The FAO moderated e-mail conference entitled "The role of agricultural biotechnologies for production of bioenergy in developing countries" ran from 10 November to 14 December 2008. Major topics of discussion included applying biotechnologies in jatropha; the potential benefits for small-scale farmers of applying biotechnologies for bioenergy production; biogas production in developing countries; and production of enzymes for efficient bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to liquid biofuels. Of the different biotechnologies, most attention was paid to applications of genetic modification, molecular markers and tissue culture in crops for biofuel purposes. About 430 people subscribed to the conference and 88 messages were posted by 52 people in 21 different countries. Sixty percent of messages came from people living in developing countries. The messages are available at http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/c15logs.htm or can be requested as a single e-mail (size 135 KB) from [email protected].

The 30th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling takes place on 9-13 March 2009 in Balatonalmadi, Hungary. Item 7 on the provisional agenda is "Proposed draft guidelines on criteria for methods for the detection and identification of foods derived from biotechnology". See the meeting agenda, and eventually the meeting documents, at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp (in English, French and Spanish) or contact [email protected] for further information.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has just released a 91-page report on its activities on implementation of the work programme of the CBD and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, covering the period from January to December 2008. In addition, on a related matter, the report on agenda item 49.f (on `Sustainable development: Convention on Biological Diversity`) from the Second Committee of the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly is now available on the web. See http://www.cbd.int/doc/reports/cbd-report-2008-en.pdf (in English) and http://www.un.org/ga/second/63/reports.shtml (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) respectively or contact [email protected] for more information.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Worldwide Academy is giving a distance learning advanced course on biotechnology and intellectual property (IP) from 26 March to 4 June 2009. One of the aims of the course is to enable participants to learn about definitions and concepts that are commonly used in the IP field, especially by IP professionals who work in the biotechnology field. The course covers topics such as the nature of plant breeder`s rights systems and IP as a factor in research in development and it assumes that the student has general background in IP law or in biotechnology. It involves about 100 hours of study time over a period of 10 weeks and is offered in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Registration is open until 18 February 2009. See the course website or contact [email protected] for more information.

A recent issue, 27(1), of the Scientific and Technical Review, published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), focuses on `Changing trends in managing aquatic animal disease emergencies`. The main purpose of the 16-paper issue is to provide a state-of-the-art compilation and assessment of aquatic animal disease emergency management strategies, covering policies as well as operational tools, from international to farm level. Two of the 16 papers are about biotechnology, namely "Biotechnology and DNA vaccines for aquatic animals" by G. Kurath and "Recent applications of biotechnology to novel diagnostics for aquatic animals" by A. Adams and K.D. Thompson. See the issue (in English, French and Spanish) or contact [email protected] for more information.

As part of its ICRAF Technical Manual series, the World Agroforestry Centre has recently published "Molecular markers for tropical trees: A practical guide to principles and procedures", by A. Muchugi and co-authors, edited by I. Dawson and R. Jamnadass. The 89-page guide describes some of the key issues that should be considered before starting molecular studies (part 1); relates the characteristics and practical procedures of different molecular methods (part 2); and describes how to handle the molecular data obtained (part 3). The guide is designed for technicians, students and other laboratory researchers interested in exploring the practical applications of molecular marker techniques for tree management as well as for managers and scientists working across disciplines who need to understand more about molecular marker research. See the guide (708 KB) or contact [email protected] for more information.

The FAO Working Group on Biotechnology is pleased to announce the launch of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds for FAO-BiotechNews. By subscribing, users receive automatic updates to their own computer every time there are updates of FAO-BiotechNews. A total of 18 different options are available - users can choose to have RSS feeds in one or more of the six FAO languages (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and can choose News, Events or both from FAO-BiotechNews. To subscribe, click on the orange RSS feed tag of interest at http://www.fao.org/biotech or see instructions at http://www.fao.org/biotech/help_rss_en.asp. For more information, contact [email protected].

On 22-24 April 2008, a workshop was held in Los Banos, the Philippines, on "Biotechnology, biosafety and the CGIAR: Promoting best practice in science and policy", organised by the Science Council (SC) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the International Rice Research Institute and Bioversity International. It reviewed biotechnology-related work in the CGIAR and partner National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and focused discussion on three major issues: i) How CGIAR Centers can best work with NARS to ensure a smooth and timely delivery of research products to target farmers; ii) CGIAR`s need for a Biotechnology Research Support Network, its roles and functions; and iii) How CGIAR should deal with policy issues related to biotechnology and be represented in international fora. A pre-publication version of the workshop report with a SC commentary is now available. See the document or contact [email protected] for more information.

