Homestead mailing list

["Jerry W. Shepperd" <shepperd AT austincc.edu>]

At 08:46 PM 2/24/2008, Don Bowen KI6DIU wrote:
> The problem with the Irish Potato was that it was a single genetic
> variety.  A pathogen would then attack and take most of the crop until a
> new variety came along.  There were several Potato Famines over the course
> of the century.

Over reliance on a single variety of food plant is something that 
should concern everyone, for, as Don points out, a single virus or 
pathogen can wipe out an entire crop.  It is not simply a problem 
associated with hybrid plants, but hybridization accelerates the 
possibility.  And, it is easy to get caught up in the hype of a new 
high-yield hybrid, which almost certainly will need expensive 
fertilizers and insecticides.  Remember that the same companies that 
produce hybrid seeds also produce the fertilizers and insecticides 
that they need.

I was listening to a report on NPR and the speaker reminded the 
listeners that there are over a thousand varieties of rice, but we 
depend on only a few varieties in the U.S.  Seed catalogs listed over 
a hundred varieties of peas a century ago, whereas today, it is 
difficult to find more than a handful of varieties.   There were over 
a hundred varieties of corn; much less than that are commonly 
available today.  Likewise, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, okra, 
cucumbers, squash, and other common garden vegetables.  And, most of 
what are readily available are hybrids.  One can still find obscure 
and heirloom varieties, but it takes a bit of effort, although the 
internet makes the hunt a bit easier.  While most of our concerns are 
likely with dependable food supplies, there are a number of purely 
natural and biological reasons for all of us to be concerned about 
maintaining a wide variety of plants.

This is a topic that James, as well as others on the list have 
brought up a number of times, but one that should not be forgotten.

Jerry S.