Is this for real? I don't entirely trust Internet rumors; however, from my knowledge of biochemistry and agriculture, such a trait of "increased nitrogen efficiency" is way up there alongside "tolerance for drought" as far as farmers would be concerned. The part about "pond scum" actually sounds weird, but is so odd it makes the whole thing plausible. Various algae are very successful, and it wouldn't surprise me if such a trait could be isolated from them. I'm aware of similar traits of legumes (peas, et. al.) but that has more to do with nitrogen fixation...this Monsanto trait sounds like it could be more generally applied.
The implications of something like this are more far-reaching for Monsanto than might first appear. This kind of thing could be the "final straw that breaks Europe's back" with regard to GMO policy. To wit, imagine what a horridly uncompetitive situation the Euro-farmers would be in they were stuck with signficantly lower yields of standard crops, because of fears driven by the British gossip rags!
If this whole thing can be verified, it is extraordinary news for the world and Monsanto shareholders. I wouldn't be surprise if it is...Monsanto's greatest success to-date has been in "storming the market overnight with innovation"...just look at RR and Celebrex. And if Monsanto is looking at the economics of bioag introductions, surely it realizes which are winners and which are losers (ahem, bioplastic). |
