I finally understood the difference after comparing two local farms using different GMO approaches.

The farm using drought-resistant corn engineered with a single gene from a desert plant lost 40% less yield than the one using a multi-trait 'stacked' seed package when our county had that dry spell in August, so what actually makes a genetic modification 'better' for farmers?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan_roberts4917d ago

Feels like my garden where the one thing I try to save always dies first. Guess that single gene focus just works better under pressure.

jamesf2612d ago

Ever feel like riverthompson is onto something with that simple beats fancy idea?

riverthompson16d ago

Hot take: Simple beats fancy when it rains less. Yeah, that part about the single gene working better under pressure makes sense to me. It's like @rowan_roberts49 said, focusing on one big problem can be stronger. Those stacked seeds try to do everything at once, but if the main issue is drought, then the plant's energy is better spent just on that. More genes doesn't always mean more better, especially when the weather gets tough.