[extropy-chat] World map of GM stategic planning and policies.

[Lifespan Pharma/Morris Johnson CTO]

That is the basis of roundup resistant crops.
One chemical replaces many and in this case is so innocuous a compound 
that the surfactant/carrier is actually
more of a health hazard than the herbicide.

Roundup was a bit of a fluke though.  It was just a simple, cheap to 
make compound that could be sold for a shitload of money
because it was one of a kind.  Then as luck had it nature already had 
resistant genes in the backwoods and cooincidentally
the gene was easy to work with and actually worked when transferred  
into a whole whack of unrelated plants.
In 34 years we have not seen anything with those attributes come along 
again.

Now in the GMO world the only thing rivalling roundup that could be 
created would be a singel gene for perennialism and
environmental ruggedness that would make numerous annuals into high 
performing perennials.
That would revolutionize the energy in VS energy out agricultureal 
production equation.
Making ethanol and oil based biodiesel from  high input annual crops is 
a disaster of the highest magnitude in the making.
If the energy equation could be shifted by one decimal point ag biotech 
would replace conventional  biomaterial sources
and would change world economics as much as the microchip changed 
computation.

We live in Saskatchewan where I am told there  is in the works a nuclear 
reactor or 2 to put the tar sands into full
production as well as one of the world's most plentyful sources of 
uranium , but still we have to plan for what to do once
that is all extracted and we are left with declining production from 
ever more marginal energy reserves.

When I sit down to give our government advice that is where my thoughts 
come from.

Morris



Dirk Bruere wrote:

>
>
> On 12/6/05, Samantha Atkins <sjatkins at mac.com 
> <mailto:sjatkins at mac.com>> wrote:
>
>
>     On Dec 6, 2005, at 6:19 AM, Rik van Riel wrote:
>
>     > On Mon, 5 Dec 2005, The Avantguardian wrote:
>     >
>     >
>     >> What about pest-resistant crops that reduce
>     >> the amount of toxic pesticides used on the crops?
>     >>
>     >
>     > I've seen more of the opposite - GM crops that are modified
>     > specifically to tolerate a higher level of pesticides and
>     > herbicides, so the producers can spray all the poisons they
>     > want without worrying about the plants.
>     >
>
>     These sprayings cost money.  So even by your own biases this is
>     unlikely.
>
>
> Not if the cost of extra spraying is offset by greater yield.
> Screw the rest of Nature.
>
> Dirk


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