At the International Seminar of Biofuels in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in November 2008, a new book entitled "Sugarcane-based bioethanol: Energy for sustainable development" was launched. Co-ordinated by the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE) with support from the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the 300-page book aims to provide grounds for a meaningful and objective discussion on the potential and constraints of producing bioethanol from sugarcane, especially in those countries where sugarcane is already being cultivated. Chapter 5 on `Advanced technologies in the sugarcane agroindustry` discusses applications of biotechnologies for the conversion of lignocellulosic residues to bioethanol. See http://www.bioetanoldecanadeazucar.org (in English, Spanish and Portuguese) or contact [email protected] for more information.

The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) opened its 63rd session on 16 September 2008 at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States. The wide range of agenda items for consideration includes item 49.f on `Sustainable development: Convention on Biological Diversity`, for which a report (nr. A/63/294, pages 20-25) was prepared by the Convention`s secretariat, summarising major developments regarding the Convention, including its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. See the report (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), plus the draft resolution, at http://www.un.org/ga/second/63/documentation.shtml or contact [email protected] for more information.

A meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) ad hoc Group on Biotechnology was held on 26-28 August 2008 in Paris, France. This was the last meeting of the OIE ad hoc Group in its current format, and its aim was to discuss and propose terms of reference for the formation of two new ad hoc Groups to focus on diagnostics and vaccines related to new and emerging biotechnologies (the ad hoc Group on Molecular Diagnostics and the ad hoc Group on Vaccinology respectively). See the meeting report (Appendix V, pages 33-40) at http://www.oie.int/downld/SC/2008/A_BSC_sept2008.pdf (942 KB) or contact [email protected] for more information.

As part of its Series on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology, the OECD Environment, Health and Safety Division publishes consensus documents containing information for use during the regulatory assessment of a particular product, typically on the biology of certain plant species. Four new documents have recently been published in this series, on the biology of cotton, lodgepole pine, western white pine and Douglas-fir. Similarly, as part of its Series on the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds, the OECD Environment, Health and Safety Division also publishes consensus documents, containing information for use during the regulatory assessment of a particular food/feed product. In this series, a new consensus document on the tomato has recently been published. See the documents or contact [email protected] for more information.

The background document for the FAO e-mail conference entitled "The role of agricultural biotechnologies for production of bioenergy in developing countries" is now available. The 22-page publication gives an overview of the current status regarding bioenergy, focusing on first- and second-generation liquid biofuels, including the reasons for the major current focus on liquid biofuels as well as current concerns about them. Some of the potential ways in which biotechnologies could contribute to bioenergy production are then assessed, covering production of biomass as well as conversion of the biomass to first- or second-generation liquid biofuels, in addition to production of biodiesel from microalgae and production of biogas. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/C15doc.htm or contact [email protected] to request a copy. The moderated e-mail conference is open to everyone and runs from 10 November to 7 December 2008. It is hosted by the FAO Biotechnology Forum and organised in collaboration with the FAO Working Group on Bioenergy. To join the Forum (and also register for the conference), send an e-mail to [email protected] and enter the following text on two separate lines:subscribe BIOTECH-Lsubscribe biotech-room3Forum members wishing to register for the conference should leave out the first line of the above message. For more information, contact [email protected].

Following the publication in July 2008 of the Russian version of the FAO Biotechnology Glossary, FAO has now produced a CD-ROM containing the Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Russian versions of the glossary. Also available on the web at http://www.fao.org/biotech/index_glossary.asp, the glossary is a convenient reference source for researchers, students, technicians and translators. It provides consolidated, comprehensive and accessible definitions of over 3,000 terms and acronyms that are used regularly in biotechnology, including genetic engineering, and closely allied fields. The CD-ROM is equipped with user-friendly searching facilities that allow easy cross-referencing among the five languages. To request a copy of the multilingual CD-ROM and/or the Russian glossary, contact [email protected] providing your full postal address.

As part of its Fertilizer and Plant Nutrition Bulletin series, FAO has just published "Guide to laboratory establishment for plant nutrient analysis" by M.R. Motsara and R.N. Roy. This 204-page publication provides practical guidelines on establishing service laboratories for the analysis of soil, plants, water and fertilizers. It also dedicates a chapter to biofertilizer assay and production, discussing the bacterial cultures that serve either as a source of nitrogen, such as Rhizobium, Azotobacter and Azospirillum, or for improving the availability of soil phosphorus, such as phosphate-solubilizing microbes. It provides methods for their isolation, identification, multiplication and commercial production. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0131e/i0131e00.htm or contact [email protected] for more information.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is organising an online conference on "Capacity-building in environmental risk assessment and post-release monitoring of LMOs: Current status, priority needs and future capacity-building measures" from 3 to 14 November 2008. Organised in four sessions over 10 days, the moderated conference aims to provide an initial forum for the exchange of views, ideas and experiences regarding the priority needs and possible strategic ways and means of enhancing the capacities of developing countries and countries with economies in transition in risk assessment and post-release monitoring of living modified organisms (LMOs). The conference is open to anyone wishing to register. See http://bch.cbd.int/onlineconferences/agenda_ra_cb.shtml or contact [email protected] for more information.