To subscribe to Agweek, click here. N.D. - A North Dakota company has started testing seeds and crops to verify they have not been genetically changed through biotechnology. Consumer fears have led some major grain-buying companies to offer premiums for nonaltered crops and to segregate the crops they buy. So far, Adams' tests verify only that soybeans being bought and sold are not Roundup-ready, or made immune to the herbicide Roundup.
Soybeans are ground, then mixed with water and a buffer agent.
Then the solution is placed in a tube and a wicklike detector is inserted. One red line appears on the wick if the test is negative. Two lines indicate a Roundup- ready soybean. The tests are sensitive and could accurately detect Roundup-ready genes if only one bean in 1,000 had them, Adams said. He predicts the testing eventually will become more specific.