3 
"Corn ( Zea mays ) is not kncwn to exchange genetic information with any other 
species. Furthermore, pollination of com can be carefully controlled 
since male and female f lowers are borne separately on the same plant. 
Tassels can be made sterile or pollen frcm fertile tassels can be contained. 
Silks on ear shoots can be covered so that no or only desired pollen ferti- 
lizes the ovules. The hybrid seed com industry is based on these biological 
facts . " 
Dr. Tolin said she wrote that USDA favored approving this request, but that 
certain specified practices should be followed. 
In June and July of 1981, Dr. Davis and his colleague, Dr. Virginia Walbot, 
provided additional technical information on the proposed experiments including 
detailed information on hosts and vectors, DNA transfection methods, the location 
of test fields and containment procedures. Following receipt and review of this 
information the USDA Recombinant DNA Committee recommended that Dr. Davis and 
his colleagues be permitted to proceed under specified conditions. 
The NIH granted Dr. Davis permission to proceed with this field test by a notice 
in the Federal Register on August 7, 1981, on the basis that it presented no 
significant risk to health or the environment. Language indicating this permission 
was added to Appendix D of the Guidelines. 
Dr. Tolin said RAC then received in June 1982 a request frcm Dr. John Sanford 
of Cornell University for permission to field test tcmato and tobacco plants 
transformed with bacterial (EL_ ooli K-12) and yeast ( Saccha romyces cerevisiae) 
DNA using pollen as a vector. The RAC reviewed this request at its meeting 
on October 25, 1982. During the discussion, it was stated that the probability 
the experiments would be successful is very lew, but should the procedure be 
successful, no hazard was foreseen, and RAC recommended approval. 
Final action on the reccrrmendation was deferred by the NIH pending a review of 
the proposal by the USDA Recombinant DNA Committee. The USDA Recombinant ENA 
Ccnmittee met on February 23, 1983, and discussed Dr. Sanford's proposal at 
that meeting. The USDA Committee unanimously approved Dr. Sanford's proposal 
and could foresee no potential hazard to humans or the environment as a result 
of performing these experiments in the fields at Geneva, New York. 
The NIH accepted the recommendations of the RAC and the USDA Recombinant ENA 
Committee and officially added, by a notice in the Federal Register on April 15, 
1983, language to the Guidelines (Appendix D) granting permission to Dr. Sanford 
to field test tomato and tobacco plants transformed with bacterial ( E. ooli K-12) 
and yeast DNA on the basis that the preposed experiments presented no significant 
risk to health or the environment. 
Dr. Tolin said as RAC had predicted, greenhouse and grewth chanter experiments 
were not successful, and Dr. Sanford has no plans to proceed with field testing. 
Dr. Tolin said RAC subsequently requested that a document be prepared which 
would specify the types of generic information RAC would review in evaluating 
[ 427 ] 
