What is YOUR opinion? Are you aware of the difference between Hybrid and GMO plants and seeds?

[Ty Mellon]

There is a lot of discussion in the Gardening/Green movement regarding Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs (typically seeds for this discussion, but could really be ANY plant or animal).  In line with our philosophy of organic, and as close to nature as possible, we at FOOGS do not support GMO foods and typically avoid them wherever possible, which unfortunately is getting harder and harder to do.  I was having a chat on facebook about this, so decided to start a discussion on FOOGS about it.

WHAT is YOUR opinion?  I would love to have anyone's feedback regarding their knowledge or position on  GMO vs. Hybrid.

For those that are not aware, I want to thank about.com for the following information:

Question: What's the Difference Between Hybrid and Heirloom Vegetables?

How can you be sure that the hybrid vegetable seeds you grow aren't genetically modified and bad for you? Would you be better off sticking
to heirloom vegetables or could they be modified too?

Answer:

Heirloom vegetables are not a special species of plants. The term heirloom vegetable is used to describe any type of vegetable seed that has been
saved and grown for a period of years and is passed down by the gardener
that preserved it. It has a provenance, of sorts. To be capable of
being saved, all heirloom seed must be open pollinated.

Open pollinated or OP plants are simply varieties that are capable of producing seeds that will produce seedlings just like the parent plant. Not all plants
do this.

Plant breeders cross breed compatible types of plants in an effort to create a plant with the best features of both parents. These are called hybrids and many of our modern plants are the results of these crosses.

While plants can cross-pollinate in nature and hybrids repeatedly selected and grown may eventually stabilize, many hybrid seeds are relatively new crosses and seed from these hybrids will not produce
plants with identical qualities.

For example, each year new hybrid tomato varieties are offered. You may see them labeled as hybrids or F1, first filial generation (first-generation hybrid), or F2. These may eventually stabilize, but
for the moment a tomato like the popular 'Early Girl' does not produce
seeds that reliably have the features you expect in an ‘Early Girl’
tomato. Seed from hybridized plants tends to revert to the qualities of
the parents, so tomatoes grown from seeds saved from your 'Early Girl'
tomatoes might still be tasty, but not so early.

Anyone can select and eventually stabilize their own seed or even hybridize new plants, but plant and seed companies have recently begun patenting their crosses so that only have the right to reproduce the
hybrids they’ve developed.

Hybrids should not be confused with genetically modified organisms or (GMOs) which, according to About.com’s Biotech Guide, can be any plant, animal or microorganism which have been genetically altered using
molecular genetics techniques such as gene cloning and protein
engineering. Plants like corn that has the pesticide Bt engineered into
its genetic makeup to make it resistant to certain pests are GMO crops.
Bt is a natural pesticide, but it would never naturally find its way
into corn seed.

Thanks for the feedback!

Ty

[Mary Ellen Ryall]

I have been publishing news on the risks of GMO crops and food byproducts for years. The danger is that GMO crops are currently being grown in the global food supply chain. Soy and Corn are the major GMO foods grown in the USA and now around the world. What happens when a GMO grass escapes? One can never call it back and this is how super weeds are created. Think of the grasses alone and how they can become contaminated. We support biodiversity and native seed saving and we grow Indigenous Native seed grown out on tribal lands to keep the gene pool safe. Then the tribes share seed with us and we teach others about the lesson of growing your own food and supporting local foods grown by farmers in our own area.