Friday, December 03, 1999, 3:26:28 PM, you wrote:
JBG> Hello to all,
JBG> ... one of my students mentioned that she was intrigued by the
JBG> potential for using genetic engineering to increase the
JBG> nutritional quality of staple crops. ...
JBG> She is interested in investigating crop nutritional quality as a
JBG> function of a crops genetic potential ... and interactions with
JBG> species such as rhizosphere colonists, soil fauna, above ground
JBG> or below ground herbivory, pathogens ...etc...
How about a "crops genetic potential" in terms of "crop nutritional
quality", as function of an evolutionary (biological) vs.
manipulated genetic construction.
JBG> I think that these types of relationships are really much more
JBG> important than generalized contrasts of production systems such
JBG> as conventional vs. organic.
To have any meaning, a "generalized contrast of production systems
such as conventional vs. organic" must necessarily be founded on data
relating to "these [and other relevant] types of relationships".
(Other relevant relationships include organism level - rather than
biosphere level interactions and efficiencies, given that a higher
level organism itself constitutes an environment integrating distinct
processes which some believe have evolved from discrete origins).
JBG> We would appreciate any insights on the impact of multi-species
JBG> interactions on crop content of nutritional components such as
JBG> calories, protein, lipids, vitamins, phytochemicals or minerals.
JBG> Joel Gruver
JBG> Center for Agriculture, Food and Environment
JBG> Tufts University
I would add that in addition to any "insights on the impact of
multi-species interactions", I have placed a standing call for data
relating to "crop content of nutritional components such as calories,
protein, lipids, vitamins, phytochemicals or minerals", and/or
physiological differences in "Seedling Fruit Trees vs. Fruit Trees Not
On Their Own Roots, and/or the performance of organisms feed one or
the other as a staple diet.
This post is also meant to serve as a reminder that these studies have
yet to be carried out, in spite of the ubiquitous presence of the
latter in industrialized present day agriculture.
(Why not do it now at Tufts)?
Douglas Hinds, CeDeCoR, A.C.
Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural
(Center for Rural and Community Development)
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/htdocs/hypermail