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by ptero 2799 days ago
I do not agree with the current bout of GMO scaremongering, but I think your first sentence is off the mark. I heard from the friends on the biotech side (and sorry, do not have a citation) that many current GMO cultures are engineered specifically for high pesticide tolerance so farms can pump in pesticides to kill all other flora and fauna without killing specific crops.

So, GMO good (or allows for significant benefits), current products kind-of pretty bad. My 2c.
4 comments
nostromo 2799 days ago
Yes this is common now. For example Monsanto has Roundup Ready GMO crops & Roundup:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_Ready

The crops are designed to withstand Roundup, while weeds are not, so farmers can use Roundup to control weeds with crops that would normally be killed by the herbicide.

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cmrdporcupine 2799 days ago
Roundup (glyphosate) ready is baby stuff compared to the newer stuff that is resistant to 2,4d/Dicamba. Mostly because the weeds have outsmarted the glyphosate.

Drift from 2,4d will wipe out plants (like your garden, or my vineyard, or like, endangered native plants) many kilometres away.

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gepi79 2799 days ago
That is the problem with GMO. It is a useless word.

It is important to know what is done and where the GMO is used: In some container or open air or open water.

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sndean 2799 days ago
> high pesticide tolerance so farms can pump in pesticides

(I'm sort of in biotech.) This is one way to look at it. But I'm pretty sure one of the mechanisms that allow the plants to survive being covered in certain pesticides also allows them to effectively decontaminate / degrade the pesticide.

A plant engineered to express an enzyme capable of degrading organophosphates [0] could allow for both the plant to be protected from exposure to the toxin & even after harvesting still express low levels of the enzyme which should clean the plant.

That's the idea at least... From experience, it's not nearly that simple. E.g., the degradation products are also somewhat toxic.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryldialkylphosphatase

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bigmit37 2799 days ago
Is there a regulation to how much pesticides they can spray into foods?

If this is the case then non GMOs sounds more appealing.

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