High and Dry: GMO Drought Limitations

[fugacity]

Originally Posted by Silverbeard

Yep. You CAN breed with any other non GM material. Unless sometime recently some non GM stuff pulled off getting the types of patents GMs get. I doubt it though. The plant world was a bit shocked when GMs did it.

You are also correct, no one owns old heirlooms if a new cultivar is bred out of it.

There is a different issue here though, as I see it. Getting access to materials in seedbanks isnt always easy for a small time breeder or farmer. These large corps can freely take anything they want to trial or use. If I want things though I have to limit choices greatly and cross my fingers. I know other breeders who even have a "name" , and are known in the field who have been limited let alone people such as myself, who are avidly breeding but dont have a proven track record. If its a funding issue they should let us pay for them, surely there is a way to let all this germplasm flow freely into the hands of farmers, experimenters and breeders... Our seedbanks are imo one of the wisest things we have going, but I dont feel we are using the resource to the best of its ability.

I agree on seed banks. I also think that it is in our best interest to scour the globe for varieties with useful traits, not to lay claim the varietie, but to be used by all varieties of plant breeder. Maybe if the corps could play along and work with the seedbanks to catalog some of the varieties they are finding. Given the tension between seed bankers and Monsanto for example, I doubt it.

[Imp]

Originally Posted by fugacity

I agree on seed banks. I also think that it is in our best interest to scour the globe for varieties with useful traits, not to lay claim the varietie, but to be used by all varieties of plant breeder. Maybe if the corps could play along and work with the seedbanks to catalog some of the varieties they are finding. Given the tension between seed bankers and Monsanto for example, I doubt it.

Given that seed banks often have limited amounts of seed available, depending on the space available, it may be hard to get seed at times without a proven track record. Sort of a catch 22.

There is nothing stopping people from networking to trade varieties and save seed to grow both the original types and hybridize to get the traits they are looking for, either, other than some basic laws for the sanitary cert.'s.

Smaller breeders may well build a good network with like minded folk and be able to breed in the directions they wish to breed in, to get the traits they are looking for.

[fugacity]

I mean I get that the big corps have an unfair advantage of cash that helps them go around the world in serachof interesting traits, but that doesn't seem to implicate them of any piracy.

I'm for as much of an open source system to variety availability as possible.

[Imp]

Originally Posted by fugacity

I mean I get that the big corps have an unfair advantage of cash that helps them go around the world in serachof interesting traits, but that doesn't seem to implicate them of any piracy.

I'm for as much of an open source system to variety availability as possible.

Oh, yes, the bigger corporations can more easily search things out, due to money. That is a given.

I get caught between open source and the right to profit from one's research years as well- I have no problem with a breeder being able to PVP and recoup some money for their work. One has to live.

I guess it is an ideal world thing.

[roberte]

Originally Posted by Gardener5

Certain rose bushs as I recall and fruit trees are patented so you are suppose to propagate those.

?????


That doesn't quite sound accurate: There are warnings about using plants to propagate on virtually every rose bush you buy for example.

[Gardener5]

Originally Posted by roberte

?????


That doesn't quite sound accurate: There are warnings about using plants to propagate on virtually every rose bush you buy for example.

That was a typo on my part, meant to say you aren't suppose to propogate those varieties.