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Kurt Boudonck

Greenhouse Group Leader, BASF

Expert Bio

Kurt Boudonck is the Greenhouse Group Leader for the Trait Research unit of BASF.  His responsibilities include crop plant experiments, management of people and facilities, and trait education.

Kurt was raised on a farm in Belgium where he developed a passion for agriculture. He then pursued a Masters Degree in Agricultural and Biological Sciences in Belgium. After earning his Masters, he moved to England, to get a PhD from the John Innes Centre, a research center of excellence in Plant Sciences.

In 2000, Kurt moved to RTP, North Carolina, USA to join Paradigm Genetics, a start-up company focused on identifying genes for crop improvement. Kurt was also active in other companies, including Biolex and Metabolon, both involved in Plant Biotech and Crop Improvement.

Kurt has been leading groups and projects SINCE 2009 in RTP to develop innovative pest, weed and yield solutions for farmers of various crops.

Studies, Articles and Answers

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Question

Q: How do Gmos relate to chemistry in everyday life?

Answered By Kurt Boudonck - Oct 02, 2015

A: Chemistry is all around us and is part of our daily life. Chemistry can be thought of as the collection of substances or chemicals that have a defined composition. There are “natural” chemicals produced by nature and there are “synthetic” or “artificial” chemicals made by humans.     Our human bodies, plants, animals, bacteria and viruses absorb, produce and release thousands of chemicals each day such as water, sugar, cholesterol, vitamins and medicine, resulting in millions of chemical or metabolic reactions in an organism. For example, eating sugar extracted from a suga [...]

GMO Basics Health & Safety

Question

Q: Does GMO seed always pass GM trait to the next generations?

Answered By Kurt Boudonck - Nov 11, 2015

A: For GM seed that is commercially grown by farmers the short answer is yes. The GM trait typically moves to the next generation. This is because a GM trait is simply a new gene (small piece of extra DNA) that was inserted into the plant’s DNA. The plant’s DNA, including the newly added GM gene, is present in all cells of the plant including reproductive structures such as flowers and pollen. So when plants reproduce and the GM pollen (male part) meets the GM pistil (female part), next generation GM seeds (called progeny seeds) are formed, and the trait is passed on.    However, [...]

GMO Basics How GMOs Are Made

Question

Q: how are GMOs created?

Answered By Kurt Boudonck - Dec 01, 2015

A: There are several different ways to create a GMO. One of the most commonly used methods for making genetically modified plants is through Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which uses bacterium as a host to transfer cells.    A historical method is using particle bombardment, whereby microscopic gold particles are coated with the DNA of interest and then inserted into cells.   For more information on how GMOs are created, please see the following key points from previous GMO Answers related questions as well as links to the full responses.   “When researchers m [...]

GMO Basics Health & Safety