Are some plants bred to prevent propagation?

I vaguely recall* my tutor saying that some breeders / nurseries breed plants deliberately so you can't propagate them. Not only sterile from seed, but also inhibited in some way so cuttings will never root no matter what you do.

Anyone know if there's any truth in this?




*Must have been a hungover morning, as details are sketchy. I could well be talking rubbish.

 

Hi Andrew. I am sure some breeders would like to do that, but I am not sure that it is possible. There are certainly a number of plants around that are sterile, but I suspect that is a side effect rather than designed. In nature, unusual hybrids between species that are not that closely related are almost always sterile, such as crosses between lions and tigers. And I suspect that it is the same priniple that causes sterility in plants.

But if you think about it from the breeders point of view - even if you could create such a plant, how would you produce plants to sell if you can't grow them from seed or cuttings?

The concept makes me think of the American religeous sect The Shakers. One of their beliefs was in celibacy - sadly there are not many of them left. :D

 

If only more religious sects had the same idea, the world might be slightly easier to deal with!:hehe:

 

Hmn yes. Hadn't thought of it from the nursery stock angle. It does seem rather unlikely.

Damn, wish I was listening properly at the time, because there was definitely a nugget there about it!

Could they breed the plants first then treat the stock for sale with a hormone of some kind perhaps?

 

As part of an engineering internship (about the application of 'appropriate technology') I did some research work with several Sri Lankan and South Indian agricultural co-ops. They had banded together because all local farmers were being pressed into buying GM seed from suppliers who were being paid not to stock traditional varieties of veg and grain.

The seed being sold had been bred to be resistant to pests and diseases but was sterile. For countless generations these farmers have cut costs by saving seed. All kinds of guarantees (plus other inducements naturally) were given to regional farming authorities to reassure them that these GM crops wouldnt pollinate/ be pollinated by local varieties.

These plants simply didnt produce viable seed.

Apart from the regular worries about the introduction of artificial genes into the local eco system, the method of ensuring seed suppliers only stocked sterile seed from a particular company was more than a tad sinister.

 

Melinda - I think you have put your finger on it.

I don't think there is a problem for ornamental plants. The breeders haven't got the money or the knowhow to make a wide range of designer plants that are difficult to propagate.

But its a different matter with cereal crops. The big companies like Monsanto have massive resources and technical knowledge. And they are trying to use that to make themselves a monopoly.

However I think there could be an answer. Monsanto has tried to sue anyone that uses it GM products without paying for it - fair enough, you would think. In the case of GM crops that can produce seed, there is always a certain amount of wind pollination that carries into neighbouring fields. And Monsanto has been trying to sue the owners of those fields, who are growing non GM crops but which have some stray GM contamination in them. I would turn the tables and sue Monsanto if any of its GM products stray outside the designated fields, especially if its sterile products make plants in neighbouring fields sterile. I am sure that Americans courts would find in favour of Monsanto, but other countries may not.

 

I think Melinda may have been referring to the fact that Monsanto has talked about (I don't know if they have done it) making seed sterile, so that farmers are forced to buy new seed each year whether they want to or not.

 

I dont actually think F1 seed is cheap to produce, and it is up to the individual to decide if they want to buy it or ordinary open pollinated seed.
As to producing plants that cant be propagated from cuttings, I can only presume its referring to plant breeders rights and that propagation for sale is prohibited.
They cant stop you growing your own though.

I think there has been some very intensive plant breeding in recent years, and particularly in bedding plants.
Its so much easier now to come up with a fantastic display than it was 20 yrs ago.

 

yup

Its a serious issue on so many fronts. And as Pete says, its actually intellectual property theft to attempt to propagate these plants (Im not talking F1 seeds). Multi national companies invest many millions in the modification and manipulation of plant DNA which involves the introduction of genes from other plant varieties with desirable traits.

In Sri Lanka these seeds promote monoculture, which is risky, especially for those farming at just above subsistence levels. It leaves them vulnerable to any species specific fungus or virus which could take out the entire crop and supply chain.

The farmer would be wiped out or forced to look to science to solve an issue that science caused in the first place.

And again PeterS is correct when he talks about the danger of inadequate buffer zones between a GM farm growing sterile seed and its non GM neighbours. Sadly it costs large fortunes to go into battle with multi nationals- small countries would avoid it if they could, let alone small farming co-ops.

And this is without considering the addition of GM crops and cerals to processed foods without any labelling. The multi nationals backing this technology are having great success in covertly loading their food brands with GM cereals, with any surplus off loaded into developing markets. Or even more ethically dubious, provided as part of emergency food aid shipments.

Beggars may not be choosers, but certainly do make a fantastic subjects in what are effectively mass blind randomised trials.

When govts in developing countries raise this issue, they are lobbied by the companies, and sometimes even bullied by UN agencies into accepting it.

 

On a slight diversion, I was visiting a nursery today and I saw several plants (new forms of Hydrangea I think) that had a label saying unauthorised propogation was illegal at this present time.

 

Hi,
That's called "plant breeders rights", no commercial propogation is supposed to occur, but it does not apply to the Dutch (they just call it by a different name) nor the Chinese or Indians, only applies to us Brits with our multitudes of snoopers (sneaks).

,:flag:

 

I bought 12 plants yesterday - these (or similar labels) were on all but one.






My initial thoughts - so sue me :hehe:

 

Those images 'have been moved or deleted'