3 ms·

Grass linked to Texas cattle deaths

31 points by stfu 14y ago

pranjalv123 14y ago
First of all, the grass wasn't even genetically modified. The grass (Tifton 85) is a hybrid between two other grasses [http://www.tifton.uga.edu/fat/tifton85.htm http://www.tifton.uga.edu/fat/tifton85.htm]. Secondly, even if it was, this headline is absurd. It's a widely-used strain of grass, used on this plot for 15 years, so the suggestion that the genetic modification is somehow responsible for killing the cows is absurd. See also: http://www.examiner.com/article/gmo-food-hybrid-poison-grass-that-kills-texas-cattle-not-genetically-modified http://www.examiner.com/article/gmo-food-hybrid-poison-grass....
- ams6110 14y ago
  Further, the production cyanides by plants as a defense against herbivores is a natural phenomenon. However not sure it's ordinarily seen in grases and it is curious that the levels were apparently high enough to cause toxicity in the cattle.
  - protomyth 14y ago
    They are having a drought so the levels are up.
paulus99 14y ago
as someone who grew up on a farm, we knew that driving cows or sheep (4 stomached ruminants) onto a hot alfalfa field can kill them from cyanide poisoning (used to call it prussic acid poisoning in the old days), so this is nothing new. Just scaremongering media
- ams6110 14y ago
  Interesting... does the heat increase the cyanide production? It's been quite hot in texas lately.
- ghshephard 14y ago
  That's interesting - Turns out there are a lot of grasses/clovers that can cause cyanide poisoning: (See Table 1-1, second page) http://www.ivis.org/special_books/knight/chap1/ivis.pdf http://www.ivis.org/special_books/knight/chap1/ivis.pdf "Plants Containing Cyanogenic Glycosides Cyanogenic glycosides are substances present in many plants that can produce highly toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or prussic acid. Specific plant enzymes released when plant cells are damaged when chewed, crushed, wilted, or frozen, hydrolyze the glycosides to cyanide. At least 2000 plant species are known to contain cyanogenic glycosides with the potential to produce HCN poisoning [1-6]."
- protomyth 14y ago
  Some more science (guess CBS News skipped this) http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/210800.htm http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/210...

31 points by stfu 14y ago

First of all, the grass wasn't even genetically modified. The grass (Tifton 85) is a hybrid between two other grasses [http://www.tifton.uga.edu/fat/tifton85.htm http://www.tifton.uga.edu/fat/tifton85.htm]. Secondly, even if it was, this headline is absurd. It's a widely-used strain of grass, used on this plot for 15 years, so the suggestion that the genetic modification is somehow responsible for killing the cows is absurd. See also: http://www.examiner.com/article/gmo-food-hybrid-poison-grass-that-kills-texas-cattle-not-genetically-modified http://www.examiner.com/article/gmo-food-hybrid-poison-grass....

ams6110 14y ago
Further, the production cyanides by plants as a defense against herbivores is a natural phenomenon. However not sure it's ordinarily seen in grases and it is curious that the levels were apparently high enough to cause toxicity in the cattle.
- protomyth 14y ago
  They are having a drought so the levels are up.

paulus99 14y ago

as someone who grew up on a farm, we knew that driving cows or sheep (4 stomached ruminants) onto a hot alfalfa field can kill them from cyanide poisoning (used to call it prussic acid poisoning in the old days), so this is nothing new. Just scaremongering media

ams6110 14y ago
Interesting... does the heat increase the cyanide production? It's been quite hot in texas lately.
ghshephard 14y ago
That's interesting - Turns out there are a lot of grasses/clovers that can cause cyanide poisoning: (See Table 1-1, second page) http://www.ivis.org/special_books/knight/chap1/ivis.pdf http://www.ivis.org/special_books/knight/chap1/ivis.pdf "Plants Containing Cyanogenic Glycosides Cyanogenic glycosides are substances present in many plants that can produce highly toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or prussic acid. Specific plant enzymes released when plant cells are damaged when chewed, crushed, wilted, or frozen, hydrolyze the glycosides to cyanide. At least 2000 plant species are known to contain cyanogenic glycosides with the potential to produce HCN poisoning [1-6]."
protomyth 14y ago
Some more science (guess CBS News skipped this) http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/210800.htm http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/210...