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The real problem is that all oranges are clones - genetically identical. That means anything that can overcome one orange tree can overcome them all. Shufflin

The real problem is that all oranges are clones - genetically identical. That means anything that can overcome one orange tree can overcome them all. Shuffling genes around will just delay the next killer. It will be interesting to see if they can come up with a way to cause sexual reproduction to happen again. The resulting genetic diversity will make oranges less of a target. Somewhat related is how they and much other modern agriculture is done - huge fields of exactly the same species only - a monoculture. This too makes it easy for invaders. The fix of multiple species being grown together is often shown to work, but makes the farming and harvesting considerably more complicated and expensive. Recommended reading is Michael Pollan whose books and articles about food are great http://michaelpollan.com/articles/ http://michaelpollan.com/articles/

foobarbazqux 13y ago
They're only identical within a cultivar, right? If the fruits are different (e.g. navel vs. mandarin) then the genes must be different.
- rogerbinns 13y ago
  Yes. In the citrus estate near where I grew up they did not mix species. ie you had an orchard of orange only, next to an orchard of mandarin only, next to mineola only etc. All vegetation between the trees was also cleared except some grass appeared.
jonknee 13y ago
> Somewhat related is how they and much other modern agriculture is done - huge fields of exactly the same species only - a monoculture. This too makes it easy for invaders. The fix of multiple species being grown together is often shown to work, but makes the farming and harvesting considerably more complicated and expensive. It's not necessarily optional. Humans have cultivated the food supply through cross breeding since we have been around and even common foods aren't "natural" anymore. A lot of what we like to eat doesn't like to reproduce itself so we end up reproducing what we like to eat.
- rogerbinns 13y ago
  The quoted bit was about growing conditions - ie instead of a field of only one species, combine multiple species. The species diversity helps control pests, and allows for a greater variety of birds etc. And is way harder to harvest. Your point was about reproduction. Sexual reproduction doesn't have to be out in the wild - it is offspring combining DNA from parents producing something a little different. It is possible to try and introduce genes to make out in the field reproduction more likely to happen, and also to work out some lab based way of reproduction. Admittedly it is way harder than making cuttings, but does bring benefits.
yareally 13y ago
Lack of genetic diversity is also the reason the banana is in danger (again). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_disease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_disease
- CamperBob2 13y ago
  At this point I'm suffering "alarm fatigue," having been told all my life that $food_X is endangered and will soon vanish from the Earth. It never seems to happen as long as there's still a market for $food_X. Life will find a way, and if it doesn't, science will.
  - yareally 13y ago
    We actually already lost a variety of bananas back in the 50s due to Panama Disease and it never recovered. The kind we eat now are reported to be less flavorful yet were resistant to the disease up until recently. There's plenty of other varieties of bananas, but the ones sold in most groceries (with the exception of a few exotics like red bananas) are all the same because they're durable and easy to grow/ship compared to others. Also chestnuts have yet to make a real comeback since being nearly wiped out in North America[1]. Although it's not a plant, people used to eat passenger pigeons quite a bit in the 19th century and science has yet to bring those back. Edit: Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World[2], is a great book on the history of the banana for anyone interested. Delves into the good and the bad of the banana and also how it shaped American Foreign Policy and Central/South America. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chestnut http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chestnut [2] http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/0452290082 http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/045...

foobarbazqux 13y ago

They're only identical within a cultivar, right? If the fruits are different (e.g. navel vs. mandarin) then the genes must be different.

rogerbinns 13y ago
Yes. In the citrus estate near where I grew up they did not mix species. ie you had an orchard of orange only, next to an orchard of mandarin only, next to mineola only etc. All vegetation between the trees was also cleared except some grass appeared.

jonknee 13y ago

> Somewhat related is how they and much other modern agriculture is done - huge fields of exactly the same species only - a monoculture. This too makes it easy for invaders. The fix of multiple species being grown together is often shown to work, but makes the farming and harvesting considerably more complicated and expensive. It's not necessarily optional. Humans have cultivated the food supply through cross breeding since we have been around and even common foods aren't "natural" anymore. A lot of what we like to eat doesn't like to reproduce itself so we end up reproducing what we like to eat.

rogerbinns 13y ago
The quoted bit was about growing conditions - ie instead of a field of only one species, combine multiple species. The species diversity helps control pests, and allows for a greater variety of birds etc. And is way harder to harvest. Your point was about reproduction. Sexual reproduction doesn't have to be out in the wild - it is offspring combining DNA from parents producing something a little different. It is possible to try and introduce genes to make out in the field reproduction more likely to happen, and also to work out some lab based way of reproduction. Admittedly it is way harder than making cuttings, but does bring benefits.

yareally 13y ago

Lack of genetic diversity is also the reason the banana is in danger (again). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_disease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_disease

CamperBob2 13y ago
At this point I'm suffering "alarm fatigue," having been told all my life that $food_X is endangered and will soon vanish from the Earth. It never seems to happen as long as there's still a market for $food_X. Life will find a way, and if it doesn't, science will.
- yareally 13y ago
  We actually already lost a variety of bananas back in the 50s due to Panama Disease and it never recovered. The kind we eat now are reported to be less flavorful yet were resistant to the disease up until recently. There's plenty of other varieties of bananas, but the ones sold in most groceries (with the exception of a few exotics like red bananas) are all the same because they're durable and easy to grow/ship compared to others. Also chestnuts have yet to make a real comeback since being nearly wiped out in North America[1]. Although it's not a plant, people used to eat passenger pigeons quite a bit in the 19th century and science has yet to bring those back. Edit: Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World[2], is a great book on the history of the banana for anyone interested. Delves into the good and the bad of the banana and also how it shaped American Foreign Policy and Central/South America. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chestnut http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chestnut [2] http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/0452290082 http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/045...