Glyphosate-resistant sugarcane developed in Argentina

Chacra Experimental Agrícola Santa Rosa (″La Chacra″) announced the development of the first transgenic sugarcane in Argentina.

A pioneer in biotechnology in Argentina, La Chacra developed the glyphosate-resistant transgenic event QAB016 (NA 05-2019 ″RR″) for weed control.

The transgenic event is currently in the regulatory process, having concluded the experimental stages of characterization of the inserted gene and gene expression.

La Chacra has already developed sugarcane resistant to the mosaic virus through RNA interference, obtaining transgenic events that resisted the virus for several years of experimental cultivation in the field.

According to German Serino, director of the company, these events are held in regulated plots for research purposes only, as the commercialization of this technology is not foreseen at the moment. According to him, research is also being carried out in genome editing to develop new cultivars.

La Chacra is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) serving the sugar sector in the provinces of the Northwest Region of Argentina. According to the developers of the Glyphosate-resistant sugarcane, the resources for the research come from sugar mills. According to them, there was even some government funding for specific projects.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)