Feeding the people of the world is the obvious problem to solve and the GMO factor in this corn is the addition of the ability to produce an amino acid vital for human growth. The shining beauty part is this corn is not dependent on some type of custom pesticide from Monsanto which is specifically poisonous to corn without their GMO changes. None of that with the type of corn described here.
A field of corn, the world's largest commodity crop.
Credit: NASA
Rutgers scientists have found an efficient way to enhance the nutritional value of corn -- the world's largest commodity crop -- by inserting a bacterial gene that causes it to produce a key nutrient called methionine, according to a new study.
Science Daily: Genetically boosting the nutritional value of corn could benefit millions
As covered deeper in the paper, methionine is a nutrient which is vital to us. Corn had not previously provided the nutrient so its introduction now has immediate global benefit. It's almost thrilling when we know so many starve.
Zen Yogi: do you remember Radin China 4?
I do, Yogi, and that was high production rice which came around the 70s. That was GMO as well but it was the Luther Burbank style with repetitive breeding. I know it was pitched as solving any problems with rice but really it was getting ahead of the demand for a while.
Zen Yogi: so this won't likely solve all the problems either?
Something it will give is a little breathing room to come up with larger solutions, mate.
There's a huge driver toward adopting the new GMO corn because it's cheaper for the farmer.
Then the scientists conducted a chicken feeding trial at Rutgers and showed that the genetically engineered corn was nutritious for them, Messing said.
"To our surprise, one important outcome was that corn plant growth was not affected," he said.
In the developed world, including the U.S., meat proteins generally have lots of methionine, Leustek said. But in the developing world, subsistence farmers grow corn for their family's consumption.
"Our study shows that they wouldn't have to purchase methionine supplements or expensive foods that have higher methionine," he said.
- SD
As always, the interested student is invited to review the source article and that will reveal the depth of their techniques in adding the methionine to the corn. Note specifically there's no dependence on any pesticide and particularly not one from Monsanto.
A field of corn, the world's largest commodity crop.
Credit: NASA
Rutgers scientists have found an efficient way to enhance the nutritional value of corn -- the world's largest commodity crop -- by inserting a bacterial gene that causes it to produce a key nutrient called methionine, according to a new study.
Science Daily: Genetically boosting the nutritional value of corn could benefit millions
As covered deeper in the paper, methionine is a nutrient which is vital to us. Corn had not previously provided the nutrient so its introduction now has immediate global benefit. It's almost thrilling when we know so many starve.
Zen Yogi: do you remember Radin China 4?
I do, Yogi, and that was high production rice which came around the 70s. That was GMO as well but it was the Luther Burbank style with repetitive breeding. I know it was pitched as solving any problems with rice but really it was getting ahead of the demand for a while.
Zen Yogi: so this won't likely solve all the problems either?
Something it will give is a little breathing room to come up with larger solutions, mate.
There's a huge driver toward adopting the new GMO corn because it's cheaper for the farmer.
Then the scientists conducted a chicken feeding trial at Rutgers and showed that the genetically engineered corn was nutritious for them, Messing said.
"To our surprise, one important outcome was that corn plant growth was not affected," he said.
In the developed world, including the U.S., meat proteins generally have lots of methionine, Leustek said. But in the developing world, subsistence farmers grow corn for their family's consumption.
"Our study shows that they wouldn't have to purchase methionine supplements or expensive foods that have higher methionine," he said.
- SD
As always, the interested student is invited to review the source article and that will reveal the depth of their techniques in adding the methionine to the corn. Note specifically there's no dependence on any pesticide and particularly not one from Monsanto.
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