eGarden © 2006 Ed Mues

From The Garden of Ed. Submitted for publication in The Towne Crier on November 29, 2006

News, Views, Green Talk, and GM Talk, Too.

It has been some time since I provided an update regarding horticulture and closely related news. I feel it is never too late for one.

Perhaps the saddest bit of news I have to report is the passing of tree lovers' and tree caretakers' long time friend, teacher and inspiration, Dr. Alex Shigo on October 6, 2006. A man who attracted standing room only crowds of arboriculturists, students and foresters around the world, it was Dr. Al who taught us "trees hurt, too". It was he who introduced soil biology and tree physiology to arboriculture, changing it from an art to a science. To pay tribute and say goodbye to this man who encouraged attacking life, not merely living it, people came from all over the country, and from as far away as Italy and the Netherlands. It was, appropriately, standing room only, one last time.

On the world stage 14 years ago methyl bromide was recognized as a lethal material tied inextricably to skin cancer, depletion of the ozone layer, and a host of other harmful environmental effects. Its use was banned two years ago under an international treaty with a stipulation excepting critical uses. It turns out the U. S. stockpiles are beyond imagining, and the Bush administration has just won international approval for U. S. farmers to use thousands of tons without even touching the 11,000 ton inventory held by 35 companies. The methyl bromide phase-out was first ordered 14 years ago. We are still waiting.

Success breeds competition. Monsanto, the world's leader in sales of modified seeds, has doubled its net income from sales of corn seeds with three traits. Three traits? Multiple traits or trait stacking is the name of the game today that the big boys play. Through the science of gene shuffling, now plants are herbicide resistant (glyphosate, among others), and kill above ground pests (corn borer, among others) and underground pests (root worm, among others) too. Dupont's Pioneer, lagging behind in recent years, is stepping up to the plate to give Monsanto a run over the next couple of years with sixteen new corn hybrids with the stacked traits mentioned above. Increased yield (bushels per acre) translates to improved market share. Brazil looms large. The more traits a seed boasts, the higher the price. I expect that the EPA will approve quad stacking for the 2008 growing season. Imagine four biotech traits in a single seed. Where will it end?

While corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton with multiple qualities are only a few crops exciting farmers with promises of better consistency, reduced pesticide use and better insect control, higher yields, greater stress and drought tolerance, the lens has broadened to now include a growing industry that wasn't considered a short time ago: ethanol. The corn crop becomes more important. Livestock feed will have to balance with high fermentation corn. Higher corn yields were the original goal, but a new focus is higher ethanol yield per acre. A goal for the future will become the ratio of bushels or corn to gallons of ethanol. Seed researchers have new challenges and I can imagine a future with corn seeds possessing many stacked traits. Hundreds of new hybrids are possible, depending on the desired end. Stay tuned. This is a multi-billion dollars industry in its youth.

I wasn't overly surprised to read that China produces about two-thirds of the world's shoes. But, yes, I was surprised to learn that India ranks second, globally, in the production of vegetables, and, that Spain is Europe's largest vegetable producer.

A nice story and a happy ending is the result of a 2005 Greenpeace study of chemical residues found on vegetables purchased in Germany that were grown in Spain. They received poor scores compared to other suppliers. With Morocco and Turkey offering some stiff competition, Spain's horticultural agencies responded to Germany's demand for improvement, and carried it a step further and applied it to other chains in other countries as well. Spanish farmers now are maximally reliant on biological crop protection. They recognize they can only provide quality, residue-free products by abandoning chemicals and embracing the use of beneficial insects and similar allies.

In southern India, a red mite infestation is threatening tomato, chili, eggplant, cucurbit and bean crops. This tiny insect, which cannot be seen with the unaided eye, has a total lifespan of only 7 to 9 days. Since both the nymphs and adults feed on the undersides of the leaves, entire plants can be destroyed in a week, wreaking huge losses on the farmers. Since the mites are so minuscule, wind is the main carrier. Living fences of leguminous shrubs, maize, sugar canes and castor beans prevent much transmission. Insecticides, including one organophosphate, are also being used to control the pest.

This combination of Integrated Pest Management techniques is marred by the fact that the green revolution of the sixties has resulted in forty years of the mindless deposition of cancer causing pesticides that has resulted in epidemic numbers of cancer cases and an environmental crisis for a second generation in the Punjab region. More and better options need to be explored.

The USDA's Agricultural Research Service has revealed a new robotic diagnostic tool, TIGER", that "... has the potential to identify virtually every kind of microbe that may be present in a given sample- and do so in a matter of minutes." In a field where identifying organisms that cause plant diseases formerly took days or even weeks, "Speed ... accuracy, sensitivity and ease of use promise to make TIGER a frontline tool in detecting new, as-yet-undescribed pathogens, or exotic ones that originate outside the U. S...." TIGER is short for "Triangulation Identification for Genetic Evaluation of Risks."

One debate about genetically modified (GM) crops seems to be winding down. Throughout Europe, the Americas, and developing countries, the increase in acreage devoted to GM crops is evidence that there is increasing support and confidence in their production. There is sufficient evidence to show that insecticide use and herbicide use are both reduced and continuing on that same path. Small farmers are seeing increases in not only their earnings, but also their health and ecosystems, as a result.

Biotech crops are being associated with a reduction in poverty and improvement of health. This is turning a public opinion that was skeptical, and mostly negative about GE crops into a more favorable view. Since 1996 millions of people around the world have been consuming GM foods in their diets without any evidence of adverse health effects. This is a part of the new "Green Revolution" (GR 2). The former one launched in the 60s, while good intentioned, has done little to stave off hunger and starvation. Let's hope this second effort (GR 2) can put a greater dent in the world's 800 million hungry.

I hope in the future to examine more closely the old and new "green" movements and contrast these with the organic movement. It's a different "shade" of green, for sure.

From The Garden of Ed. Submitted for publication in The Towne Crier on November 29, 2006

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