Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: Georgia, on the Florida line, right above Tallahassee
10,471 posts, read 15,827,481 times
Reputation: 6438
Advertisements
Quote:
Originally Posted by mb1547
You're trying to compare selective breeding to genetic engineering--they aren't the same thing. The problem with genetic engineering is that they introduce genes into the plant that may not be found in nature. I don't know if genetically altered crops are completely safe or dangerous to people and the environment--no one does at this point. That's the problem. When I was growing up, my neighbors started using bovine growth hormone (BGH--another genetically engineered product) at their dairy, and we fed antibiotics to our animals--it was all considered completely safe. Now we're finding growing antibiotic resistance from the antibiotics and data that indicates there's a real link between cancer and BGH. I grew up thinking those products were just fine, and now I won't feed them to my kids. If we're going to continue to introduce these products, I want to at least have the information available to me so I can avoid them if I choose.
They use supernatural genes~!??! No wonder I was koo-koo for Cocoa Puffs! Then again, they've been indoctrinating us for generations to accept these supernatural flavors. I mean, look at that blue cereal. Egad.
You're trying to compare selective breeding to genetic engineering--they aren't the same thing
actually i am not talking about selective breeding, though that also has been going on for thousands of years. what i am talking about is plant splicing, where you take a shoot from one plant, and splice it with another, and come up with a different plant species. that is also a tried and true practice going back a couple hundred years or so.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,157,672 times
Reputation: 8105
Grafting doesn't make a new species, rbohm - it's simply a way to put two similar species together to work in harmony. The bottom plant provides a strong root system, and the top usually bears the desired fruit of a related species that may not be sturdy enough to go it alone. So one desired kind of grape might be grafted onto the rootstock of another well established grape, or the same with fruit trees.
what i am talking about is plant splicing, where you take a shoot from one plant, and splice it with another, and come up with a different plant species. that is also a tried and true practice going back a couple hundred years or so.
That's called grafting, but it doesn't change the genetic makeup of either plant.
ETA: Oops, Woof already explained it.
Last edited by Ohiogirl81; 05-21-2012 at 07:04 AM..
Reason: added something
Grafting doesn't make a new species, rbohm - it's simply a way to put two similar species together to work in harmony. The bottom plant provides a strong root system, and the top usually bears the desired fruit of a related species that may not be sturdy enough to go it alone. So one desired kind of grape might be grafted onto the rootstock of another well established grape, or the same with fruit trees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81
That's called grafting, but it doesn't change the genetic makeup of either plant.
ETA: Oops, Woof already explained it.
you guys might want to read up a bit on plant grafting;
both of these sources indicate that there IS genetic modification going on, not just selective breeding.
Quote:
One of the most common reasons for grafting is the propagation of hybrids. Many hybrids, fruit trees especially, will not breed true. In other words, the seeds of a hybrid fruit tree will produce fruit trees, but the fruit trees will not resemble the parent. To reproduce the hybrid, grafting on sturdy stock is performed, usually on the trunk just above the roots, leading the tree to produce the desired hybrid fruit.
they also talk about being able to grow two or more different items on one plant, for instance growing tomatos and potatoes on the SAME plant, or two different types of apples on one tree.
both of these sources indicate that there IS genetic modification going on, not just selective breeding.
they also talk about being able to grow two or more different items on one plant, for instance growing tomatos and potatoes on the SAME plant, or two different types of apples on one tree.
neither of those sources indicate any such thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Woof
It comes down to this: the label "organic" indicates certain standards, though they are different from state to state, federal, and even international (for example there are lots of Mexican organics, but who knows what that means).
The label "natural" has NO meaning or standards. Kool Aid could legally be labelled All Natural.
I am of the opinion (and have been for a long time) that "organic" food is one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on the American populace. Plop an "organic" label on it....charge 25% more for the product.....and VOILA!....everyone is happy....the idgit consumer who thinks he's eating well and the fat cat corporate genius who dreamt up the concept.
Because there is no legal meaning for natural foods, food manufacturers can include ingredients that may not be considered natural by some consumers.
The poultry industry has been criticized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest for labeling chicken meat "all natural" after it has been injected with saline solution up to 25% of its weight, but there is no legal recourse to prevent this labeling.[12]
Although there is no legal U.S. definition for natural foods, there are numerous unofficial or informal definitions, none of which is applied uniformly to foods labeled "natural"."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
