British research institute submits proposal for GM wheat field trial

Rothamsted Research announced Friday it had submitted an application to British regulators for a permission to carry out field trials of GM (genetically modified) wheat plants, which have the potential to produce higher yields.

The GM field trials are planned to be carried out on the Rothamsted Farm in 2017 and 2018, if a permission is granted by Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), according to the Rothamsted Research, a British agricultural research institute.

Being one of the major grain crops worldwide, wheat provides about one-fifth of the total calories consumed globally.

Teaming up with researchers at the University of Essex and Lancaster University, scientists at Rothamsted Research have developed wheat plants that can carry out photosynthesis -- converting light energy into plant biomass -- more efficiently, which might lead to higher yields, according to Rothamsted Research.

The purpose of the proposed trial is to evaluate the performance of the engineered plants in the field, the institute said.

Britain tightly regulates GM crops, and the authorities have so far only green-lighted one field trial project of GM crops.

"If we are granted permission to perform a controlled experiment in our already established facilities here at Rothamsted Research, it will be a significant step forward," said Malcolm Hawkesford, lead scientist at Rothamsted for this trial.

"We will be able to assess in 'real environmental conditions' the potential of these plants to ultimately produce more, using the same resources and land area as their non-GM counterparts," said Hawkesford. Endit