Activists in India allege that GM Plants have terminator gene and can't be reused. (As a farmer I know seeds taken out from Hybrid Seed whether GM or Non GM can not be reused ). I understand American farmers use Non Hybrid GM Seed ? Will the seed taken from such crop have the original traits?

Expert response from Ray Dobert, Ph.D.

Global Biotech Policy Manager, Bayer Crop Science

Tuesday, 25/11/2014 12:02

I hope that I understand correctly, but it seems like you are asking two separate questions.

1. Are farmers in India restricted from replanting their GM seed because it has terminator technology? There is no terminator in India or elsewhere. Monsanto has never developed a biotech (GM) trait that resulted in sterile — or “Terminator” — seeds. We made a commitment in 1999 not to commercialize technologies that result in sterile seeds in food crops, and we have no plans or research that would violate this commitment. (Visit Monsanto’s website for more information on Terminator seeds.)
2. Do farmers in the United States use nonhybrid seed, and can they thus reuse the seed? Yes, farmers in the United States purchase and grow nonhybrid cotton and soy, and the seed from those plants will generally have the original GM, as well as the non-GM, traits of that particular variety. But they do not replant these seeds if they are patented, since they respect intellectual property rights and realize that by continuing to purchase high-quality improved seed products from their seed dealer or other seed provider, they are investing in the development of new traits and breeding work to deliver even better varieties in the future. There is an additional answer on GMO Answers related to the use of saved seed from hybrid crops by Bart Schott, in which he describes why seeds from hybrid crops do not deliver the quality and uniformity that farmers rely on.