4 ms·

The problem most people have with GMOs is not that they have been genetically modified per se, it's the pesticides and herbicides which are then flooded on thos

The problem most people have with GMOs is not that they have been genetically modified per se, it's the pesticides and herbicides which are then flooded on those GMO crops. In fact, everyone I know who eats organic is not doing so to avoid the GMO component, but they are doing so to avoid the biocides. And by the way, those biocides get into water supplies too.

ddispaltro 10y ago
Isn't the point of GMO to reduce reliance on pesticides?
- Ericson2314 10y ago
  Both methods are used. I recall (but am probably wrong out of date) - Monsanto's "roundup ready" line of breeds is resistant to their pesticide, with the idea that nothing else will be. - GMO crops on average (world-wide? nation-wide?) are sprayed with less pesticides, implying "roundup ready" as an anomaly. The takeaway is GM is a tool. I'm 100% for it, but like most tools it can be used for good or ill. Let's be careful, without implying the risks here are anything special compared to other powerful technology.
- tnorthcutt 10y ago
  Assuming you mean herbicides as well as pesticides the answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no. The classic example of a GMO crop is "Roundup Ready" corn, developed by Monsanto. It makes the plant resistant to glyphosate, so the crop can be sprayed, killing weeds &etc. without killing the corn.
  - ddispaltro 10y ago
    I guess as a lay person, I meant both. Makes sense, so does that effectively reduce the volume of pesticides/herbicides, or does it just allow you to lay it on with less precision?
    - munchbunny 10y ago
      I had to look it up to check what I was about to say: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_crops#Glyphosate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_crops#Gly... In the case of roundup ready crops, it sounds like it's both more effective as an herbicide and less toxic. The Wikipedia page didn't say whether that was toxicity towards humans. So in that sense roundup ready crops seem to be net better for the consumer anyway. Jury seems to be still out on whether roundup is actually harmful, leaning on the no side at least according to the Wikipedia article on Glyphosate.
- DoodleBuggy 10y ago
  For many crops the GMO component is designed to resist biocides. If you're interested in the topic, I'd encourage you to read about the most common GMO crops encountered by consumers, the primary biocides used on those crops, and then read in vivo studies on those biocides. Do your own research and be discerning about the sources and data, there is an immense amount of astroturfing on the subject matter. http://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-016-0117-0 http://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-0... https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/2016/Glyphosate_V_glycine_analogue_2016.pdf https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/2016/Glyphosate_V_glycin... http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVolume112.pdf http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVol... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=glyphosate https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=glyphosate https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=2,4-d https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=2,4-d http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/tests-show-monsanto-weed_b_12950444.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/tests-show-monsan... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/17/pesticide-residue-breads-uk-crops https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/17/pesticid... Of course it could all be wrong, biocides could be super healthy and amazingly great for human consumption.
bmmayer1 10y ago
Aren't many GMOs designed precisely to fight off insects and pests and weeds without needing as many pesticides or herbicides?
- baldeagle 10y ago
  Some are designed to reduce the need for pesticides, but many are made by the pesticide companies to be more tolerant to the sprayings. This results in less insect/fungal damage and weeding (though the weeds seem to be able to keep up even without the GMO help).
  - bmmayer1 10y ago
    What's a GMO made by a pesticide company?

ddispaltro 10y ago

Isn't the point of GMO to reduce reliance on pesticides?

Ericson2314 10y ago
Both methods are used. I recall (but am probably wrong out of date) - Monsanto's "roundup ready" line of breeds is resistant to their pesticide, with the idea that nothing else will be. - GMO crops on average (world-wide? nation-wide?) are sprayed with less pesticides, implying "roundup ready" as an anomaly. The takeaway is GM is a tool. I'm 100% for it, but like most tools it can be used for good or ill. Let's be careful, without implying the risks here are anything special compared to other powerful technology.
tnorthcutt 10y ago
Assuming you mean herbicides as well as pesticides the answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no. The classic example of a GMO crop is "Roundup Ready" corn, developed by Monsanto. It makes the plant resistant to glyphosate, so the crop can be sprayed, killing weeds &etc. without killing the corn.
- ddispaltro 10y ago
  I guess as a lay person, I meant both. Makes sense, so does that effectively reduce the volume of pesticides/herbicides, or does it just allow you to lay it on with less precision?
  - munchbunny 10y ago
    I had to look it up to check what I was about to say: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_crops#Glyphosate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_crops#Gly... In the case of roundup ready crops, it sounds like it's both more effective as an herbicide and less toxic. The Wikipedia page didn't say whether that was toxicity towards humans. So in that sense roundup ready crops seem to be net better for the consumer anyway. Jury seems to be still out on whether roundup is actually harmful, leaning on the no side at least according to the Wikipedia article on Glyphosate.
DoodleBuggy 10y ago
For many crops the GMO component is designed to resist biocides. If you're interested in the topic, I'd encourage you to read about the most common GMO crops encountered by consumers, the primary biocides used on those crops, and then read in vivo studies on those biocides. Do your own research and be discerning about the sources and data, there is an immense amount of astroturfing on the subject matter. http://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-016-0117-0 http://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-0... https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/2016/Glyphosate_V_glycine_analogue_2016.pdf https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/2016/Glyphosate_V_glycin... http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVolume112.pdf http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVol... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=glyphosate https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=glyphosate https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=2,4-d https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=2,4-d http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/tests-show-monsanto-weed_b_12950444.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/tests-show-monsan... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/17/pesticide-residue-breads-uk-crops https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/17/pesticid... Of course it could all be wrong, biocides could be super healthy and amazingly great for human consumption.

bmmayer1 10y ago

Aren't many GMOs designed precisely to fight off insects and pests and weeds without needing as many pesticides or herbicides?

baldeagle 10y ago
Some are designed to reduce the need for pesticides, but many are made by the pesticide companies to be more tolerant to the sprayings. This results in less insect/fungal damage and weeding (though the weeds seem to be able to keep up even without the GMO help).
- bmmayer1 10y ago
  What's a GMO made by a pesticide company?