Exploring the Benefits of Seeding GM Canola and Using Glyphosate Herbicide for Optimal Growth

Today we started seeding canola. Canola is a genetically modified crop and sometimes that worries people because of Big Organic fear-mongering. But let's look at the science of Genetically Modified Organisms.

GMO is simply using technology to advance breeding of plants. Often confused with GMOs are cross-breeding, hybrids, and mutagenesis. In 1866 Gregor Mendell, an Austrian monk, bred 2 different varieties of peas and cross-breeding began. Hybrids are produced when specific pollen from one variety are introduced into another. Hybrid corn was first produced in 1922. Scientists planted 2 pure varieties in a field alternating rows. They covered the tassels of one variety so that the only pollen released in the field came from one variety. The "hybrids" produced higher yields and stronger plants. "They had discovered hybrid-vigour." (Rienhardt & Ganzel) A hybrid cannot breed so hybrid seed cannot be resown. But NO seed company forces us farmers to buy new seeds. We buy new seeds to take advantage of hybrid vigour and for new genetics. Mutagenesis is creating new crops by exposing seeds to radiation or irradiation. Mutation happens naturally in plants over time from ultraviolet light. Mutagenesis speeds up the process. This type of breeding is used mostly by the organic community.

True GMO uses transgenics, cisgenics, and gene silencing, which have developed because of computer technology allowing scientists to sequence genomes and isolate specific genes that cause beneficial changes. One of the first commercial GMO products was insulin created by using recombinant DNA in 1982. A human gene was inserted into the genetic material of a common bacterium and the DNA was changed. "No more chopped up pork & beef pancreases, E.coli and yeast cells." (Campbell) Insulin became less expensive thanks to GMO.

In 1995 scientists created a canola that was resistant to the herbicide glyphosate. This means we can spray glyphosate on canola, kill all the weeds, but not the canola! This also means no more spraying of trifluralin on the soil, no more tilling the field every week before seeding & burning up a lot of fossil fuel and drying out the top soil. Zero-till was now available! GMO canola has truly helped the environment.

The GM canola was made by introducing two new genes into an Australian canola variety to produce Roundup Ready® canola. One gene produces a version of an enzyme which is essential to the metabolism of the plant that (unlike the plant’s own enzyme) can still function in the presence of glyphosate. The other gene expresses a protein that breaks down the glyphosate herbicide into harmless compounds. Neither of the proteins can interfere with the metabolism of humans or other animals. All proteins are removed from the canola oil while processing; therefore, no GM material remains.

GM canola is safe for humans and better for the environment. We purchased our canola seed from Bachelor Ag, a distributor of Pioneer canola, who sells 14 varieties of canola. We are going to trial 8 varieties: 6 Liberty Link and 2 Roundup Ready.

The Liberty canola can be sprayed with the Liberty herbicide which kills broadleaf weeds & grasses. The active ingredient is Glufosinate Ammonium which affects the Glutamine synthetase inhibitor in plants.

The Roundup Ready canola will be sprayed with Roundup herbicide which kills weeds. The active ingredient is Glyphosate which affects the EPSPS enzyme found in plants. The 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) enzyme is not present in humans, birds, bees, or butterflies. Without this enzyme, we are not affected by glyphosate.

Plus one has to understand that with chemicals (and everything is a chemical) the dose makes the poison. Two aspirin for a headache works well; a whole bottle would play havoc on your liver. Salt on your fries is tasty, but 3 grams per kg of your body weight would kill you. How much it takes of a chemical to kill you is called the Lethal Dose 50. The LD 50 is one way to measure the short-term poisoning potential (acute toxicity) of a material, the Lethal Dose that it would take to kill 50% of a group of test animals. The LD50 of table salt is 3000mg/kg. The LD50 for caffeine is 200mg/kg. The LD50 for glyphosate is 5600mg/kg. Glyphosate has a higher LD50 than table salt or caffeine, making it less toxic.

When the glyphosate is sprayed on the crop, it is mixed with water: .5 Litre of Roundup mixed with 100 Litres of water. This is 270 grams of glyphosate sprayed per acre.

This is much less than we had to spray before GM canola and Roundup or Liberty.

Derek, owner of Bachelor Ag, dumping in the first trial bag of canola.

If you would like to tour our 8 varieties of canola, we will be hosting a plot tour this summer. So please come take a look at the GM canola and the differences between each!