Terminator Seeds

Not appropriate for this website, in my opinion. Blatant expression of a political viewpoint. Monsanto doesn't get a chance to respond.

Huh? If someone from Monsanto reads this, what's to keep them from responding?

Very appropriate for this website, in my opinion!

Of course, there are ethical and political implications to this matter. My goal is in no way an attempt to slander the folks at Monsanto. I do not wish to shift anyones viewpoint on this matter. I am simply sharing a major development in genetic engineering and its effects on our world

It is unfortunate that it is impossible to divorce the application of a technology from its long-term, far-reaching effects.

As "people of science" who can comprehend the genetic engineering employed here, we have a responsibility to pay attention to how it will impact our world: immense profitability for Mon$anto, reduction of genetic variation of crops (and its ripple effects), the unknown repercussions of consuming genetically manipulated crops (thankfully there are plenty of guinea pigs) and lastly, most importantly, seeds for the next growing cycle will no longer be free. Seeds have been free since the Agrarian revolution!! Farmers are already at the bottom of the economic pyramid. This will ensure their perpetual indebtedness.

My opinion is that technology in all its forms should improve lives, not cause harm. Could the same procedure be used to improve yields? To create strains resistant to bacteria? To develop hermetic keratin shells that will improve storage survival? etc

Use of technology for anti-prosperity goals is similar to an evil superhero: using power for evil instead of good.

P.S. This article was written in 1997. These suicidal seeds have already hit the market in....*drum roll please*.....Africa. A place where half the people are already starving to death!!

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Kenya+eyes+GM+crops+to+ensure+food+security+/-/1056/1325564/-/6b6w0z/-/index.html

May God (be he/she energy, light or imaginary) save us

Not pretty. If you use their seed, you already sign on the dotted line to give the progeny all back.

If Monsanto seed/progeny blows unwanted onto your property, and then propagates further, Monsanto can sue you (or so I've heard). Can we say Italian court, U.S. court, and kangaroo court all in the same breath?

Remember the "golden rule"?

Yeah, as in "He who has the gold rules."

Well, one advantage of a GMO crop that is sterile, is that it won't pollinate non-GMO crops, therefore eliminating the 'genetic pollution' and 'copyright collection' issues.

That thought obviously would not apply if we stopped growing and collecting seed from non-GMO crops, or if the GMO crop pollen displaced fertile pollen and made the non-GMO seed sterile.

So much depends on the crop you're discussing, because the requirements for pollination are different. Crops like corn or canola (all the brassicas in general) are not self-fertile and must outcross. Crops like peppers and tomatoes have self-fertile flowers. Outcrossers are, obviously, a lot more troublesome when patented genes start flying around.

There are negotiations underway in Canada at the moment, as to how to allow GMO alfalfa to coexist with conventional. Some provinces cannot have it at all, due to the risk of contamination of the seed crop intended for European markets. The others are talking about maybe using zoning, to allow or disallow the GMO in specific areas so that it doesn't invade the crop gene pool. Another strategy is to harvest the GMO alfalfa before it flowers - without fail!

They do put conventional farmers to a lot of trouble... don't see why they couldn't come up with GMO's that are just plain pollen-free.