GMO or Hybrid seeds.
The term Hybrid F1 or F2 which you see on Seed Packets refer to a plant variety developed through a controlled cross pollination of 2 parent plants where the Hybridization happens naturally in the wild.
GMO's are always created in laboratories by human scientists while Hybrids are created in controlled environments however one is doing Natures work and the other is genetically manipulated through gene splicing.The negative effects of GMO on diversity and organic crops has a more serious effect than Hybrids.Saving Seeds from F1 hybrids doesn't 'mean that you will get the same strain next year as they don't reproduce true offspring.On the other hand seeds from the GMO plants may yield the same plant but you may be liable for a lawsuit from the patent owner or even importing or growing GMO crops in a GMO banned country.
In the mid 1900s, a method of hybridization called F1 Hybrids, was discovered. This resulted in a changed plant in just one generation, instead of several. These F1 Hybrids are still completely natural, it just doesn’t take as long to create a plant with the traits of the mother plant. The plant coming from the seed saved will more than likely be nothing like the first generation plant.It just makes you more dependent on seed companies.
It is also incredibly detrimental to large-scale farmers. They become dependent on the seed company to provide them with fresh hybrid seeds every year, which means they have to spend more money. The seeds require special fertilizers, germination,pest control all the products which they sell and basically control the expense of the farmer.
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| Red Lady Papaya Hybrid. |
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a plant that has been deliberately changed. A gene can be completely removed, a gene from a completely different species can be added to it, a gene from a completely different kingdom can be added as is the case with a thing like most corn grown in the United States today and now introduced to Europe. They can literally implant the seeds with genes from a completely different kingdom to result in a plant resistant to a specific disease or pest. They can implant it with pesticides to make it resistant to those pesticides and herbicides being sprayed on it. That means that these chemicals can be sprayed all over the crop, and it won’t kill it but terrible for your health.
The problem with GMO plants is we have no idea how these plants will behave over the long term, or their actual affects on the organisms that consume them. Very little in the way of research has been done, because these varieties are patented and the companies like Monsanto will not allow anyone to even look at their GMO seeds and study them.
In USA and Europe consumers are eating vegetables and fruits that no one has ever tested before, that have no studies being done on them, are literally spliced with pesticides and herbicides and are being patented and hidden away from public eye. The other problem is, these seeds and plants are not required to be labeled. Wind can carry pollen and cross-pollinate non-GMO Varieties with The GMO varieties. This is a problem for several reasons.The Agricultural Department of Sri lanka are very strict in the importation of GMO seed stock and control the wide use of these crop strains.
We at Natures Best farms in Sri lanka avoid GMO like the plague. It’s not natural, and no one has the slightest of clues how it will affect us and our animals in the future.
We grow hybrid varieties of vegetables and fruits approved by the Department of Agriculture. We prefer to grow open-pollinated, heirloom seeds on our farm, and encourage you to do the same. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with hybrid plants, except it keeps everyone who uses them dependent on a company to produce those same variety of seeds for the farm year after year.
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