GardenBanter.co.uk - GM canola spreads it's Genes.

On 06/08/2010 14:11, Bob Hobden wrote:
We all thought that GM seed crops could possibly share their genetic
modifications with wild plants but this research on Canola, an oil grain
like rapeseed, in the US proves it's too late to stop. Some of the wild
plants they found had both GM genes so what will Monsanto do now,
produce more powerful weedkillers?

Potentially they lose the utility of RoundUp Ready(TM) crops.

A part of the problem here is bad farming practices where there is
little or no crop rotation and an over reliance on Glyphosate as a quick
chemical fix leading to a build up of resistant species.

Canola is what they call the oil refined from oilseed rape in the USA.

It isn't too surprising the gene can cross into wild brassicas. You only
have to look at the number of volunteer seedlings in the verges in areas
where oilseed rape has been grown.

http://newswire.uark.edu/Article.aspx?id=14453

The EU is now licensing farmers to plant GM rapeseed crops so this is
what will happen here, herbicide resistant weeds.

It shouldn't iff they obey sensible crop rotation with other herbicides
and not just growing the same crop every year. It will be a shame if
glyphosate is ruined for general use by sloppy farming practices.

I would urge everyone to use generic glyphosate formulations and to
avoid Monsantos products to make a protest about their crass behaviour
wrt GM crops. I am not against the crops themselves. GM technology could
be very useful, but I am against how Monsanto went about it.

Regards,
Martin Brown