Abstract
Sugarcane ( Saccharum hybrid) cultivar NCo310 was transformed with the pat gene, which confers resistance to the herbicide Buster (glufosinate ammonium; Bayer CropScience, Monheim am Rhein, Germany). The effect of the expression of this gene on the agronomic performance of a successful transgenic line, 22.2, was investigated. Field testing showed that the pat gene was stably expressed during three rounds of vegetative propagation. Morphological and agronomic characters such as stalk height, diameter, population, fiber, disease resistance, and yield, measured in the first ratoon, were not significantly different in the transgenic line and its untransformed counterpart. Of four weed treatments applied to transformed and untransformed plots, there were two scenarios in which significantly higher yields were observed: (i) untransformed cane treated using the conventional (non‐Buster) herbicide protocol, widely used for weed control in the South African sugar industry, and (ii) transformed cane treated with a conventional preemergence cocktail, followed by two 5‐L ha −1 Buster applications. However, the most economical weed control treatment is dependent on the cost of the herbicide to which resistance has been engineered. Buster currently costs (in South African Rand) ZAR150 (≈US $14.01) L −1 For Buster treatments to be cost effective for commercial growers, the price would have to be considerably lower. However, since hand‐hoeing is deleterious to the cane, small‐scale growers currently controlling weeds manually would find herbicide use an advantage. If they were to adopt transgenic sugarcane, Buster costs would need to be reduced only slightly for them to increase their returns.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
The pat gene remained stably expressed over three vegetative propagation rounds.
Verbatim
e0“the pat gene was stably expressed during three rounds of vegetative propagation”
t0“Sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
The transgenic line did not significantly differ from its untransformed counterpart in stalk traits, fiber, disease resistance or yield.
Verbatim
e0“Morphological and agronomic characters such as stalk height, diameter, population, fiber, disease resistance, and yield, measured in the first ratoon, were not significantly different in the transgenic line and its untransformed counterpart”
t0“Sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Conventional non-Buster weed control produced significantly higher yields in untransformed cane.
- Taxon
- Sugarcanet0
- Material
- untransformed canee0
- Treatment
- conventional (non‐Buster) herbicide protocole0
- Outcome
- yieldse1
- Direction
- significantly highere1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“untransformed cane treated using the conventional (non‐Buster) herbicide protocol”
t0“Sugarcane”
e1“there were two scenarios in which significantly higher yields were observed”
Claim · model-written summary
A preemergence cocktail followed by two Buster applications produced significantly higher yields in transformed cane.
- Taxon
- Sugarcanet0
- Material
- transformed canee0
- Treatment
- conventional preemergence cocktail, followed by two 5‐L ha −1 Buster applicationse0
- Outcome
- yieldse1
- Direction
- significantly highere1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“transformed cane treated with a conventional preemergence cocktail, followed by two 5‐L ha −1 Buster applications”
t0“Sugarcane”
e1“there were two scenarios in which significantly higher yields were observed”
Claim · model-written summary
The most economical weed control treatment depends on the engineered herbicide cost.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“the most economical weed control treatment is dependent on the cost of the herbicide to which resistance has been engineered”
t0“Sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Buster currently costs ZAR150 per liter.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Buster currently costs (in South African Rand) ZAR150 (≈US $14.01) L −1”
Claim · model-written summary
Buster prices would need to fall substantially for commercial growers to use it cost effectively.
Verbatim
e0“For Buster treatments to be cost effective for commercial growers, the price would have to be considerably lower”
t0“Sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbicide use would benefit small-scale growers who currently hand hoe because hand hoeing damages cane.
Verbatim
e0“since hand‐hoeing is deleterious to the cane, small‐scale growers currently controlling weeds manually would find herbicide use an advantage”
t0“Sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Slightly lower Buster costs would raise returns for small-scale adopters of transgenic sugarcane.
Verbatim
e0“Buster costs would need to be reduced only slightly for them to increase their returns”
t0“Sugarcane”
The same questions in other papers
herbicide · yield · Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane)Results differ
36 papers in the same direction as this paper · 14 in the opposite direction
- negative
- no effect
- no effect
47 papers more in this group
See all 51 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.