adriansalamandre
Say NO! to monsanto! Pt. 10
Everybody hates Monsanto and GM foods in general, but governments always have the last word.
But maybe mother nature already is on the counter-attack, please read on...
Amaranth vs. monsanto
United States, five thousand hectares of transgenic soybean crop had to be abandoned by farmers and fifty thousand more are seriously threatened. This is due to a so-called "weed" that has decided to oppose the giant Monsanto, known for being the largest predator on Earth. However, this mutant plant proliferates and defies Roundup, the glyphosate-based herbicide, which "no weed can resist".
When nature takes over.
In 2004, a farmer from Macon, Ga., a town about 130 miles from Atlanta, noticed that some shoots of pigweed (amaranth) resistant to Roundup where he watered his crops of soybeans.
The fields which fell "victim" to this invasion were planted with Roundup Ready seeds, which contains a gene for resistance to Roundup which "no weed can resist".
Since then, the situation has worsened and the phenomenon has spread to other states, South Carolina, and northern Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri. According to a group of scientists from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, a UK organization located at Winfrith in Dorset, there was a transfer of genes between the GM plant and some weeds such as pigweed. This finding contradicts the pre-emptive and over-optimistic assertions of GM defence advocates who claimed that hybridization between a genetically modified plant and an unmodified plant is simply "impossible".
For the British geneticist Brian Johnson, specializing in issues related to agriculture: "It only takes one successful crossing over millions of possibilities. Once it is created, the new plant has a huge selection advantage, and it multiplies quickly. The powerful herbicide used here, based on glyphosate and ammonium, has exerted enormous pressure on the plants, which further increased the speed of adaptation. Thus, a gene resistant to herbicides, it seems, gave birth to a hybrid plant after a jump between the seed that it is supposed to protect and amaranth, which has become impossible to remove.
The only solution is to pull weeds by hand, as we once did, but it is not always possible given the range of cultures. In addition, these herbs are very deeply rooted and difficult to pull 5,000 hectares have been simply abandoned.
Many farmers plan to abandon the GM plants and return to traditional agriculture, especially as the GM plants are more and more expensive and profitability is paramount for this kind of agriculture. Alan Rowland, producer and marketer of soybean seeds in Dudley, Mo., says no one asks him for seeds of Monsanto Roundup Ready anymore. This used to represent 80% of his business. Today, GM seeds have disappeared from its catalogue and the application of traditional seeds is increasing.
Already, 25 July 2005, The Guardian published an article by Paul Brown, who showed that modified genes of cereals had transited to wild plants, creating a "superseed" resistant to herbicides, a crossing "inconceivable" by scientists from the Ministry of Environment. Since 2008, U.S. agricultural media are reporting more and more cases of resistance and the Government of the United States has made significant budget cuts, which have forced the Ministry of Agriculture to reduce and stop some of its activities.
Diabolical or sacred plant?
It is ironic that this plant, seen as "diabolical" in the eyes of agriculture geneticists, is a plant sacred to the Incas. It is one of the oldest foods in the world. Each plant produced an average of 12,000 seeds per year, and the leaves are richer in protein than soy, contain vitamins A and C and minerals.
So this boomerang, thrown by nature back at Monsanto, not only neutralizes the predator, but installs a plant in places that can feed the world in times of famine. It supports most climates, from dryland areas to monsoon affected regions and tropical highlands, and has neither problems with insects nor diseases, so never needs chemicals.
Thus AMARANTH takes on the powerful Monsanto, as David opposed Goliath. Everybody knows how the fight ended, however unequal though! If these phenomena are reproduced in sufficient quantity, which seems programmed, Monsanto will soon have to put the key under the door. Aside from its employees, who will complain that this multi-national really dies?
Sylvie SIMON (Your Health) Translation: Adrian Kenyon
Say NO! to monsanto! Pt. 10
Everybody hates Monsanto and GM foods in general, but governments always have the last word.
But maybe mother nature already is on the counter-attack, please read on...
Amaranth vs. monsanto
United States, five thousand hectares of transgenic soybean crop had to be abandoned by farmers and fifty thousand more are seriously threatened. This is due to a so-called "weed" that has decided to oppose the giant Monsanto, known for being the largest predator on Earth. However, this mutant plant proliferates and defies Roundup, the glyphosate-based herbicide, which "no weed can resist".
When nature takes over.
In 2004, a farmer from Macon, Ga., a town about 130 miles from Atlanta, noticed that some shoots of pigweed (amaranth) resistant to Roundup where he watered his crops of soybeans.
The fields which fell "victim" to this invasion were planted with Roundup Ready seeds, which contains a gene for resistance to Roundup which "no weed can resist".
Since then, the situation has worsened and the phenomenon has spread to other states, South Carolina, and northern Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri. According to a group of scientists from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, a UK organization located at Winfrith in Dorset, there was a transfer of genes between the GM plant and some weeds such as pigweed. This finding contradicts the pre-emptive and over-optimistic assertions of GM defence advocates who claimed that hybridization between a genetically modified plant and an unmodified plant is simply "impossible".
For the British geneticist Brian Johnson, specializing in issues related to agriculture: "It only takes one successful crossing over millions of possibilities. Once it is created, the new plant has a huge selection advantage, and it multiplies quickly. The powerful herbicide used here, based on glyphosate and ammonium, has exerted enormous pressure on the plants, which further increased the speed of adaptation. Thus, a gene resistant to herbicides, it seems, gave birth to a hybrid plant after a jump between the seed that it is supposed to protect and amaranth, which has become impossible to remove.
The only solution is to pull weeds by hand, as we once did, but it is not always possible given the range of cultures. In addition, these herbs are very deeply rooted and difficult to pull 5,000 hectares have been simply abandoned.
Many farmers plan to abandon the GM plants and return to traditional agriculture, especially as the GM plants are more and more expensive and profitability is paramount for this kind of agriculture. Alan Rowland, producer and marketer of soybean seeds in Dudley, Mo., says no one asks him for seeds of Monsanto Roundup Ready anymore. This used to represent 80% of his business. Today, GM seeds have disappeared from its catalogue and the application of traditional seeds is increasing.
Already, 25 July 2005, The Guardian published an article by Paul Brown, who showed that modified genes of cereals had transited to wild plants, creating a "superseed" resistant to herbicides, a crossing "inconceivable" by scientists from the Ministry of Environment. Since 2008, U.S. agricultural media are reporting more and more cases of resistance and the Government of the United States has made significant budget cuts, which have forced the Ministry of Agriculture to reduce and stop some of its activities.
Diabolical or sacred plant?
It is ironic that this plant, seen as "diabolical" in the eyes of agriculture geneticists, is a plant sacred to the Incas. It is one of the oldest foods in the world. Each plant produced an average of 12,000 seeds per year, and the leaves are richer in protein than soy, contain vitamins A and C and minerals.
So this boomerang, thrown by nature back at Monsanto, not only neutralizes the predator, but installs a plant in places that can feed the world in times of famine. It supports most climates, from dryland areas to monsoon affected regions and tropical highlands, and has neither problems with insects nor diseases, so never needs chemicals.
Thus AMARANTH takes on the powerful Monsanto, as David opposed Goliath. Everybody knows how the fight ended, however unequal though! If these phenomena are reproduced in sufficient quantity, which seems programmed, Monsanto will soon have to put the key under the door. Aside from its employees, who will complain that this multi-national really dies?
Sylvie SIMON (Your Health) Translation: Adrian Kenyon