American chestnut tree in Centreville is the 'holy grail' for conservationists

Post by JshWright » Mon, Aug 29, 2022, 1:01 AM UTC

empyrrhicist wrote: post #89

JshWright wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It actually is pretty "simple" in this case (the tree needs to produce a single chemical, oxalate oxidase). There is a program that has done this very successfully, and it just working through the regulatory process before wider distribution can happen. They have thousands of trees in (controlled) forest plots, including three generations of offspring.

That's the genetic engineering approach, but the Chinese ones have a different, more complex, less well understood, and potentially complementary resistance mechanism.

Post by subpixel » Mon, Aug 29, 2022, 1:38 PM UTC

jonstewart wrote: post #100

subpixel wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The genetic modification the ACF is doing is actually very controversial among the community of people commuted to restoring fruit and nut biodiversity. I just saw Eliza Greenman speak on this subject, never expected that to circle back to HN.

Backcrossing/“breeding” is relatively uncontroversial and not considered GMO — though it may be controversial whether the eventual derived breed is a true American Chestnut. There is a GMO effort which adds a gene to the American Chestnut so that it produces an enzyme called oxalate oxidase; the gene comes from wheat plants. The enzyme breaks down the oxalate acid produced by the blight fungus. The first GMO tree was…

Post by ncmncm » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 1:09 PM UTC

pfdietz wrote: post #143

audiodude wrote: post #119

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That's why I said probably. I just know Monsanto is famous for their "copyright" seeds that are genetically modified and you're not allowed to keep the next generation of seeds.

They're famous for lots of bullshit they didn't actually do. It's part of the demonization process. In this case, Monsanto never sold "terminator" seeds. They (and many others) sold hybrid seeds, which don't breed true, and so are functionally equivalent to that. Hybrid seeds have been around since the 1930s, if not earlier. In any case, they can get the same effect by contract. You were not allowed to replant Roundu…

Post by ncmncm » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 5:57 PM UTC

pfdietz wrote: post #156

ncmncm wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They even won against farmers who signed no contract.

They won against a farmer who deliberately sprayed a field with herbicide to concentrate traces of the herbicide resistance gene that had drifted in. This was properly ruled to be deliberate violation of the patent. Nothing wrong with this.