Re: Karen Mundy's inquiries

kstoner@caes.state.ct.us
Wed, 23 Jul 1997 13:53:56 -0400 (EDT)

About disease resistant varieties:
There are many disease resistant varieties (and insect resistant varieties in
some crops) that have been developed using "conventional" plant breeding
techniques--in other words, by carefully planned pollination and selection--and,
very recently, there have begun to be varieties resistant to disease and
insects that have been produced using genetic engineering. It is easy to see
why you would be confused, because the companies selling seed are under no
obligation to tell us whether the seeds we buy were produced using genetic
engineering or not.

Kim Stoner
CT Agricultural Experiment Station
P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504

On Tue, 22 Jul 1997, Karen Mundy <karenm@vt.edu> wrote:
>I keep getting asked about genetic engineering and really don't have a good
>answer, would you please help?
>
>Are hybrid varieties of seeds genetically engineered?
>When Michelle Miller talked about reduced synthetic chemical use, she said
>using disease resistant varieties--are these naturally occurring or
>genetically engineered?
>Using "old varities" of seeds, crop rotations, no-til or minimum till is it
>possible to get the same yields as with hybrid varities--in corn, for example?
>
>I hope that I am not the proverbial "can of worms," I would like to be able
>to answer the negativism I encounter with something other than "I really
>can't answer that question."
>
>
>
>Karen Mundy
>Rural Economic Analysis Program
>Dept. of Ag. and Applied Econ
>Va. Tech
>Blacksburg, VA 24061-0401
>(540) 231-9443
>
>
>
>