What are the early indications from the field trials?
The first Golden Rice field trials using three selected GR1 transgenic events, together with two other transformation events created by Dr Hoa of Vietnam (produced while working at ETH, Zurich and at Peter Beyer’s laboratory in Freiburg) were harvested in Louisiana, USA in September 2004. The first field trials were done in the US because the country has a well developed regulatory system for field trials of GM crops, and it is also the country of origin of the rice variety which carries the donated Syngenta technology. Field trials in India and the Philippines are set to be carried out in 2006, after having passed all the mandatory biosafety requirements. The trials provided preliminary agronomic performance data of the selected transformation events. Results from the trial suggest normal agronomic performance from all events. Initial analysis or rice harvested slightly before maturity, indicates carotenoid content in the endosperm of GR1 events in the range of 48 micrograms per gram
