Faith in a Seed

“Though I do not believe 
that a plant will spring up 
I have great faith in a seed. 
Convince me that you have a seed there, 
and I am prepared to expect wonders.”
–Henry David Thoreau

A GMO Conundrum – Organic Mutagenic/Cell Fusion Hybrid Seeds are Genetically Engineered

By Donald Sutherland
Health Impact News

Autumn, is the end of the growing season and time for farmers to plan for next year’s seed orders. If hybrid seeds are being planted chances are some might be genetically engineered and technically genetically modified organisms (GMOs) according to a growing movement in the organic agricultural field.

High Mowing Organic Seeds, a premier organic seed company based in Wolcott, Vermont bans the sale of hybrid seeds produced by a commonly used industry method called cell fusion to manipulate plant DNA – because the seeds are viewed as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

See: High Mowing Organic Seeds

“We do not support or sell cisgenic (within the same plant family) cms cell fusion seeds as we believe the process is the same as GMO,” says Tom Furber, general manager of High Mowing Organic Seeds.

Other organic seed companies who have similarly adopted a policy of banning cell fusion created F1 hybrid seeds, because company owners view the process as genetic engineering, are challenging the current USDA National Organic Program which permits cisgenic cell fusion hybrid seed in organic production.

“We’ve been committed to non-GMO and organic since our inception and always will be. We need to educate the market regardless of a USDA classification,” said Furber.

The Seed Engineering Debate: Cisgenic vs Transgenic

In organic farming, transgenic (between different biological families) genetic engineering (GE) is banned, but cisgenic (within the same species family) GE used in the cell fusion process is permitted under USDA organic regulations.

By international organic certification standards cell fusion is classified as genetic engineering, but these standards established by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) are being ignored by the United States, Europe and other countries.

In April 2014 the Consumers Organic Association (OCA) representing over 850,000 members including several thousand businesses in the natural foods and organic marketplace, launched a consumer campaign to ban cell fusion mutagenesis in the USDA NOP organic production standards.

See:

Tell the USDA National Organic Program: Mutagenesis Doesn’t Belong in Organic! 

Organic Consumers Association (OCA)

“Like genetic engineering, mutagenesis can cause dramatic shifts in genetically determined traits, producing unknown toxins or allergens. Wheat Belly author Dr. William Davis blames mutagenesis, which is used to produce modern wheat—including organically grown wheat—for increases in wheat allergies and intolerances,” states the Organic Consumers Association.

Cisgenic cell fusion is a biotechnical process of mutagenesis where the nucleus is removed from a plant cell and replaced by a nucleus from a different plant within the same botanical family. Chemicals and radiation are used in the process to created a hybrid plant with mixed genetics containing the mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA from one cell and the nuclear DNA from a different one.

Cell fusion is also called protoplast or somantic fusion and can involve a mutant gene with the purpose of creating cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), which allows classified F1 hybrids to avoid inbreeding. It also prevents the seed from recreating the variety because it results in sterile or no pollen.

While natural CMS plant lines do occur it is rare, so cell fusion is used to transfer a single wild mutant CMS gene on a mass scale from one species to another cisgenically as in a radish to cabbage or sunflower to chicory.

“Cell-fusion is a controversial topic and IFOAM would like to ban it from organics completely, as they consider it a form of GM. But many of us in the organic community know that that would seriously compromise the ability of organic farmers to grow commercial crops of several brassicas,” said John Navazio, Senior Scientist with Organic Seed Alliance and Washington State University Extention Specialist in Organic Seed.

“Several of the large production research seed companies that produce organic seed are not talking when asked which of their hybrids are produced using cell fusion mediated CMS. By the way there is also “naturally occurring CMS” which we have used in hybrid carrots, onions, and beets for many years and SHOULD NOT be included in this debate,” said Navazio.

Open-Pollinated, Hybrid, Heirloom, GMO and GE Seeds – What’s the Difference?

Not all F1 hybrids are developed using CMS GE cell fusion.

In the world of seed breeding there are open-pollinated, hybrid, heirloom, transgenic genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and cisgenic genetically engineered (GE) mutagenic seeds.

