Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

soybeans and corn are the 2 largest
never heard of a GMO tomato, lettuce, or veggie. Hybridization has been going on for centuries,and is a good thing. People are getting a little carried away with the non GMO craziness. I'm seeing people advertise "non GMO tomatoes, non GMO lettuce, etc. Talk about bandwagoners.lol

Flavrsavr was a gmo tomato and one of the first gmo monstrosities to hit the market. It failed miserably and hasn't been available for awhile. Apparently there are others being developed though. The peach tree called UFO is a gmo. There are more than you may think out there.

sw, very interesting regarding the Flavrsavr. http://ucanr.org/repository/cao/landing ... lltext=yes

Also, interesting was the scientific finding that the Dr. later recanted regarding his mice and GMO potatoes. It's just seems silly that people are so set against anything done in a lab. I'm no scientist, but just like all the eco crazies who think "organic" is the only way to go, there surely has to be a reasonable middle ground. There are surely plant technologies and improvements that are done that are not doing anything health related. If they can create a grain that grows with 50% water use, and be able to feed a few billion people, it sounds like it may be something to congratulate them on, not condemn them. Before all the GMO activists send me a bunch of links of cancer, and all the evils, I'm not saying that all GMO products are the most healthiest option, just saying that they should each be weighed on their own merit/safety. Altering a gene in a lab, or taking 20 years to do it hybridizing. Getting the result, a better, stronger, more viable, and still healthy plant is the goal.

To make a gmo is the part I don't care for. According to The Future of Food they require a bacteria that causes tumors in plants and E Coli bacteria and a virus to allow the foreign gene to take to the host organism and an antibiotic to see later whether it worked. Plus they now own our government and can patent these frankenfruits. Once they are in the world, they can contaminate our diverse heirloom plants and ruin the biodiversity of our food chain. So, yes, I'll take the 20 years it takes to naturally hybridize and create new plants by means the plants normally would (sex!)

So, yes, I'll take the 20 years the way nature would have done it and not jeopardize our worlds food

I always buy my seeds from "http://www.mypatriotsupply.com/default.asp" My Patriot Supply. They sale only Non-GMO seeds.

Most of the time they have specials where you can get 100 or more seeds free, just have to look around. Think last time I got some tomatoes and cucumbers for free with my order. You have to search for the free seeds though, they do NOT automatically add them to your order.

They are affordable and fast on shipping.

HA is it that bad!
Here is my favourite place or should I say favorite
http://www.adaptiveseeds.com/

Ignoring anything about safety of the GMO crops, since the genes are patentable and since they can be transferred by normal pollination this alone removes choosing whether or not to use GMOs in the long haul. This would be especially true for certain plant families that are easy to cross pollinate. It would also stifle breeding programs of regular varieties in areas where they may accidentally be cross pollinated with GMO varieties.

was that post at me scotty?

I meant "is it that bad in the US, that you can't even find non GMO seed"

Jet, you're right. I hear so many people freaking out about GMO toms, peppers, lettuce, etc. The internet sure gives rise to a lot of scare tactics and false info. GMO in it's truest form is not inherently evil. There are labs creating wonderful advances that may help feed this world. They can do in a short (relative) period of time what would take normal hybridizers years or even decades to achieve. Then you have large corporations monopolizing single feed broad acre crops and suing small farmers who try and use their own seed....a while different story. Apples and oranges. Don't confuse science with greed. Similar to what stem cells are doing in the medical world, genetic modifications may hold the secret to feeding the 11 billion people by 2100. As much as I love AP, it sure as hell isn't going to feed that many people.

To put this all in perspective - there are actual farmers, with fields of crops, who have trouble getting their hands on GMO seed. See - if you're planting GMO seed, there are forms to fill out, and usually minimum orders.


So if a farmer who wants GMO seed has trouble getting it - the odds of me or you accidentally buying GMO seed is almost none.

I just spent the last half hour trying to see if I could buy GMO seeds. This is what i came up with.


PS: according to Seminis, the only GMO crops are corn, papaya, and squash. That doesn't include RoundupReady crops such as soybean, corn, canola, sugar beet, and cotton.

Exactly, smatthew, why would they spend millions of dollars in R&D and sell them in packs of 50 seeds? Doesn't make much sense. GMO's are not designed for home use, they're designed for large corporate farms with thousands of acres.

Although - what I wouldn't give for a whole line up of bt cruciferous vegetables. Til then, Dipel and I are good friends.

Not GMO but a variety 'de-hybridized' from a monsanto line
http://www.adaptiveseeds.com/product/to ... fect-rogue

jayendra, a de-hybridized plant is nothing more then an F2, F3, F4, etc from a hybridized plant. I'm no expert on hybridizing, but the idea is simply to develop plants with good traits and save seeds to eventually develop improved plants. Pretty similar to what you can do in a lab with GMO. Splicing genes allows you to do in a few months/years, what could take decades of hybridizing. I'm no fan of Monsanto either, but my issues with them have more to do with their bullying small farmers who save seed to help plant subsequent years crops. People have been hybridizing and de- hybridizing for centuries.