Tag Archives: patent

Biofortified GM bananas

Posted on June 22, 2014 by argylesock

James Dale is a scientist at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT, Australia). His lab has developed a genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) banana (Musa × paradisiaca) rich in ‘pro-vitamin A’. Here’s the QUT report. This is the ‘super banana’ … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, America, Asia, banana, banana Cavendish, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, biodiversity, biofortification, biotechnology, breeding, carotenoid, child, conservation, cotton, crop diversity, crop variety, development, East African cooking banana, food security, food sovereignty, fruit, fruit variety, gene, gene gun, genetic modification, iron, land grab, local variety, marker assisted backcrossing, micronutrient, Monsanto, nutrition, patent, plantain, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, poverty, pro-vitamin A, Provit Banana, research, rice, Scuba rice, seed, soya, staple food, super banana, tissue culture, trade, Vitamin A | 2 Comments

Roundup weedkiller and Roundup Ready crops

Posted on June 9, 2014 by argylesock

The world’s most popular weedkiller is called Roundup. It’s used in gardens, on farms and in public places. Many of the world’s most popular genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) crops are called Roundup Ready. You can spray these crops with … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, America, Asia, bacterium, Bayer, biotechnology, crop, Europe, farm, garden, genetic modification, glyphosate, herbicide, herbicide resistance, history, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, Monsanto, patent, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, Syngenta, trade, weed | 12 Comments

Is organic farming out of date?

Posted on June 2, 2014 by argylesock

There’s evidence that organic methods can be very productive, as I’ll discuss in this blog when I get around to that. I grow food on an allotment here in Britain. There, like many modern allotmenteers, I use organic methods. I … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture | Tagged allotment, America, Asia, biotechnology, Europe, farmer, gardener, genetic modification, grocery, law, Marsh_Steve, Monsanto, organic, patent, pesticide | 17 Comments

Soya to grow with 2,4-D

Posted on May 30, 2014 by argylesock

Crops genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) to resist Monsanto’s weedkiller Roundup (glyphosate) aren’t the only GM crops designed to be grown with weedkiller. GRAIN tells us about a new such crop. It’s a soya (soybean, Glycine max) designed to be … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, human health, knowledge transfer | Tagged 2 4-D, Africa, America, ammonium, Asia, auxin, biotechnology, brain, cancer, commodity crop, corn, cotton, crop variety, Dow, evolution, feed, food, Frontline, genetic modification, glufosinate, glyphosate, herbicide, herbicide resistance, history, hormone, human, kidney, liver, maize, milk, Monsanto, muscle, neurotoxin, patent, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_dicot, poison, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, soya, soya DAS-44406-6, superweed, tree, vegetation, war, weed, woman | 3 Comments

Open Source Seeds

Posted on April 19, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on Global Food Politics:
A group of researchers and plant breeders based at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, on Thursday announced a new initiative intended to break the monopoly control over plant genetic materials promoted by the use…

Posted in agriculture, horticulture, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged America, brassica, breeding, broccoli, carrot, conservation, crop, crop diversity, development, Europe, farmer, food sovereignty, gardener, genetic diversity, kale, patent, plant_dicot, pseudocereal, quinoa, scientist, seed, seedbank, tradition, umbellifer, vegetable, vegetable variety | Leave a comment

Steve Marsh genetically modified canola court case transcripts to be made available online

Posted on February 19, 2014 by argylesock

Steve Marsh is the farmer I described yesterday, suing his neighbour for ‘reckless’ harvesting of GM (genetically modified, genetically engineered) oilseed rape (canola, rapeseed, Brassica napus). Today we learn that court transcripts will be available online. I’m grateful to GM … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, knowledge transfer | Tagged Asia, biotechnology, brassica, canola, crop, escaping transgene, farmer, genetic modification, law, Marsh_Steve, Monsanto, organic, patent, plant_dicot, rapeseed | 10 Comments

Are Monsanto’s GM seeds invincible?

Posted on February 18, 2014 by argylesock

Monsanto is a giant company selling chemicals. It also sells seeds. Some of those seeds are for crops genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) to be grown with Monsanto’s agrochemicals. Monsanto is used to winning legal battles but now a case … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged Asia, BASF, Bayer, biotechnology, brassica, canola, crop, Dow, DuPont, escaping transgene, farmer, finance, food safety, food security, food sovereignty, genetic modification, glyphosate, herbicide, knowledge, law, Marsh_Steve, Monsanto, oilseed, organic, patent, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, rapeseed, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, seed, Syngenta, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, weed | 17 Comments

An organic farmer walks into Monsanto

Posted on February 1, 2014 by argylesock

The biotechnology giant Monsanto says that it’s ‘improving agriculture, improving lives.’ Do you agree? Monsanto is a chemical company. Some of its efforts to improve agriculture involve agrochemicals and genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered, GE) seeds to be planted where … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged arthropod, biotechnology, breeding, Bt crop, Bt toxin, climate, climate-ready crop, crop, crop variety, development, farmer, genetic modification, herbicide, insect, insecticide, Monsanto, organic, patent, pest, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, seed, soil, sustainable, trade, weed | 4 Comments

Golden Rice is ‘no solution’ to malnutrition

Posted on September 9, 2013 by argylesock

GRAIN says that Golden Rice is no solution to malnutrition. Golden Rice is a variety of rice (Oryza sativa) which has been genetically modified (GM, also called genetically engineered or GE) to make beta-carotene in its grains. After you eat … Continue reading →

Posted in food, human health, knowledge transfer | Tagged biofortification, biotechnology, carrot, child, crop diversity, crop rotation, crop variety, development, finance, food, genetic modification, Golden Rice, grain, Green Revolution, hemipteran, integrated pest management, International Rice Research Institute, knowledge, land use, local variety, neonicotinoid, nutrition, Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato, patent, pest, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, poverty, pumpkin, research, rice, selective breeding, smallholder, sweet potato, Syngenta, System of Rice Intensification, vegetable, Vitamin A, woman | 3 Comments

Patents and Seed: A Short Review of Seeds of Freedom

Posted on July 18, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Global Food Politics:
Seeds of Freedom The film Seeds of Freedom is a short documentary examining the impact of changing conceptions of seed from traditional farming systems through industrialization and genetic modification. Coming in at just 30…

Posted in agriculture, food | Tagged biodiversity, biotechnology, breeding, crop, crop variety, development, farmer, food, food sovereignty, genetic modification, Green Revolution, local variety, patent, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, seed, selective breeding, smallholder | 1 Comment