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More crop for the drop: More drought-resistant plants are available through genetic modification, if only government would get out of the way, says commentary

Posted by: Maven on April 27, 2009 at 7:48 am

From the Los Angeles Times, this commentary by Henry I. Miller, a physician and molecular biologist, and a fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution:

America’s politicians and government officials have been slow to grasp the importance of societal resilience — the ability to recover from or adapt to adversity. Sufficient resilience can minimize the risks of major, debilitating disruptions — whether they be economic ones, such as the current recession, or unavoidable natural disasters.

Take the ability to cope with droughts, for example. Science, technology and intelligent planning cannot eliminate them, but they can mitigate their effects. Or at least they could, if only federal policymakers and local regulations permitted it.

Gene-splicing, sometimes called genetic modification, offers plant breeders the tools to make old crop plants do spectacular new things. In the United States and two dozen other countries, farmers are using gene-spliced crop varieties to produce higher yields, with lower inputs and reduced environmental impact.

In spite of research being hampered by resistance from activists and discouraged by governmental over-regulation, gene-spliced crop varieties are slowly but surely trickling out of the development pipeline in many parts of the world. Most of these new varieties are designed to be resistant to pests and diseases, or to be resistant to herbicides, so that farmers can more effectively control weeds while adopting more environment-friendly no-till farming practices and more benign herbicides. Other varieties possess improved nutritional quality. But the greatest boon of all, to food security and to the environment in the long term, may be the ability of new crop varieties to tolerate periods of drought and other water-related stresses.

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

April 27, 2009 · Filed Under Agriculture

Comments

2 Responses to “More crop for the drop: More drought-resistant plants are available through genetic modification, if only government would get out of the way, says commentary”

  1. dfb on April 27th, 2009 11:11 am

    I’m game for easing restrictions as long as every food product sold in the U.S. provides a label that says whether it contains or was fed G.M.O. ingredients. That means boxed foods, restaurant menus, hot dog carts, and school cafeteria menus would need to provide information about G.M.O. ingredients. That way, consumers can make an informed purchasing decision.

  2. wuddaworld on April 27th, 2009 2:43 pm

    You have GOT to be kidding. Genetic modification like this: doesn’t work, causes significant ‘collateral damage’, and is outlawed in most other civilized countries. See the recent study by the Union of Concerned Scientists and other news http://tinyurl.com/cqex8n Remember Nature Bats Last. We humans need to adjust our behavior accordingly.

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