27/12/2022
A new Non-GMO drought-tolerant variety of durum wheat has been created as part of an international breeding program to boost climate resilience in the food system by increasing crop diversity. Durum wheat is used to make pasta, pizza crusts, and flatbreads such as pitta and chapatis, as well as for couscous, bulgur and pastry for desserts such as baklava. Its distinctive black spikes also produced high yields of plump grains that made tasty bread.
The new wheat was developed by farmers and crop scientists by crossing a commercial durum wheat with a wild relative from an arid region of Syria, to create a new variety which can withstand drought. “Many farmers said it was love at first sight when they saw it standing strong when all other varieties were being destroyed by drought,” said Filippo Bassi, senior scientist with the durum wheat breeding program at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas in Lebanon.
With all the climate related issues causing awful stresses on our food system, you may wonder why, if biotechnology is so precise and wonderful, why hasn't it produced miracle crops that are tolerant of drought and other extreme conditions. The science of Genetics is mighty complex and still in its infancy. Genetic engineering is based on the false premise of one gene per protein. This is one of the reasons for unpredictable changes to DNA and resulting plant/animal chemistry from so-called "precise" gene editing. Drought tolerance is not the result of a single gene - it's an extremely complex trait that does not lend itself to genetic engineering. Rather than saving the world, we can expect to see more extortion. What is likely to happen? Agrichemical corporations will take the already drought-tolerant variety of wheat that has been developed and genetically engineer it to be sprayed with their toxic chemicals, and then falsely take credit for something that already exists. We don't need risky GMOs to make our food system climate resilient, and we certainly don't need them to feed the world.
READ: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/04/drough-resistant-crop-jabal-durum-wheat-food-diversity