Open-Pollinated (OP) varieties, grown in isolation from cross-pollinating with different same species, are designed to produce seed offspring very similar to the original parent population. OP seeds will grow ‘true-to-type’ generation after generation.

Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated produced and handed down by seed savers for at least 60 years.

Hybrids in general are the first generation of offspring plants created by a cross of two genetically different parent varieties, usually from the same species. Seeds from the second generation will not grow ‘true-to-type’ so the buyer has to return for each planting of that crop. Naturally occuring  hybridization in the wild involves the crossing of compatible varieties and since the beginning of agriculture plant breeders have experimented with this process to control the outcome.

A modern natural hybridization method of controlled crossing to create F1 seed was devised by Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel in the mid-19th century and is used by plant breeders to grow two parent lines in the field each year, designate the male and female parents, carry out pollination under controlled conditions — such as hand-pollination under row cover — and then harvest seed from the females.

High Mowing Organic Seeds uses a natural method with no laboratory steps called self-incompatibility (SI).

Overall, plant breeders prefer F1 hybrid seed because it’s faster and easier than breeding new open-pollinated seeds, and they can cull the bad traits from the parents while stacking their good traits (ie.disease resistance) in the F1 offspring.

Seed companies also like F1 hybrids because the second generation will not grow ‘true-to-type’ so the F1 hybrid buyer has to buy new seeds for each planting. Another reason big and more recently smaller seed companies prefer the hybrid process is because it gives them proprietary ownership of each new F1 variety.

See: 

Hybrid Seeds vs. GMOs

Cell fusion F1 hybrid seeds were first developed with induced mutagenesis in the early 20th century to process disease resistance and growing features to increase yields. Since the 1950’s cell fusion hybrid techniques have evolved from a random chemical/electrical/radiation blending to a site direct mutagenesis process targeting specific genes with marker assisted breeding (ie.zinc fingers).

Targeted mutation, known as genome editing, are tools which use complex protein structures called zinc fingers or meganucleases, and can also selectively insert or silence genes in crop species. Shortening years off development time.

See:

Mutation advances set to flip biotech crop debate

According to a 11/21/2013 news report by Business Week, industry experts say over the past five years breeding and biotechnology have improved on prior haphazd methods of cell fusion mutagenesis by using molecular markers and sequenced genomes of crops to site direct crossbreeding, making conventional breeding more like genetic engineering.

The article quotes Paul Schickler, president of DuPont’s Pioneer seed unit as saying:

“There is not a black line between biotechnology and nonbiotechnology, it’s a continuum.”

See: 

The Scariest Veggies of Them All

BASF, the world’s biggest chemical company, developed it’s Clearfield wheat and other crops through chemical mutagenesis which alters the crops’ DNA by dousing seeds with chemicals such as ethyl methanesulfonate and sodium azide, according to company filings in Canada reported Bloomberg News in a 11/13/2013 article.

“This has been a technique used for many decades without issue, without concern,” Jonathan Bryant, a BASF vice president was quoted as saying in a Bloomberg News report.

See: 

Mutant Crops Drive BASF Sales Where Monsanto Denied: Commodities

Grey Areas of Genetic Engineering May be Hiding GMOs in Your “Organic” Seed Line

BASF enlists the help of 40 seed companies, including DuPont Co. and Dow Chemical Co. in the U.S., and Switzerland’s Syngenta AG to sell Clearfield wheat, rice, lentils, sunflowers and canola crops in markets that reject GMOs without regulatory review, according to the same Bloomberg story.

For many environmental and organic consumer groups they see a continuum of genetic engineered crops hiding as substantially equivalent to “traditional” and therefore natural methods of seed production. These groups are concerned the unregulated grey area of genetic engineering of cell fusion and site-directed mutagenesis is being used by BASF and the major agri-biotech companies to side step a GMO labeling of their seed products. Monsanto in the nineties lobbied the USDA to agree GMOs are substantially equivalent to natural forming plants.

See: 

DRAFT Guidance for Industry: Voluntary Labeling Indicating Whether Foods Have or Have Not Been Developed Using Bioengineering; Draft Guidance

The majority of the world’s food seeds are owned by six companies, Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, DuPont, and Dow. The top 3 companies (Monsanto, DuPont, and Syngenta) together account for 47% of the worldwide proprietary seed market.

