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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Hilo, Hawaii » Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center » Tropical Plant Genetic Resources and Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #216185

Title: Virus Resistant Transgenic Papaya: Commercial Development and Regulatory and Environmental Issues

Author
item SUZUKI, JOH - UNIV OF HAWAII
item TRIPATHI, SAVARNI - UNIV OF HAWAII
item Gonsalves, Dennis

Submitted to: Biotechnology and Plant Disease Management
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/13/2007
Publication Date: 11/1/2007
Citation: Suzuki, J.Y., Tripathi, S., Gonsalves, D. 2007. Virus Resistant Transgenic Papaya: Commercial Development and Regulatory and Environmental Issues. In: Punja, Z.K., DeBoer, S., Sanfacon, editors. Biotechnology and Plant Disease Management. Wallingford, United Kingdon: CAB International. p. 436-461.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In Hawaii, transgenic papaya resistant to Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) was developed starting in the 1980s and released commercially in 1998 to combat the wide spread destruction of Hawaii’s papaya industry. This review describes the proactive development of the transgenic papaya and its impact on stemming the destruction caused by PRSV in Puna, the main papaya producing area in Hawaii. It also focuses on the regulatory issues that were confronted in obtaining approval from the U.S. government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The performance of the transgenic papaya is traced over the last 8 years following commercial release, with special observations on the issues of environmental impact and coexistence with nontransgenic papaya. The latter is quite important since a significant part of Hawaii’s papaya is exported to Canada and Japan. Canada has approved the transgenic papaya, but efforts to get approval for export of transgenic papaya to Japan are still ongoing.