It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.

Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.

Thank you.

 

Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.

 

NEWS: China Close to Production of Genetic Crop

page: 1
0

log in

join
share:

posted on Mar, 11 2005 @ 01:17 PM
link   
China is poised to begin the world's first large-scale planting of a major 'transgenic' crop. They may do a massive planting of a domesticated rice crop that has been mixed with a gene from a wild rice species. This gives it resistant to types of destructive fungus. Thus, the crop can result in much greater yeilds.
Previously, an attempt at large scale bioengineered plantings resulted in a large public outrcry against it. The Party stopped the plantings, and hasn't actually said that it is planning on planting this crop. However many scientists in China are saying that this indeed is being considered.
Also, Monsanto recently halted a program to begin similar large scale plantings of modified wheat crops in Canada and the US.
 



story.news.yahoo.com
Scientists in China, the world's top rice producer and consumer, say Beijing is looking to mass produce Xa21 rice, which contains a gene from an African wild rice.
The Xa21 strain, which was developed through publicly funded international research, is resistant to bacterial blight -- one of the most serious crop diseases in Africa and Asia, which can cause devastating yield loss as it spreads in water droplets.
As it derives from a wild rice gene, it has emerged as front-runner in the race to be the first GMO rice crop, ahead of insect-resistant BT rice, which contains a toxic bacterial gene.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.


This has lots of implications, if it goes thru. Ultimately, someone is going to have to do something like this. This might be a decent case, since the danger is that one might get hybridization between this modified rice and other domesticated and wild rices. In other words, the gene that might potentially be spread is a gene that can already by spread and exists in the rice world.
It might also serve as a useful case-study, because there are already strains of non-engineered domesticated rice that are resistant to similar, if not the same, moulds. This can therefore show what are some of the minimal benefits to make such plantings worth it.
Even more so, the Chinese government is the entity that obtained the seeds; from the University at California at Davis. They hold the patent and allow it to be freely distributed for research and Third World Usage. On top of that, the governement distibutes the seeds to the famers, and allows them to keep the next generation of seeds and replant them, so it can be done in a theoretical one time dispersal.
In many ways then, this is a real test for GMO technology.

Related News Links:
www.whybiotech.com
pubs.acs.org
www.medieval-life.net
www.agry.purdue.edu

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
SCI/TECH: Canada Unleashes Terminator Bombshell
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Debate Tournament:Stumpy v Skadi:GM Crops.



posted on Mar, 11 2005 @ 01:22 PM
link   
This same story was just posted by someone on ATS a few days ago. Should be easy to find.



posted on Mar, 11 2005 @ 01:36 PM
link   
Searches on

china crop

china gmo

chines crop

transgenic planting

transgenic chinese

Turn up no relevant results.



posted on Mar, 11 2005 @ 05:08 PM
link   
Hybreds are here and as scary as they are, before long, we won't know were eating them. The only thing about this I like is that Monsanto will never be able to protect their patents, while they continue poisioning the world with their chemicals.



posted on Mar, 11 2005 @ 05:46 PM
link   
What's wrong with planting plants that have a "wild" genetic trait?

It's nothing different then selecting race horses, cept one takes much longer to do.

There's alot of ignorance about genetic engineering, biotechnology, and bioinformatics. In the end, it's all about improving the world.

-----

Disclaimer: Yes, i'am studying in the bio field, namely bioinformatics.



posted on Mar, 11 2005 @ 06:19 PM
link   


There's alot of ignorance about genetic engineering, biotechnology, and bioinformatics. In the end, it's all about improving the world.


Tell that to Monsanto. There is a huge potential for abuse and already Abuse has happened(Roundup and Roundup ready seeds hmm
). I applaud China for not taking the Monsanto rout for GMOs.



new topics

top topics
 
0

log in

join