Could be a very good thing, if at least some wild flowers manage to pick up the genes for herbicide tolerance and start to regain their lost heritage.
But 'weeds' usually are wild flowers . . . (granted that might be more applicable in Europe than N America)
Well, technically a beautiful Oak tree in the middle of a farmer's corn field could be classified as a weed if the farmer hated having to cultivate around it every year and one day decided to cut it down and haul it away. Here's an accurate definition taken from Wikipedia:
You all over there in Canada know of a Geneticist named David Suzuki who hosts a science documentary series called "The Nature of Things" ? He helped put together a documentary called "A Silent Forest". Below is are some YouTube links from an organic foods website which carries the entire documentary if you care to watch it. Give yourself some time, as it is about 46 mintutes in length. PART 1 - Web Video of the Week: A Silent Forest (full movie) - The Threat of Genetically Engineered Trees Silent Forest part 2 of 3 Silent Forest part 3 of 3 David Suzuki is one of the most responsible scientists I've listened to who explains things in common simple to understand terms to teach and illustrate the dangers of pursuing technologies for which full understanding of "The Nature of Things" like DNA are not fully understood, despite the arrogance out there that says otherwise. Here is a short clip from that Part 1 of the documentary which is simple and to the point.
Wasn't it a Canadian Farmer who was the first to be sued by Monsanto for patent licensing infringement because some of their pollen was blown onto that famer's fields ? The first time I heard of that case I was blown away, because I was thinking at the time, it couldn't get any worse. Then low and behold. It's insane and utterly horrible the way this company is not only given a free pass in the United States(your southern nieghbour) but also the fact that both major political parties give them their blessing. Seriously, no matter what political party down there runs the country, both the Demos & Repos appoint all responsible high positions of authority of both FDA and USDA to former Monsanto executives. (Britain likewise is on the same page with this. Why ? Because both countries are running bankrupt and it takes money to run militaries and bully what you want across the globe. Control Food Production and you have power. Most of Monsanto products enter 3rd world countries via U.S. and E.U. corporate Agri-Giants. Though I use Monsanto as the poster child of everything nasty about GMO world, you can also add Syngenta and other GMO companies right in there as well. To be honest, I don't see a way out with the present powers that be. Genetic pollution is going to be the next biggest worldwide catastrophy.
michael F, you are a Brit wind-up artist. I recognize the species when I see it, I are one. If you don't quit inciting the innocent Canadian populace, I will secretly inject luciferin genes in your nose tissues. I know just the people to ask for help, right here in Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UPw_bFqwng Maybe the people that want to commercially grow large GM trout (or Canola - aha!) could incorporate a luciferin gene, so we will know when we eat it in the future? ...Optimistic date...dinner prepared by lecherous young male...dims the lights...lights the cat..."Sweetie, what's wrong? You're not eating your green & glowing fish!"
I'm trying to put the article below, on Roundup resistant weeds together with the article above: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/10/07/technology-superweeds-roundup-ready.html Can anyone elucidate? Are we talking about one & the same thing here with xover of genetic material ? Are there 2 or more processes going on to increase the resistance of the weeds? Interesting but oh so scary. Funny. I seem to have heard this scenario rationalized away by many people over many years...& now...
This is my take on it. Although the two articles and the video documentary involve different plants (i.e. Canola, soybean, and GM trees) they all point out the problem common to Roundup Ready plants, that GM genes can escape into the wild and contaminate other plants and the environment. The technology purports to solve a problem but the solution itself eventually becomes a problem which requires more technology - a vicious cycle. It's alarming that a handful of corporations can effectively control the planet's agricultural practices and food production, never mind the harm being inflicted on the environment by using their technology.
Not sure what you're getting at there? But if it's my comment That's quite simply the fact that most plants that are considered arable weeds, are European native species. So over here, any herbicide tolerance among them is a good thing as it increases biodiversity of native species in croplands. The current absence of 'weeds' in crops is having a devastating negative impact on populations of most open-country birds, as they can't find any food to eat.
Sorry, michael F. I thought you were being flippant. I apologise - now I look silly. Fortunately I am used to it & it doesn't bother me. I still am intrigued by the story of the cats. I am waiting for luciferin bearing tissue implants to become a fad in "body mods" & for people to breed glow in the dark cats as pets. I think it was the bit about weeds being wildflowers that threw me. In our global environment for plants, the "bad" weeds usually started out as someone else's wildflowers, it seems to me. Isn't it the case that both Europe & N. America suffer most from "invasive aliens" using resources destined for crops? I would pick these agressive species with proven succesful weediness traits to be most selected-for herbicide resistance or infected with GM genes, rather than often niche-loving natives. No? So, you don't wind people up? I'm disappointed.
OK. got it. We are talking Agricultural weeds only, which in Northern Temperate areas mainly evolved with European agricultural practises. I was hung up on invasives such as, Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam & Giant Hogweed, which are not primarily agricultural weeds.
Those damn Russian's and there hideous TumbleWeeds! rrrrrgh! Of course Western Movies just wouldn't be the same.
Another comment from the peanut gallery under the heading "Better living through chemistry". Part of Suzuki's program linked to above, was about Monsanto claiming plants being theirs because they engineered the gene even if it wasn't on land they owned or were growing plants on. Perhaps that should be inforced having who ever engineered the Canadian Canola remove all their plants from North Dakota, for instance. :) Of course given the mindset they would probably want to use an even worse herbicide to do the job since they engineered an herbicide resistance into the plants to begin with . That they did so is implied by the statement in the original news story, the first link in this thread, Canadian GM canola has escaped into wilds of North Dakota: study. And isn't the quote itself a contradiction. If that is the case, why engineer the plant to begin with since they so obviously failed in their attempts. Such plants would not be any more resistant to herbicides as any unmodified commercial plant would be. Of course they were talking about over time, I'm sure. I wonder how persistent these plants will be in North Dakota?
I'd expect they will be more persistent in ecosystems damaged by herbicides, and less so in undamaged ecosystems where they won't have any competitive advantage. Not sure about North Dakota, but I'd guess probably around 85-90% of Britain's ecosystems have been damaged by herbicide use, so herbicide-tolerant plants are likely to have significant competitive advantage.
Which of course was the desired result of the GM plants in the first place. It only depends upon how effective the attempts to make plants herbicide tolerant are. And seemingly if Suzuki's program is true, then this will lead to even more herbicide use and damage rather than less, since the farmer can eradicate his weeds without harming his crop.
