Re: GM Crops Fail their 5 Year UK Field Trials. Promote EnviroFears
Posted by Mike Kremer on Oct 03, 2003 at 16:28
(62.188.48.74)Re: GM Crops Fail their 5 Year UK Field Trials. Promote EnviroFears (Uncle Al)
U Al says-
EVERY crop is ALREADY genetically engineered. Nothing farmed is "natural," animal or plant.Under the content of the discussion, I feel it would be better to say that EVERY crop has been naturally engineered over hundreds of years. Ever since the dawn of agriculture, man has picked the best seeds from the strongest plants and cross pollinated them with similar varietys that were more drought resistant, or were more productive.
I believe the original Maize (we call it Corncob)
was a tall weak spindly grass, with few seeds.
Years of natural genetic 'engineering' cross pollination and dwarfing (enabling it to support its own seed weight)produce the 12 (or is it 14)
lines of seed within its modern pod.
Yes you are right- but only to the extent that all crops have been naturally (geneticaly) engineered
There are virtually "dwarf" varieties of every fruit and veg. Dwarfing allows more production in the face of adverse wind and weather. Less energy is used by a plant that is dwarfed. Dwarf apple trees, runner beans .etc. the list is endless.All quite different from deliberately inserting a modified gene into the plant, to make it un-effected by a man made chemical herbicide. Just because (what we call) weeds, are competing with the wanted crop, and attracting various insects.
Weeds as well, have been steadily evolving over hundreds of years, as have insect, that is the way of the world, natural selection. Unfortunately weeds have become stronger, or at least more resistant to the man made chemical sprays, that also destroy the insect pollenators.
Maize/Corn was hardly a Franken-crop...until it was 'geneticaly raped' by inserting a specific Herbicide resistance into it. Which now allows
farmers to spray his weeds with impunity?
That is ONLY if he lays out more money for the GM seed he now requires to purchase (every year)now enableing him to spray the recommended Herbicide, on his crop, killing the weeds, to leave his crop (hopefully) uneffected.
The Payoff is:-the farmer hopes that he will now pay less for his spraying, plus his yields will go up making him even larger $ profits, for less work.
That is the whole basis of the GM exercise.
Eventually we will see who wins.If man wins, nature will increasingly lose out.
Maybe pregnant women might also lose out, we just dont know as yet. Californian Farmers are already hiring Bee-Hives to ensure the pollination of their fruit crops.If nature wins...mankind might produce at a guesstimate a 10% - 15% lesser yield that the GM companies hoped for? Back to year 2000 yields? But most people will sleep easier, and catch butterflys by day ...we will see.
Follow Ups:
- Re: GM Crops Fail their 5 Year UK Field Trials. Promote EnviroFears Uncle Al 03/10 18:53 (0)