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Selection or GMO: what is the difference
The F1 designation refers to seeds produced by combining two different varieties or even species to get the best results from the seeds. For example, fat short corn and thin long corn produce fat, long ears. The only problem is that these hybrids themselves usually do not produce consistent offspring, and the process must be repeated continuously, making the seeds more expensive. And scientists increasingly say that classical selection will inevitably be replaced by the same genetic engineering that has caused public fear.
Making a choice is like putting together a Lego set without instructions. In a plant breeder's garden, genes are randomly and inevitably combined over a long period of time until the person produces something they like. The process produces a few good plants, but not many. Genetic modification is a different matter. It is much faster because it has better goals. Scientists have already decoded all the genes needed for the plant and have used blueprints to take the individual parts with great precision and put them together in the right order. This way, they produce plants with all the properties humans want very quickly.
Don't worry: products created using genetic engineering are carefully tested for safety. Many countries already sell pineapples, corn, and even fast-growing salmon. New technologies allow us to remove unwanted traits using gene editing. That is, the work of certain sections of DNA is "switched off". Thus, Japanese scientists managed to develop a seedless variety of tomatoes, the fruits of which can now appear without pollination.
But I don’t want to give up on conventional solutions just yet, and they work wonders not only in the plant world, but also in the animal world. However, there are cases when the choice brings us closer to cruelty to animals. For example, dachshunds looked different more than 100 years ago. Their legs were longer and their backs were shorter than today. This breed was useful for hunting, and their elongated body shape allowed them to fit into burrows. People have always chosen the longest dogs, and as a result, dachshunds now have chronic problems with their spines. And even at the beginning of the 20th century, pugs did not have such flat faces as they do now. This breed was bred for fashion, to such an extent that its breathing and eyesight deteriorated. Now such dogs often have health problems, and in some countries, for example, Denmark and Great Britain, there are even rumors about banning the breeding of Pekingese, English bulldogs and pugs.
Of course, the breed will not disappear completely, but now this is a different task for breeders, who can do a lot. For example, they recently helped save the Florida cougar. Meanwhile, only 26 representatives of this species remained in the wild. However, over the next 12 years, the population was able to increase. 424 kittens were born. The endangered animal was crossed with the Texan subspecies to obtain offspring with characteristics similar to the Florida cougar. Breeders strive to change the world for the better with their art, and sometimes they manage to achieve real miracles.