Joseph Lofthouse wrote:
David Livingston wrote:Joseph , what's " available technology" as quoted in the above definition and available to whom ? You ? Me or the head of development at a well known chemical company
David
I think that what they were intending by the "available technology" phrase is that they are intending to be inclusive in the definition of landrace instead of exclusive. So in other words, just cause a farmer makes a hybrid, or practices selection, or uses plastic ground-covers, or a greenhouse, that doesn't mean that it's immoral to call his crop a landrace. As another example: If I were breeding rice, I would include the carotene-producing gene in my landrace, because it is "available technology".
Thank you for that link, Joseph....much food for thought. While I can agree that it will be nearly impossible to keep gene flow out of landraces by practical means, I disagree with the authors' assessment that
"...If we wish to continue enjoying cultivars with cultural pedigrees that are intimately associated with specific geographical areas (particular environmental traits) and thus require fewer inputs for their cultivation, the generalist strategy used in modern breeding programs is insufficient (although it will surely continue to supply a large proportion of our alimentary needs)."
I haven't read the article in full and don't know if they are riding the "feed the necessarily burgeoning population of the entire planet" train with this idea, but I can envision a scenario where even modern breeding programs are unnecessary, fruitful though the have been to producing calories for human consumption. Your own breeding program would be considered "modern traditional", but would you say that you *must* do all of this careful breeding and selection, or is it done beyond rote need. I can relate to plant breeding being...FUN! It's enjoyable to see what emerges from different crosses in terms of appearance, flavor, nutrition, etc. But is anything *really* needed beyond seeds, selection, observation......and time? And for all communities and tribes that have engaged in this
art, hasn't there probably always been some element of whimsy?....of saying "Hey!....corn cobs with both purple -AND- yellow seeds on the same
cob!..Wahoo!"..?
While I agree that it would not be immoral to use the carotene-encoding rice germplasm, why do so? You have such nice carrot photos.....why use a technofix when you can offer your recipients beta-carotene in much more beautiful expressions of food? But a detailed article and good to get a glimpse of what the scientific community is thinking with regard to landraces.