See:

The world’s top 10 seed companies: who owns Nature?

Seed Industry Structure

These firms are expanding their operations by buying other seed companies and controlling the pricing and use of seeds through proprietary patents. In 2005 Monsanto became the world’s largest seed and GMO company with its purchase of Seminis which was the largest developer, grower and marketer of fruit and vegetable seed. Seminis’ 3,500 seed varieties are sold to farm/garden seed companies globally.

See:

Monsanto Vegetable Seeds

Monsanto’s newly developed proprietary lines of fruits and vegetables currently sold in supermarkets uses a technique called genetic marking. A news story in January 2014 by Wired Magazine cites Monsanto’s genetic marking technique with potentially producing a new method for organic seed production.

See:

Monsanto Is Going Organic in a Quest for the Perfect Veggie

Research and Innovation

Debate on Using Cell Fusion Comes Down to a “Product” vs “Process” Perspective

After mapping targeted genes, researchers identify and crossbreed plants with traits they like without genetic engineering, and then run millions of samples from the hybrid through a machine that can read more than 200,000 samples per week and map all the genes in a particular region of the plant’s chromosomes, reports Wired Magazine in the article.

Monsanto’s crossbreeding technique also uses a seed chipper to enable breeders to scan genetic variations to predict inheritance patterns without having to go through multiple planting trials to figure out if they’ll result in a plants desired traits. Patented crops created with this method of gene stacking with multiple characteristics doesn’t require government safety testing because it is viewed as natural by the FDA.

“We do know that Monsanto/Seminis are getting into the ‘organic’ seed line. Which is precisely why OSA advises caution at this point in demanding that farmers use only organic seed — if the requirement to use absolutely only organic seed were made in stone right now, we would find a narrowing of the organic seed line, and a virtual takeover of the organic seed industry by the big boys,” said Liana Hoodes, director of the National Organic Coalition and National Organic Action Plan.

“Organic has a long way to go to clarify the GE (Excluded Methods) definition, and if the USDA doesn’t get working with the true organic seed industry, we will indeed see organic seed production consolidated into the big GE guys (Monsanto/Seminis and more),” she said.

The classification of conventional and organic cisgenic cell fusion CMS seeds as GMOs by High Mowing Organic Seeds and other seed companies joins a European movement banning such seeds from organic production.

European and USDA agricultural and food safety government bodies only identify transgenic (between different species) cell fusion hybrid seeds as genetically engineered and GMOs, excluding cisgenic cell fusion as a “traditional method” and not genetic engineering/modification.

Organic seed breeders and environmental organizations are concerned the unregulated grey area of genetic engineering of site-directed mutagenesis is being used by the major agri-biotech companies to side step GMO labeling.

In Germany (Europe’s largest organic consumer) and France organic agricultural organizations are endorsing IFOAM’s classification of laboratory cell fusion techniques used in the production of hybrid seeds as genetic engineering (GE).

See:

IFOAM – Organics International

Strategies for a future without cell fusion techniques in varieties applied in Organic Farming

“In the private organic farming sector as outlined in the IFOAM standards a process oriented approach prevails, therefore, the use of genetic engineering lab techniques is not in compliance with principals of organic farming,” said Klaus-Peter Wilbois, head of the agriculture division at the German office of The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL.

See:

Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL

Politically in Europe and the U.S. the debate of whether the process of using cell fusion in seed production is genetic engineering comes down to looking at the issue in a product oriented or process oriented perspective. Legally, current USDA and EU directives are product oriented, and if cell fusion is used within the same botanical family it is not GE and those seeds are not judged GMOs.

“For instance, cell fusion techniques which are used to convey cytoplasmatic male sterility (CMS) in cabbage or chicory crops to produce hybrids are regarded as genetic engineering in the organic sector but would not lead to a GMO in legal sense, since the crops (Japanese radish as CMS donator) belongs to the same brassica family as cabbages like cauliflower or broccoli – the same is true for sunflower and chicory (both asteraceae),” said Wilbois.

