Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:42:38 +0100
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This is Prof. Balasubramanian again and my message is in response to Ms. Neha (Message 29).
In my opinion, Ms. Neha is trying in vain to project Bt brinjal as a scientific pariah (untouchable). Speaking in ayurvedic terminologies, the very popular name of brinjal in Hindi (baingan= bina gun) implies that it is not anything good. It is widely accepted that wild relatives of brinjal (the so called ayurvedic brinjals) inherently are sexually incompatible with cultivated brinjal varieties. Hence, there is no question of transgene flow from Bt brinjal and subsequent weediness and invasiveness culminating a reduction in biodiversity. I would also like to add that transgenic crops need not necessarily spoil biodiversity but global agriculture (which since the mesopatomian days up till today has repeatedly cultivated only six grasses [rice, wheat, sorghum, barley, oat and minor millets put together; not even a single dicot] as the staple food of the entire human race) certainly would. Can we ban all agricultural activities on this earth in order for saving biodiversity from disaster?
Prof. P. Balasubramanian, PhD,
Department of Plant Biotechnology,
Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,
Coimbatore 641 003
India;
Phone: +91-422-6611353 (work);
Mobile: +91 9443506085;
Primary/Reply to email: balasubrap (at) hotmail.com
Alternate/Secondary email: balasubramanian.ponnuswami (at) gmail.com
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