பூக்கள் அழகானவை; நறுமணம் தர வல்லன ! மல்லிகை, முல்லை, செண்பகம், தாமரை,மகிழம், ரோஜா, அல்லி மற்றும்
விருச்சி, செங்காந்தள்; ஆம்பல்; அனிச்சம் ;
குறிஞ்சி ;வாகை; வகுளம் ; கோங்கம்; என எவ்வளவோ நறுமலர்கள் உள்ளன.
Flowers
have inspired mankind - some of them are
considered romantic. Volumes have been
written – some are poems, some are mere words that mattered for the poets,
lovers and others. The topper is ‘Rose’ ..
‘Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose - loveliness extreme’. A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant
of the genus Rosa, or the flower it
bears. There are over a hundred species and thousands of cultivars. Most species are native to Asia. The name rose
comes from French, itself from Latin rosa.
The leaves are borne alternately on the stem. The flowers of most
species have five petals, each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is
usually white or pink, though in a few species yellow or red. The main
problem for the lovers is – flowers do not last long ! ~ and this is now
addressed by scientists - a flower with petals that stay fresh for days
MailOnline reports
that Monsanto, a US biotech company, patented new product earlier this year. Monsanto has patented a product that will stop flowers
wilting by altering their DNA. The agricultural biotech firm, are using reverse
genetic engineering to stop the natural destruction of cells that occurs once a
plant is cut and extend their lifespan. The product reportedly muffles the plant's DNA and stops the
production of ethylene gas, which ripens fruits and rots petals.
The patent document
talks specifically about roses, petunias and carnations, which could be an
enormous boost for florists by dramatically reducing the significant waste in the
industry. It will also be welcome news for flower enthusiasts all over the
world, who will see the blooms poking from vases on table tops and windowsills
stay fresh and colourful for longer. According to the patent filed with the US
Patent and Trademark Office, the product, called RNA, can be fed into flowers
through the water in the vase. It then gets into the plant's DNA and strangles
the EIN2 gene, which would otherwise trigger the production of ethylene.
RNA interference is
a natural process cells use to turn down, or surpress the activity of specific
genes. Today, research for the use of RNAi in agriculture spans a variety of
areas; including traditional areas of plant protection from weeds and bugs to
novel new approaches to increasing yields. While research continues, uses so
far in plants include the development of allergy-free peanuts and decaffeinated
coffee beans. In flowers, it is a form
of genetic modification, but the changes made to a plant's DNA are temporary,
so it avoids criticism directed at other products, which could lead to
unexpected problems in the future.
Monsanto's work in
genetic modification has been incredibly controversial after documentary Food
Inc highlighted the potential pitfalls it could create. Last month, thousands
of protesters marched all over the world - from Switzerland to Brazil - to
demonstrate against its genetic engineering and the pesticides it makes. .. ..
well, that is the news from Western World.
If our
memory serves right a few years ago around 2010, Bacillus Thuringiensis was daily news – so
also was Monsanto. If you have
forgotten, Bacillus Thuringiensis Brinjal, popularly known as Bt brinjal, was
at the centre of controversy in India.
The egg plant, aubergine, melongene, brinjal or guinea squash is plant
of the family Solanaceae.
Technically,
Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) is a Gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium,
commonly used as a biological alternative to a pesticide; alternatively, the
Cry toxin may be extracted and used as a pesticide. Through genetic
engineering, scientists introduced the
gene responsible for making the toxin into a range of crops, including
cotton. The term BT expressed the qualities of the insecticidal gene
throughout the growing cycle of the plant.
Just like Bt cotton, Bt brinjal is a suite of transgenic brinjals
(eggplant or aubergine) created by inserting a crystal gene (Cry1Ac) from the
soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into the genome of various brinjal
cultivars. The insertion of the gene, along with other genetic elements would give resistance against lepidopteron
insects, in particular the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer.
Monsanto
is a US based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is leading producer of herbicide
glyphosate as also genetically engineered seed. In olden days, the farmer would keep a part
of his produce as seed for the next crop.
This was fraught with problems of storage and maintaining class. Obviously every one would like to improve the
yield and get more out of the crops.
Monsanto claims that its only business is agriculture and does research
to create the best seeds for the farmers.
It supplies – alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, sorghum, soyabeans,
sugarbeets and wheat. It spread its shop
on the traditional farmers of India.
One
can never be sure of the ways of Indian’s politicians and their support. There were some supporting and years later
came the imposition of a moratorium on
the commercialization of genetically modified brinjal by the ministry of
environment and forests.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
5th June
2016.
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