Mmmmm... "Roundup Ready" alfalfa
It's not quite ready yet.
| Posted at 11:21 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (4)
Hopefully never ready... The theory of herbicide resistance is fine, it raises crop productivity (and sales of herbicides), but the real-world result is that the resistance crosses over to different species, like weeds.
The risk with crops that are genetically-modified to be herbicide-resistant is the mixing and recombination of genetic material between species that share a recent evolutionary history.
The pollen from transgenic alfalfa can blow into neighboring farms and wild areas and can easily outcross to any nearby alfalfa plant or non-alfalfa relatives -- namely weeds. The traditional weed then becomes a stronger "superweed." This outcrossing has started to produce superweeds that are resistant to a wide range of herbicides.
The 4/26/00 edition of New Scientist magazine reported the first officially confirmed case of its kind: weeds in Canada which became resistant to three kinds of herbicides: Roundup, Liberty and Pursuit. It only took three years for a transgenic spread of super-herbicide-resistance. This was the first documented case of gene stacking in canola occurring without deliberate human intervention.
Posted by PdxMark | September 3, 2008 12:28 PM
And what does it do the animals digesting this crop, and where in the food chain does it stop?
Soylent Green..a genetically next step/ Yea, go Monsanto.
Posted by KISS | September 3, 2008 2:02 PM
Monsanto had/has test farms for 'Round-up (tm) Ready' grass seed near Madras... Predictably, the seed spread for miles, choking culverts and farms with die-hard, GMO grass.
But hey! If it means your local golf course has slightly better conditions, screw the farmers and screw the food system!
Posted by TKrueg | September 3, 2008 3:13 PM
to expand on pdxmark:
What is the bacteria that lives in our poop chutes? E-coli.
What is the bacteria that can be found in cattle that turns peoples guts into pudding? A mutation of E-coli.
What bacteria do they put wheat DNA in to monkey around with? E-Coli.
What mutated form of bacteria do they remove DNA from to make a new strain of round up proof wheat? E-coli
Why are we suppose to wash our hands all the time? Specially after potty? E-coli
How do you wash off a slice of bread?
Posted by dman | September 3, 2008 9:19 PM