How insane is agricultural "science?"

[www.nytimes.com]

"Today, the process usually begins with cobalt-60, a highly radioactive material used in industrial radiography and medical radiotherapy. Its gamma rays, more energetic than X-rays, can travel many yards through the air and penetrate lead."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2009 07:26AM by Omega.

Gamma rays.... a little while back I ran across "Purple Mutant Space Potatoes",
seeds sent into space by the Chinese space program, exposed to cosmic
radiation, and receiving a "cool factor" in Chinese restaurants..

[www.therawfeed.com]

There ought to be review testing of course.. it's not quite a natural process
of mutations when done in the lab..

BTW, purple is a nutural color for potatoes going back to the earliest origins.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2009 02:07PM by loeve.

So it is now perfectly acceptable to give defenseless plants radiation poisoning. Dogs and cats will be next. Everyone's looking for the next Labradoodle, and natural breeding is such a drag, dude.

Thanks for posting this, Omega, and reminding me how very badly I want off this planet . . .

"Unintended Effects of Conventional Plant Breeding

"Naturally Occurring Toxins

"... all crop strains, including organic strains, potentially express traits
generated by various forms of induced mutagenesis. (Under organic regulations,
radiation breeding and induced mutagenesis are acceptable, but irradiation of
the final food itself is not. For more information on organic regulations, see
USDA-AMS, 2001.)"
[www.nap.edu]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2009 11:57PM by loeve.

.. so it looks like radiation breeding is considered organic, at least by the US authorities.. any info to the contrary?

From the OP article:

"Dr. Lagoda takes pains to distinguish the little-known radiation work from the contentious field of genetically modified crops, sometimes disparaged as “Frankenfood.” That practice can splice foreign genetic material into plants, creating exotic varieties grown widely in the United States but often feared and rejected in Europe. By contrast, radiation breeding has made few enemies.

“Spontaneous mutations are the motor of evolution,” Dr. Lagoda said. “We are mimicking nature in this. We’re concentrating time and space for the breeder so he can do the job in his lifetime. We concentrate how often mutants appear — going through 10,000 to one million — to select just the right one...

"Dr. Lagoda said that radiation breeding, though an old (80 years) technology, was undergoing rapid growth. New methods that speed up the identification of mutants are making radiation breeding even more popular, he said.

“Now it becomes interesting again,” he said of the method. “It’s not a panacea. It’s not the solution. But it’s a very efficient tool that helps us reduce the breeding time.”

"Spreading the secret, Dr. Lagoda added as he played with his tiny dice, “is very gratifying because we really, really help people.”

..pass the atomic mutant bananas please..

International Atomic Energy Agency -IAEA
The IAEA has been working on radiation breeding for the past 44 years, In the mid-1990s the IAEA and counterparts like the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute in Vietnam had an important breakthrough with the introduction of the "VND series", a variety of rice that was shorter, which prevented the crop from falling over, and also made it easier to harvest.

The latest variety, VND95-20, is now grown on 30 percent of the Mekong Delta's one million hectares of rice-growing area, and is the most widely used rice in Vietnam. It thrives in the delta's saline conditions and has good resistance to a major insect pest, the brown plant hopper.

Another variety in the series, VND99-3, can be harvested three times a year, and within 100 days of planting the seeds, improving food security for Vietnam's 84 million people???

IAEA scientists are collaborating with plant breeders in several African countries, using nuclear techniques to improve the safety of cassava and enhance its nutritional content, yield and resistance to disease.

We veterans of the Aliance of Atomic Veterans know about the IAGA, How corrupt,
and it's all about dollars. Nuclear power what a stupid way to boil water.
nuke grown food, Mutiant Food? you are what you eat. we are not human we are devo.
Ideas like these can make a person wonder what went wrong.
ps.
If countries cannot afford access to "radiation breeding", the IAEA will do it for them at no charge



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2009 06:56PM by riverhousebill.

Already more than 3000 crop varieties of some 170 different plant species have been released through the direct intervention of the IAEA: they include barley that grows at 5000 meters (16,400 ft) and rice that thrives in saline soil.

Tamukha Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
Everyone's looking for the
> next Labradoodle, and natural breeding is such a
> drag, dude.

ha labradoodles .. i remember a time when if it wasnt a purebreed .. it was a mutt .. for free .. maybe up 50$

now people are selling mutts for up to 1000$ or more .. it boggles the mind what drives people to pay money like this

not that i have anything against mutts .. my best dogs in 40 years are and have been mutts .. but sheesh

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

.. LOVE mutts.. they are one step closer back to their origin, the wolf --
and wolves are awesome..

.. speeking of atomic chickens, dogs and plants.. the mutant banana variety
from the International Atomic Energy Agency is in Sudan according to their 2008
press release --

"Sudan: Banana variety "Albeely" producing up to 100% higher yields and
improved quality."
[www.iaea.org]

.. so if you live in Sudan you may see mutant "Albeely" variety bananas in the
markets, not that there's anything wrong with that..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2009 03:29PM by loeve.