GM tobacco opening frontiers in medicine, fuel industry

CMajority of tobacco growers in Luzon now have reasons to rejoice as genetically modified (GM) tobacco could be the next big thing in producing biofuels.

This as the research from different countries with tobacco growing industries points to groundbreaking uses of GM tobacco. For one, research from the Public University of Navarre in Spain showed that GM tobacco is a promising raw material for the production of bio-fuel.

Institute of Biotechnology researcher Ruth Sanz-Barrio said that specific tobacco proteins (thioredoxins) can be used to produce biofuels by increasing the amount of starch produced in the tobacco leaves.

Her study was able to increase the amount of starch by 700 percent and fermentable sugars by 500 percent which are within the thresholds for viable biofuel production. This would mean that 40 liters of bioethanol could be produced per 1,000 kilograms of fresh leaves.

And as more and more countries are gearing towards environment-friendly energy GM corn planting. The government has also allowed GM crop imports for more than a decade. Around 70 percent of the country’s corn output is GM.

However, general current negative impression of the people on GM products has caused opposition and the slow progress on the acceptance of other GM crops. In 2010, the Department of Agriculture has started multilocation field testing of GM eggplant but its possible commercialization is still far from being realized.

Possible moves to commercialize Bt cotton is moving slowly while field trials of Golden Rice (GR) have yet to commence.

Unless government and biotech stakeholders combat the negative impression, misinformation, legal and technical hurdles against GM crops, their full potential for food production, industrial, agro-industrial and medical use will not be fully utilized.

Until then, GM tobacco, for medical and bio fuel use, would have to wait and let other GM crops and their advocates to pave the way for wider acceptance.

ITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Those who malign the tobacco plant find it weird that the high value-crop can in fact save a person’s life against some of the worst diseases.