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| Fig. 1. Xa21 rice plants being assessed at ILTAB greenhouse. |
Although receiving little media attention compared to the much vaunted Golden Rice, this project has delivered a valuable product which could reach commercialization with little further development. A number of additional points in the Xa21 project are also worth highlighting. There was no corporate involvement in the production of these plants and the germplasm is now in the hands of the Chinese breeders to use as they see fit within the regulations of their own government. It is almost free of intellectual property encumbrances (awaiting clearance of only one tool used in its development); if released to farmers, they will probably be free to use and disperse the seeds as they see fit, with no royalties due. This presents an interesting contrast to the level of control the multinational companies attempt to retain over their products, for example in the case of genetically engineered cotton and soybean. Finally, this project demonstrates that biotechnology and conventional plant improvement are not exclusive. Few genetically engineered plants have, or will, reach the farmer directly; most will be modified by conventional breeding program in order to adapt the transgenic product to local farming systems.