A new strain of drought-resistant wheat is helping to set the record straight on GMOs — a plant breeding technology that has long been considered at odds with sustainable agriculture but may be essential to its future.
The Food and Drug Administration recently determined that “HB4,” developed by the Argentinian company, Bioceres, is safe for humans to eat, bringing this new variety closer to commercial development in the United States. HB4 has already been approved for production in Argentina and Australia, but still requires sign-off from the US Department of Agriculture — which is likely, pending reviews of the crop’s environmental impact.
