Scope

This Guide applies to greenhouses—controlled environment structures having a transparent or translucent covering and used for growing plants—that contain genetically modified plants or plantassociated organisms. The wide range of microorganisms that are plant-associated include viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, mycoplasma-like organisms, nematodes, insects, mites, and others.

Screenhouses—structures that are screened for insect or plant containment (or exclusion) but which offer little environmental control—are suitable for temperate climates or warm seasons in zones subject to colder temperatures. Screenhouse construction details and upgrades are briefly described in this Guide.

Other contained plant growth facilities, such as growth chambers, biosafety cabinets, incubators, and tissue culture tables or rooms, often are an integral part of the process leading to the preparation of GMO materials for greenhouse studies or field tests.

These facilities are mentioned in passing; a detailed description is not within the scope of this Guide.

This Guide includes:

• Relevant information on four levels of biosafety containment;
• Physical and biological strategies that provide containment;
• Suggested facility modifications to achieve prescribed containment levels;
• Suggestions for day-to-day greenhouse management;
• Methods for proper handling of GMOs;
• Discussions of selected design issues for new or renovated facilities;
• Descriptions of equipment and supplies;
• A sample floor plan and;
• Sources for additional information.

The Guide is organized in seven sections plus two Appendices. Section I contains introductory information and a brief discussion of the contents. Section II covers the regulation and oversight of GMOs by government regulatory and research agencies, and outlines the roles and responsibilities of institutional personnel. Section III presents descriptions of four biosafety levels affording increasing levels of containment, together with examples of studies that may be conducted at each level. Physical, biological and combination containment strategies are given in Section IV, followed by suggested management practices for greenhouses containing GMOs in Section V. Section VI discusses options for retrofitting existing facilities to meet containment standards, and Section VII addresses the design of new facilities. Two Appendices provide facility inspection checklists and a list of supplemental information resources.

This Guide was written so that anyone who works in a greenhouse that houses transgenic materials will be better informed about the purpose of containment, the variety of methods used to achieve it, and the facilities and practices that satisfy the requirements of established guidelines and regulations. It is intended as guidance and should not be a considered an authoritative source. Readers are encouraged to seek additional guidance from institutional authorities and USDA/APHIS officials whenever questions arise.

Audience

Greenhouse managers, facility staff, and research scientists are the primary audience of this Guide. Managers, being responsible for the overall operations of a greenhouse facility, will benefit from a clear description of when, where, and why additional containment measures should be instituted, as well as practical guidance for managing the facility and persons working in it. Greenhouse staff who are involved in the day-to-day care of transgenic organisms will gain a better understanding of what tasks, if any, should be modified when the experimental materials have been genetically engineered. Researchers who work with GMOs, together with members of Institutional Biosafety Committees and students, will likely find it a simple and convenient reference on the various levels of containment and the types of experiments appropriate to each level.

In addition, designers working on retrofits to existing greenhouses or on new construction will find specialized information that pertains to meeting non-standard structural requirements for containment facilities. Others who work in and around such facilities, including tradespeople, maintenance personnel, and adjacent residents, will benefit from a basic understanding of the purpose of containment. Such understanding will help ensure that GMOs are handled in an environmentally responsible manner.