Business Notes Biotechnology

Biotechnology has always held a special terror for environmentalists. They feared that someday genetically altered organisms would be released into the atmosphere as part of some experiment and then cause widespread ecological damage. As a result, the organisms that scientists can now produce have remained in laboratories.

That may soon change. This month the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to approve a limited experiment, to be conducted by California-based Advanced Genetic Sciences, in which genetically altered organisms will be allowed to enter the environment. The EPA believes that the fears about ecological damage are unfounded.

Scientists will take bacteria called Pseudomonas syringae, which are found on nearly all plants, and extract the gene that causes ice crystals to form when the bacteria come in contact with a plant and the temperature falls to between 20 degrees F and 32 degrees F. The altered bacteria will be sprayed on one-tenth of an acre of strawberry plants and are expected to prevent the plants' blossoms and leaves from freezing. AGS predicts that the product could have sales of up to $100 million annually to farmers.