The State : Gene-Altered Bacteria Test to Be Moved

A genetic engineering firm decided to abandon Monterey County as a site for testing anti-frost bacteria on strawberries because of continuing opposition from county supervisors. John Bedbrook, vice president of Advanced Genetic Sciences, said a new area for testing of its Frostban on strawberries will be selected next spring. A similar experiment has been planned for potato plants in Siskiyou County but has been delayed by a Sacramento County Superior Court order. A hearing on a lawsuit filed by environmentalists against that experiment is scheduled for Aug. 22.