Heirloom Seeds And If They Are Necessary Or A Fraud
There was a time not too long ago when consumers had access to a greater variety of produce than they do today. Many people grew their own fruits and vegetables in home gardens until about around 1950. Family farms were individually owned and operated and many different types of crops were raised. For the most part, the seeds used were heirloom seeds. The seed source was an open pollinated plant and it could be expected to develop into a plant that was identical to the parent. After World War II, hybrid seeds and the consolidation of farmland revolutionized the American agriculture industry. Now there are even bioengineered seeds being used to grow various crops.
So what is a hybrid seed and why is it less desirable than heirloom seeds? Well, hybrids, as may be inferred through the name, are products of cross-pollination between different plant varieties. For example, scientists get pollen from one fruit and put them into another's stigma, the product of which is a hybrid seed which when grown will have unique characteristics. This technique is employed when trying to get the best of both worlds, so to speak. Some plants produce crops that last longer than other breeds, or taste better, or is resistant to a pest. What if you could make a kind that is good on all counts?
This should make for an ideal scenario, but a problem surfaces when hybrids do not breed true. What this means is that seeds from hybrid corn don't necessary produce the same kind of corn in the succeeding generations, as if one has to cross his fingers and wish himself luck. The child plant of hybrids are quite unreliable, at times unable to even germinate. For this reason, farmers don't bother to collect seeds for the next planting season, instead they are forced to purchase new seeds every time. Hybrid seeds also require special care in terms of fertilizers, water, and pesticides to give a good yield. In contrast, heirloom seeds are easier to grow and there is no need to buy the seeds because you can use those from the next generation and so on.
One quality many hybrid seeds do have is that they will increase the yield of the crop. While this is good in some ways, this also presents problems. When it is more profitable to grow just one crop, rather than a variety, diversity suffers. Hybrid seeds have also contributed to the loss of the American family farm, as small scale farmers are unable to compete with monoculture mega-farms.
As for bio-engineered seeds, scientists study the genes of various plants and animals to find out which ones are responsible for which characteristics. They use this knowledge to create seeds that are better by changing their DNA, whether to increase their immunity to disease, decrease their dependence on fertilizer, and other desirable behaviors. There are even bio-engineered seeds that are designed such that they'll respond to only certain types of fertilizers and pesticides, effectively creating a monopoly for the company manufacturing these.
There are also debates raging over the safety of these hybrid seeds. Since the field is still new, studies have yet to be conducted that tell us whether pollen from hybrid plants has the ability to pollute the heirloom plants. Some fear that hybrids will choke out the heirloom crops and possibly even the wild plant population. At one time, there was one corporation that wanted to introduce a sterility gene. This was stopped because many feared that it could contaminate all plants and cease the production of any seeds.
With the increase in use of bioengineered and hybrid seeds, there is less and less diversity in the food supply these days. Corporations must make money and there is a high cost associated with producing hybrid plants. With the cost so high, the corporations are less likely to produce many different kinds of seeds. With less diversity in the crops there is a big problem if some catastrophe hits that particular crop. There will be nothing to take its place. This has happened in the past and could happen again in the future. Crop failure can be caused by climate changes, extreme weather conditions and various diseases. Famine can result if just one crop is grown and there is nothing to back it up. The Irish became familiar with this situation when the potato crop was devastated by blight during the 19th century.
The ability to actually grow recognizable plants from heirloom seeds is another advantage. While hybrid seeds may or may not grow, and will produce unpredictable results, the carrot that grows from a heirloom seed will be just the carrot you want.
However, the most important aspect of heirloom seeds is the taste of their harvest. After all, we are talking about food here. Agribusiness corporations put a premium on aesthetics and resiliency in creating their modified seeds, often putting taste in the background. Their fruits may look beautiful but they taste like nothing. Crops from heirloom seeds are full of flavor, their natural taste trumping anything produced in a laboratory.
So what is a hybrid seed and why is it less desirable than heirloom seeds? Well, hybrids, as may be inferred through the name, are products of cross-pollination between different plant varieties. For example, scientists get pollen from one fruit and put them into another's stigma, the product of which is a hybrid seed which when grown will have unique characteristics. This technique is employed when trying to get the best of both worlds, so to speak. Some plants produce crops that last longer than other breeds, or taste better, or is resistant to a pest. What if you could make a kind that is good on all counts?
This should make for an ideal scenario, but a problem surfaces when hybrids do not breed true. What this means is that seeds from hybrid corn don't necessary produce the same kind of corn in the succeeding generations, as if one has to cross his fingers and wish himself luck. The child plant of hybrids are quite unreliable, at times unable to even germinate. For this reason, farmers don't bother to collect seeds for the next planting season, instead they are forced to purchase new seeds every time. Hybrid seeds also require special care in terms of fertilizers, water, and pesticides to give a good yield. In contrast, heirloom seeds are easier to grow and there is no need to buy the seeds because you can use those from the next generation and so on.
One quality many hybrid seeds do have is that they will increase the yield of the crop. While this is good in some ways, this also presents problems. When it is more profitable to grow just one crop, rather than a variety, diversity suffers. Hybrid seeds have also contributed to the loss of the American family farm, as small scale farmers are unable to compete with monoculture mega-farms.
As for bio-engineered seeds, scientists study the genes of various plants and animals to find out which ones are responsible for which characteristics. They use this knowledge to create seeds that are better by changing their DNA, whether to increase their immunity to disease, decrease their dependence on fertilizer, and other desirable behaviors. There are even bio-engineered seeds that are designed such that they'll respond to only certain types of fertilizers and pesticides, effectively creating a monopoly for the company manufacturing these.
There are also debates raging over the safety of these hybrid seeds. Since the field is still new, studies have yet to be conducted that tell us whether pollen from hybrid plants has the ability to pollute the heirloom plants. Some fear that hybrids will choke out the heirloom crops and possibly even the wild plant population. At one time, there was one corporation that wanted to introduce a sterility gene. This was stopped because many feared that it could contaminate all plants and cease the production of any seeds.
With the increase in use of bioengineered and hybrid seeds, there is less and less diversity in the food supply these days. Corporations must make money and there is a high cost associated with producing hybrid plants. With the cost so high, the corporations are less likely to produce many different kinds of seeds. With less diversity in the crops there is a big problem if some catastrophe hits that particular crop. There will be nothing to take its place. This has happened in the past and could happen again in the future. Crop failure can be caused by climate changes, extreme weather conditions and various diseases. Famine can result if just one crop is grown and there is nothing to back it up. The Irish became familiar with this situation when the potato crop was devastated by blight during the 19th century.
The ability to actually grow recognizable plants from heirloom seeds is another advantage. While hybrid seeds may or may not grow, and will produce unpredictable results, the carrot that grows from a heirloom seed will be just the carrot you want.
However, the most important aspect of heirloom seeds is the taste of their harvest. After all, we are talking about food here. Agribusiness corporations put a premium on aesthetics and resiliency in creating their modified seeds, often putting taste in the background. Their fruits may look beautiful but they taste like nothing. Crops from heirloom seeds are full of flavor, their natural taste trumping anything produced in a laboratory.
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