Organic Industry Relies on Hybrids Developed with Unregulated Mutagenic Techniques

The organic farming industry and their organizations are conflicted and struggling with the conundrum that organic production relies on CMS F1 hybrid seeds.  These hybrids are developed with unregulated biotechnological DNA mutagenic techniques which might be non-GMO in the legal framework, but are process viewed as against the organic farming background and principals banning the use of genetic engineering.

See: 

Strategies for a future without cell fusion techniques in varieties applied in Organic Farming

Cisgenesis

Cell Fusion Using DNA of Sterile Male Plant Resulting in F1 Hybrids Not GMO Process?

In the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) the product/process argument has come to one conclusion – cisgenic cell fusion in seed production is GE and should be banned. IFOAM, comprising 800 Affiliates in 118 countries, mandates all genetically engineered (GE) seeds to be banned from organic production (both transgenic and cisgenic) and cited the process of cell fusion as GE. This ruling defines seeds produced with cell fusion a genetically engineered/modified organism, a classification that should technically ban it from EU and USDA NOP organic production.

See: 

Position on Genetic Engineering and Genetically Modified Organisms

IFOAM

The IFOAM GE cell fusion ban for hybrid seed production has broad international implications for all farming operations who use the biotech technique of mutating DNA to make hybrid seeds in both conventional and organic crop production – particularly in countries where governments mandate the labeling of genetically engineered organisms.

In over 64 countries the labeling of GMO seeds made with GE is government mandated, but that is only for transgenic genetic engineering using DNA technology to insert genes from unrelated species.

Currently, GE cell fusion F1 hybrid seeds are only privately banned in European organic production (mostly German), but not under government EU directives for genetically modified organisms. There are no CMS hybrid seed safety or disclosure requirements for Europe or the U.S., but lists of acceptable F1 hybrids are being disclosed to the public by German organic farming organizations.

See:

Organic breeding versus CMS hybrids

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has ruled that cisgenic cell fusion is excluded from genetic engineering classification as it is based on traditional methods.

See:

European Food Safety Authority

EFSA’s role is to provide independent scientific advice on matters linked to food and feed safety in Europe. EFSA’s risk assessments provide risk managers (i.e. European Commission, European Parliament and Member States) with scientific advice to help them in legislative or regulatory decisions required to ensure  European food is safe for consumers.

“For your information, at the time of developing the legislative framework for GMOs in the EU, regulators specifically excluded from this category techniques/methods of genetic modification as long as they do not involve the use of recombinant DNA. One of these techniques is mutagenesis. This means that a new organism/crop/variety obtained through mutagenesis, giving that it does not involve the use of recombinant DNA, is not considered a GMO (legally speaking in the EU) and hence is not subject to the entire approval process (e.g. pre-marketing risk assessment) laid down in EU legislation,” says Sylvie Mestdagh, a spokeswoman for the EFSA GMO unit.

In 2013 the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) ruled similarly.

“However, the NOP further concludes that cell fusion (including protoplast fusion) is not considered an excluded method when the donor cells/protoplasts fall within the same taxonomic plant family, and when donor or recipient organisms are not derived using techniques of recombinant DNA technology.”

See:

United States Department of Agriculture

How is it that a cisgenic cell fusion process using the DNA of a sterile male plant (CMS) resulting in a F1 hybrid is not a genetically modifying process?

“All I can tell you is that the USDA does not consider this to be a GM process when it is done within the same family” said Don Franczyk, spokesman for Baystate Organic Certifiers, a USDA certification body.

“You cannot do the same procedure transgenically. It is only allowed within the family and considered hybridization rather than genetic modification,” he said.

Debate on Use of Cell Fusion Has Caused Confusion and Conflict in Organic Community

Overall the debate over whether cell fusion and mutagenesis in seed production are genetic engineering has caused confusion and conflicting answers in the organic community.

The USDA National Organic Program and it’s European counterpart EFSA site the practices as “traditional” and excluded from organic standards, but IFOAM identifies these same laboratory processes as DNA genetic engineering and bans them from organic production.

