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| In sweet corn, is the SE gene the result of genetic engineering? And what about the super sweet gene? I always thought these came from hybridizing but a recent NY Times article (on another topic entirely) mentioned someone growing SE corn as growing a genetically altered crop.
I note that Fedco, who refuse to trifle with genetically engineered stuff, are selling corn with the SE gene so I expect the Times got it wrong. Not the first time. Maybe what Sungold has is a sort of SE gene? And I note that the pineapples I've been buying in the market recently (on sale too) bear little resemblance to the dry, tasteless stuff we used to get. Maybe they have a SE gene for them as well. Incidentally my own feeling about the super sweets is that the taste is too much like candy and not enough like corn. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by Carolyn137 z4/5 NY (My Page) on Sun, Dec 25, 05 at 12:47
| No, SE and Super sweet are not genetically engineered. They were bred by conventional means. But certainly anyone growing SE or super sweet corns could be growing genetically engineered corn if that corn also as the BT gene or others that have been introduced. Below is one of the many many links, this one from Cornell, that one can read via Google about the problem. I say problem, but many others don't see it that way at all. Note that the article below says that very few sweet corns are genetically engineered as opposed to the field corns. Carolyn |
Here is a link that might be useful: Genetically Engineered Corn
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- Posted by lumierefrere z4NY (My Page) on Sun, Dec 25, 05 at 18:13
| Boy, the NY Times got something wrong. Imagine that. That's why they're called news *stories*, these people are making this stuff up as they go along. |
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| They were quoting a politician - I think from NJ - so maybe it was believing in politicians that led them astray. Yes, I can see if someone was growing sweet corn down wind from a block of GE field corn, it would be easy to have the sweet corn contaminated. But that would assume the sweet corn grower was saving his own seed which normally is not the case because they're all growing hybrids. Anyway nice to know that I haven't totally lost my marbles because I was pretty sure that the idea that sugary enhanced and super sweet corns were GE was another urban myth. And on matters like this I'd rather trust Fedco than the NY Times. |
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