
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, December 20, 1993                   TAG: 9312200007
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

GENETIC PLANT DELAY SOUGHT

The government should halt approval of crops derived from genetic engineering until it comes up with more proof the plants won't hurt the environment, says a group of scientists critical of the technology.

The Union of Concerned Scientists said Sunday that some hardier transgenic crops, as they are called, could create "weeds" - plants like the notorious kudzu that seem to grow uncontrollably and are hard to wipe out.

The group issued the report because several crops may soon find their way into commercial use. They include a tomato that can stay ripe longer, a squash that can resist viruses, and a cotton that tolerates certain herbicides.

The Agriculture Department monitors 1,500 field tests of genetically engineered crops. But the small-scale trials don't look at how those crops will interact with the surrounding environment, the group alleges.

The group urged more field tests that would put the crops next to their natural "communities."

The report also warned that too little is known about the risks of breeding plants to be virus-resistant or to produce their own pesticides.

The report cautioned that some virus-resistant plants could make it easier for new, more resistant viruses to develop.

The group generally opposes plant biotechnology on social and economic grounds. It says large corporations that develop the plants would control the world's food supply. The group favors reduced reliance on herbicides, pesticides and other artificial means.

Other scientists dismiss the claims. They say transgenic crops pose less risk of becoming weeds than crops derived from traditional breeding.

by CNB