Guest guest Posted April 18, 2000 Report Share Posted April 18, 2000 I just got this from a gardening list I'm on and just had to share. I do realize this isn't a gardening list <g>, but we have discussed GE foods here, to good effect I'm sure. The author, Dr. Ingham, makes her life work studying the microorganisms in the soil. A few weeks ago I attended an on-line live lecture by her, and was SO amazed and surprised at the intricate web of life in the soil which interacts with plant life. She commented (and this is even more OT, I realize) that even chemical FERTILIZERS harm soil organisms (not to mention chemical herbicides and pesticides). Soil health, measured in the numbers of these microorganisms, is essential for plant health. Healthy plants withstand pests and disease to a much greater extent. Everything is balance -- if you don't have SOME of the *bad guys,* there's no food for the good guy predators, which is also, of course, true above ground. Anyway, here's some more startling (to me) info on engineered foods. I for one will be much more careful about the potatoes I buy here on out, since my compost is important to me. Penny -- is there some master list somewhere of the food producers and/or foods that are known to be genetically engineered? Green Giant Potatoes versus Ore Ida, as just one example? Or those producers who don't produce GE foods? (We already know if it's in a box, it's highly suspect.) Meanwhile, I guess I'll think harder about growing my own potatoes. I hope this is interesting to most listmembers and therefore not too bad an OT sin. Patricia who is feeling overwhelmed yet again about the increasing degradation in our food supply, and the possible (probable?) genetic nightmares we're creating :-( >>Hi to the Compost List Digest >> >>One of your readers sent this to SFI, and I thought I'd answer it. >> >>We discuss aerobic/anaerobic conditions in the compost foodweb section on >>the website. Our web address is www.soilfoodweb.com Check the table of >>contents on the left hand side of the page, and click on " Compost Foodweb " . >> Have fun learning about the microbiology of compost. Learn how to detect >> " putrifying organic matter " which should never be confused with compost! >> >>We also get into the aerobic/anaerobic consideration even more in the >>Growing Solutions Compost Tea Manual available from GSI, >>www.growingsolutions.com >> >>We have even more work on aerobic/anaerobic conditions that will come out >>in the next version (1.2) of the Compost Tea Manual, due out in about a >month. >> >>On the second topic, since my program at OSU was involved in the early days >>of genetically engineered organism testing, and I helped initiate and write >>the Biosafety Manual (available from the Edmonds Institute, WA), I have >>some experience on what happens to genetically engineered orgnaisms in >>compost piles. Let me comment. >> >>First, you can't make blanket statements about genetically engineered >>organisms. Each one is unique, the genes that are added to the organisms >>make those organisms do different things. If we put a gene to make you >>produce nasty poisons in your body, no one will decompose you. If you put >>a gene in you to make easy-to-degrade materials, then you'll easily be >>decomposed. So, the first answer is always, it depends. Then, you have to >>know what the new genetic material is designed to do, and THEN you have to >>know WHAT IT REALLY DOES! >> >>Just because you add a gene to make alcohol does not mean that's the only >>change in the engineered organism. Where are the nutrients going to come >>from to make that alcohol? It changes the physiology of the engineered >>organism to make a new product. So, how does that affect everything else >>the plant does? We MUST test to find out! >> >>But let's take an example - plants into which a gene for production of BT >>toxin were placed. BT-potato, for example. Each cell within the body of >>that plant now produces BT protein. OK, protein - should be easy to >>decompose, right? That's what Monsanto scientists say - proteins are >>decomposed within minutes of getting near a bacterium, so why worry about >>the amount of BT protein being made? It's gone in 15 minutes..... >> >>Notice how it's referred to as a protein in this context? Proteins are >>harmless, right? Wrong. Consider snake venom, that's a mixture of >>proteins. Is that harmless? Not in your bloodstream. It'll kill you in >>minutes. Is BT protein that harmful? Yep, if you are an insect. If it is >>to be effective as a pesticide, that protein better cause harm. What does >>BT do to people? It probably kills us too, if we eat enough of it. And >>the BT toxin is in the potato tubers we eat. Ah, but Monsanto says, don't >>worry, if you cook the potato the protein will be denatured and will be >>inactivated. I sure would like someone other than Monsanto, or somone paid >>by Monsanto, to do that study..... >> >>What effect does BT protein, or toxin, as Monsanto refers to it when they >>are trying to convince you to kill pests with it, have on other organisms? >> >>BT in the potato leaves kill beneficial fungi in your soil. That work was >>done by the EPA back in the late 1980's and even reported in EPA >>literature, in a conference in Baltimore back in, oh, 1991 or so. But did >>anyone do anything about it? No. >> >>When BT-potato plant leaf material fell to the surface of the soil, it >>killed beneficial fungi in the soil. But, the " answer " was, don't worry, >>we have chemicals that take care of the diseases controlled by those >>beneficial fungi. >>So, it doesn't matter that those beneficial fungi are killed by the BT >>toxin accumulating in the litter under the BT-potato plants. >> >>What effect will BT plant litter have in your compost heap? I'm >>extrapolating here, but I think you can follow the logic easily enough - it >>will kill the beneficial fungi in your compost, and reduce the >>disease-suppressive characterisitics of your compost. How long until the >>BT-toxin is decomposed? Well, it's not minutes, as Monsanto scientists >>would have you believe is all it takes any protein to be decomposed. BT >>protein is a nasty toxin. There aren't that many organisms that can >>decompose it. >> >>Can we get an inoculum of organisms in the compost pile that will decompose >>BT in the leaf material? Probably and think, it's yet another product >>Monsanto can sell you! >> >>But why give ourselves the problem to begin with? Why do you need a >>BT-plant? Use GOOD, aerobic compost instead, get the organisms that >>prevent potato beetle from being a problem back in your system and you >>don't have to pay for BT-seed every year! >> >>That's just BT-plants. What about Round-up ready plants? How was the >>plant's physiology changed by expression of that material? What are the >>effects on organisms in your compost heap? We don't know, no one has >>assessed that. At least that I'm aware. I'd keep an eye on Applied Soil >>Ecology for that information, but who would fund that research? >> >>If you have specific questions about different engineered organisms, go >>ahead and ask me. If the question can get forwarded to me, I'll send the >>answer back here. >> >>Elaine Ingham >>President, Soil Foodweb Inc. >>Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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