replace theexisting seeds and force the farmers to buy seeds every season, which poor farmers from developing countries cannotafford.
- 11. IMPACT OF THE TERMINATOR SEED TECHNOLOGY ON THE FARMING COMMUNITY Itaffects poor farmers that theywould be unable to maintain commercial varieties from their own seed stock and would be forced to return to the seed provider This will translate into non availabilityor lack of seed inputs to thefarmers This will greatlyaffect the level of agricultural production and the farmer’sincome
- 12. Impact of terminator technology on environment Some researches suggests thatweeds and bugs could possiblyevolve intoresistantorganisms. pollen escaping from the terminatorcrop is sterileand cannotspread toweedsorothercrops. Gene movement from crop to weed through pollen transfer has been demonstrated for GM crops when thecrop is grown nearacloselyrelated weed species. When a weed is fertilized, for example, with the terminatorpollen, the newgeneration of seeds will bear plants, with fertilepollen.
- 13. Terminator technology consists of three genes GENE I Gene I is a repressor gene that produces a repressor protein that interacts with a binding site near Gene II. GENE II Gene II is a recombinasegene that is controlled bya promoter. Between the gene and the promoter is a binding site for the repressor from Gene I. The recombinase gene produces a recombinase protein that isan enzymeand snipsout pieces of DNA.
- 14. Contd. .GENE III Gene III producesa toxin that is lethal toembryos. The gene is controlled by a late promoter, which is active only during the late stage of seed development when the embryo is developing. Between the late promoter and the toxin gene is a piece of DNA called a blocker, which interferes with the ability of the promoter to turn on the toxingene.
- 15. How the Terminator terminates ? The terminator technology consists of threegenes with theiron/off switches : Gene I: Repressor Gene II: Recombinase Gene III:Toxin A gene fora toxin lethal toembryos (Toxin Gene) iscontrolled bya late promoter (LP), that is active only during the late stage of seed development when the embryo isdeveloping.
- 16. The case of “Terminator” technology
- 17. (GURT): Potential economic benefits, costs and risks Benefits Costs Risks Farmers increased productivity from improved inputs due to increased research and development (R&D) investment Increased input costs from seed purchase Misuse of monopoly powers by breeders Breeders (especially private sector) Increased appropriation of research benefits from new products Increased cost for access to gene pools of other breeders Governments Reduced investment requirements in breeding Complementary R&D investment requirements Society Increased agricultural productivity Reduced genetic diversity in fields
- 18. Possible Advantages of Terminator technology Terminator technology can also be used to limit the spread of genes from GMOs to other plants in the natural environment. This will ensure thatgenes from the GMOs will not get mixed with the plants in the wild. Intellectual property protection of Biotechfirms. Reduce the propagation of volunteerplants. Prohibit non V-GURT grain sprouting,which lowers the quality ofgrain. Prevent escape of transgenes into wildrelatives and prevent any impact onbiodiversity.
- 19. Disadvantages of Terminator technology Engineered systems is an inability of the engineered organisms to fully express a specific trait (encoded by genes). All the terminator seeds should receive a given amountof inducing agent toactivate the terminatorgenes. Insufficient inducing agent may not trigger the genes, thereby resulting in seeds that germinate in subsequent generation. Environmentalists are concerned about the possibility of gene transfer between genetically engineered plants and traditional, non-targeted plants The production of sterile seeds by these plants would render the seedsuseless.
- 20. Conclusion Terminator technology may have both positive and negative impacts on the world’s agricultural system. In developed countries like Canada, terminator technology will not have much impact on farmers and the way they farm. But in developing and low-income countries like India, terminator technology might be harmful to the farmers, thus further research and developement in this area is necessary before applying it to the agricultural sector.