A hypoallergenic grass genetically modified to lack two common hay-fever allergens is set to enter field trials in the US. The researchers behind the GM grass hope it will help shift public opinion around the world in favour of GM crops. "The beauty of this grass is that it will benefit the wider public not just the primary producer," says German Spangenberg of the Plant Biotechnology Centre at La Trobe University in Melbourne.

Perennial and Italian ryegrasses, the types Spangenberg and his team have genetically modified, are sown for lawns and pasture around the world and account for 70 per cent of grass seed sold in the European Union. Ryegrass is the main cause of hay fever in Europe and Australia, although ragweed triggers more hay fever attacks in the US. Hypoallergenic ryegrass lawns and pasture could conceivably help reduce the incidence of hay fever, says allergy expert Tim O'Meara, of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney.

View: Full Article | Source: New Scientist