This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English AgricultureReport.
Wind plays an important part in the reproduction of many crops.In some cases, though, the effect can be surprising. A studyrecently appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy ofSciences. This study involved a genetically engineered kind ofgrass.
Scientists found that pollen from the grass spread up to twentyone kilometers to fertilize other grasses. This was true of plantsgrown for the experiment. The scientists say they found similarevidence of gene flow in wild plants up to fourteen kilometers away.Earlier studies of genetically engineered plants had foundpollination at distances of one kilometer or less.
Scientists from the United States Environmental Protection Agencyled the new study in the state of Oregon. The team planted a kind ofgrass engineered to resist RoundUp, a poison that kills weeds.
Two companies, Monsanto and Scotts, developed this kind ofcreeping bentgrass for use on golf courses. Scotts also wants tomarket the grass for home use. There are concerns that thegenetically engineered bentgrass could pass its chemical resistancegenes to wild grasses or weeds.
In Hawaii, some fruit growers face a similar issue that involvespapaya trees. These growers do not use chemicals or biotechnology.But tests have found genetically engineered seeds in their papayas.The organic growers say this is the result of pollen fromgenetically engineered papaya trees on nearby farms. Those treeswere designed to resist a virus that was destroying Hawaii’s papayacrop.
Now, the industry has come back to life. But the New York Timestold how one organic grower reacted after tests showed that some ofhis fruit contained the genetically engineered seeds. He cut downall one hundred seventy of his trees. He has planted new ones,although the same thing could happen again.
Some plant scientists say farmers should not worry too much aboutproblems from so-called genetic pollution. They say plants do noteasily pass genetic qualities to other organisms in the wild. Theysay this is especially true of a single quality, like resistance tochemicals.
Still, the age-old spread of pollen in the wind is a modern issuein the debate over biotechnology.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by MarioRitter. This is Gwen Outen.