“IFOAM is supposed to be the global clearinghouse for organic rules and the
NOP was closely modeled on its standards. As such, the recent directive on
cell fusion by NOP is at odds with IFOAM and I think, causing a certain
degree of consternation,” said James R. Myers,
Baggett Frazier Professor of Vegetable Breeding and Genetics at the
Department of Horticulture in Oregon State University

“My overall feeling is that there are long term goals that the organic
community should strive for, but it may take time to reach those goals and
in the meantime, the standards may need to be relaxed in certain areas so as
not to cause extreme hardship to the organic community. This has been true
for the exemption to the requirement for the use of certified organic seed,
which allows untreated conventional seed to be used when there is no
equivalent variety,” said Myers.

Conflicting and confusing opinions among respected organic seed breeders on cisgenic mutagenesis and cell fusion as genetic engineering has also added to the GE consternation.

“Induced mutagenesis is not GM, but it is a technique that directly interferes at DNA level and that is why it does not comply to the principles of organics as we do not want to accept breeding techniques that interfere at direct DNA level such as GM, or cell fusion (by kicking out the nucleus) or protoplast fusion or mutatgenesis,” said Edith Lammerts van Bueren, senior researcher in plant breeding at The Louis Bolk Institute in Driebergen, the Netherlands.

See:

Louis Bolk Instituut

ECO-PB

“Induced mutations are knockouts of functioning genes, and one is not likely to run into a dangerous situation when a gene loses function and stops making a protein,” said Myers.

“If They Aren’t GMOs They [CMS Hybrids] Sure Have All the Sociopathic Traits of GMOs”

Frank Morton an organic plant breeder/seed grower and founder of Wild Garden Seed in Oregon opposes any use of CMS hybrids in organic production.

“CMS hybrids depend upon patented techniques and patented germplasm. The process creates hybrids that produce offspring what have sterile pollen or none at all, and this trait is persistent and irreversible, making the genetics unavailable to anyone besides the patent holder. The patent holders ARE the GMO industry, so only that industry can make use of this breeding technique. If they aren’t GMOs, they sure have all the sociopathic traits of GMOs,” said Morton.

See:

Seed Grower Profile – Frank Morton: An Agent of Change

Farmers Remain Vulnerable Without Seed Integrity Protection

Farmers wanting to avoid genetically engineered seed and protect their crop’s organic integrity have no way of knowing if their seeds are cisgenically processed  GMOs without a government cisgenic GE labeling requirement.

Without a government cisgenic GE labeling requirement or a ban on cell fusion and biotechnological mutagenesis there is no way of knowing if seeds and their crops are cisgenically created GMOs – unless there is a CMS marker.

German genetic identification companies working in coordination with the private organic sector have developed a testing procedure to identify GE CMS seeds and are posting lists of CMS vegetable hybrids to be avoided.

See:

CMS Fact Sheet

Organic farmers and food markets in Germany wanting to avoid genetically engineered CMS cell fusion seed and their crops have recently been weeding out identified GE CMS vegetables from their inventories according to European news reports.

See:

Organic breeding versus CMS hybrids

John Navasio believes for now both a ban on mutagenesis and the continued use of cell fusion in organic seed production are a dead end.

“Without high quality commercial alternatives in the form of organically bred and developed crop varieties it will be very difficult for the NOSB of the USDA or even IFOAM in Europe to ban this technology that crept into organics while everyone was taking a nap and relying on the Big Boys in the seed industry to take care of our seed needs,” he said.

Will Genetically Engineered Seeds Finally Be Banned from Organic Production?

Open pollinating (OP) crops are a natural alternative to the sterile pollen CMS hybrid conundrum according to Navasio.

“The major reason we do not have commercially acceptable OPs in many crops is because there are very few breeders working on OPs (the structure of the seed industry relies on hybrids – we are training a new generation of seed growers and seed companies in hopes of changing this to some degree.”

If the campaign to ban genetically engineered seeds in organic production, currently being promoted by OCA and organic seed breeders (High Mowing Seeds, Wild Garden Seed, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, Adaptive Seeds, etc.), converges with state GMO labeling campaigns, there is going to be a flurry in the open pollinating and natural hybrid seed market.

Donald Sutherland, his wife Laura Davis, and two daughters are USDA organic certified farmers in Hopkinton, MA. Donald is a freelance writer and a member of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association.

Products tested for GMOs.