b'SW USA1961 Creation of Codex AlimentariusFlavr Savr tomato introduced1994(for food standards and food1962: Development of M&S tissue culture medium -1995: Registration ofrst genetically engineered plant (Bt corn) ( rst commercially grown safety) by FAO & WHO Murashige and Skoog The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the USA in 1995 approvedgenetically engineered food) Agreement on Trade Related Foundation of InternationalSkoog and Murashige were attempting to discover athe commercial production and distribution of therst genetically Union for the Protection of Newyet-unknown plant growth regulator in tobacco juice butengineered plant: Bt corn. Bacillus thuringiensis 1994 Aspects of Intellectual 1961(Bt) crops are plantsProperty Rights (TRIPs)Varieties of Plants (UPOV) instead developed a greatly improved salt base for thegenetically modi ed to contain the endospore (or crystal) toxins of the sterile culture of tobacco. Skoog and Murashiges reportBt bacterium, allowing them to be resistant to certain insect pests.Start of the Asia and Paci c First RNA base described published on the work is one of the most often-cited papersThese Cry toxins are formed during sporulation of some Bt strains andSeed Association (APSA)19941961 Nirenberg & Matthaeiin biology, and the medium they discovered carries theiraggregate to form crystals toxic to speci c species of insects. With this names. Today, more than 60 years after their discoveries,method, plants themselves can produce Bt proteins and protect them- Bt-corn introduced, 1.5 m ha Development of M&S tissueMurashige and Skoog salt base remains an essential com- selves from insects without any external Bt and/or synthetic pesticide1995 of biotech cropsculture medium - Murashige1962 ponent in plant tissue culture. sprays. Currently, the most common Bt crops are corn and cotton which and Skoog are planted throughout the world. Establishment of the World Trade Organization1995Embryo formed in anther culture,(replacing GATT)1964 haploid plants regeneratedGuha & Maheshwari 1996 RR soybeans introduced1968: First systemic fungicideCompletion of genetic code1966 Therst systemic fungicide product (Carboxin), which translo- Start of Germination decipheringNirenberg et al. magazine 1996cates within the plant system and remains toght future fun- 2000: The European Seed Association (ESA) was foundedgal infection, was launched in 1968. The longer-term activityEuroseeds, initially called ESA, was founded in November 2000 1968 First systemic fungicide of a systemic fungicide, which protects plants for longer thanwhen four former European seed associations and individualThe European Seed Association a contact fungicide, allowed better control of control seedseed companies joined into one single Europe-wide organiza- 2000 (ESA), the predecessor of Commercial seed priming 1971 legume, and oilseed crops.ationCOSEMCO (Seed Trade founded in 1961), ASSOPOMACAgreement on the CartagenaEuroseeds was foundedand seedling diseases (smut, rot, blight) on multiple cereal,tion representing the entire European seed sector. Each associ-(Potato Breeders in 1964), AMUFOC (Forage Seed ProductionProtocol on Biosafety 20001972 First somatic hybrid afterin 1970), and COMASSO (Plant Breeders in 1977)represented protoplast fusionCarlson et al. important parts of the plant breeding, seed production and mar-keting chain. In 1998, these associations established arst joint2000 Start of the African Seed Invention of DNA cloning1973 organisational structure as a platform for common activitiesEntry into force of theTrade Association (AFSTA)and genetic engineering before fully merging into ESA in 2000. In 2019, ESA changed its name to Euroseeds. Cartagena Protocol on20031980: U.S. Supreme Court Chakrabarty decision Biosafety1980 Description of therstOn 17 March 1980, the United States Supreme Court con rmed theEntry into force of the U.S. Supreme Court Chakrabartypolymorphic marker decision of the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals to grant a patent2004 International Treaty on Plant for a bacterium capable of breaking down crude oil (PseudomonasGenetic Resources for Food decision allowing patenting of1980 putida and Agriculture (IT-PGRFA)). The Supreme Court therewith established that whether or not living organisms an invention is a living thing is irrelevant to the question of its pat-Budapest Treaty on theentability. The decision authorized therst patent on an intentionally2000: Publication on expression of beta-carotene in riceStart of the Seed Association20051980 International Recognition of thegenetically modi ed organism and concluded that patents may be(Golden Rice)Potrykus and Beyer of the Americas (SAA) Deposit of Microorganisms forgranted for anything under the sun that is made by man. The decision Patents contributed to the rise of the modern biotechnology industry andGolden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta carotene2013 Start of European Seed reshaped the agriculture industry. (provitamin A, a plant pigment that the body converts into vitamin Amagazineas needed). Beta carotene gives the rice grains a yellow-orange or First genetically modi ed plant:1983 golden color and improves the grains nutritive value. It was madeAdoption of the Nagoya tobacco resistant to antibiotics.possible by the addition of two new enzymes and is identical to theProtocol on Access to Genetic2010Resources and the Fair and beta-carotene found in green leafy and yellow-colored vegetables 1983 Stable transformation ofand orange-colored fruit. Vitamin A de ciency, common in develop- Equitable Sharing of Bene ts plants by genetic engineering ing countries, is one of the main causes of preventable blindness in First transfer of a geneyoung children. 2018 192 million ha of biotech crops grown by 17 million farmers in coding for an agronomic1985 1988: First transgenic plant with a quality trait (delayed ripening in tomato) 26 countriestrait (herbicide tolerance inPolygalacturonase (PG) is the major cell wall degrading enzyme of tomato fruit.2020: Nobel prize for Crispr/tobacco) First transgenic plant with aIn 1988, researchers managed to suppress PG gene expression, resulting inCas9 - Emmanuelle Charpentier20201988 quality trait (delayed ripeningtransgenic tomatoes with signi cantlyrmer fruit. This was followed in 1994 by2020: Nobel prize for Crispr/Cas9 - Emmanuelle Charpentier andand Jennifer Doudnain tomato) the release of the genetically modi ed tomato variety Flavr Savr, which was theJennifer Doudna CRISPR is a defence mechanism of bacteria against viral attack.2021 EU Court of Justice decision onrst commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license Start of Independentfor human consumption. It was developed by the Californian company Calgene.Nadorcott caseProfessional Seed Association1989 The tomato had an improved shelf-life, increased fungal resistance and a slightlyCharpentier and Doudna discovered that, with the help of CRIS-PR-CAS, it was possible to change the DNA of animals, plants and (IPSA) increased viscosity compared to its non-modi ed counterpart. It was meant to bemicroorganisms with extremely high precision. CRISPR-CAS hasStart of Seed World LATAM 20231990s New classes of fungicides,harvested ripe for increasedavor for long-distance shipping. opened up avenues to more ecient and faster plant breedingUnveiling of the global family of insecticides and nematicides and researchers have already been able to use the technology to2023 Seed World publications to even Entry into force of thedevelop crops that are able to better withstand climate threats, such Convention on Biological1993 as drought tolerance, as well as new pests and diseases.better meet the needs of the Diversity (CBD) global seed industry.16/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2023'