We are only 5 years ahead of a fungus that makes farmland unusable. And that 5 year gap is shortening every year because the fungus is evolving faster then our ability to genetically modify crops to combat it. This fungus is in almost every field in north America and is related to the fungus that took out the bananas in the past.
Doing some quick searching, I didn’t find anything that covers your scenario. Not that I don’t believe you, but do you have a source on Fusarium quickly evolving fungicide resistance in a big way?
My source is working in the agricultural world and seeing the results in the field. We are fighting it but crop production is falling as we do. There are crops that aren’t affected of course but they don’t make the money which farmers need to live.
It will be fun if we lose modern high yield rapeseed and soybean. Lovely.
Unrelated but horrible farm story you reminded me of. Worked on a tater farm when I was a kid. One of my favorite things when riding the planter was when they would spray fungicide on the planting from previous days. It smelled just like Grapico cola (grape flavored soft drink). We all loved the smell of it and basically huffed the wind. Probably get dick cancer or something from it one day.
Nope, a newly modified canola strain has about 2 years before the fungus can overcome it. And a new strain needs to be introduced. And those new strains are getting harder and harder to produce.
We are only 5 years ahead of a fungus that makes farmland unusable. And that 5 year gap is shortening every year because the fungus is evolving faster then our ability to genetically modify crops to combat it. This fungus is in almost every field in north America and is related to the fungus that took out the bananas in the past.
Fusarium
Doing some quick searching, I didn’t find anything that covers your scenario. Not that I don’t believe you, but do you have a source on Fusarium quickly evolving fungicide resistance in a big way?
My source is working in the agricultural world and seeing the results in the field. We are fighting it but crop production is falling as we do. There are crops that aren’t affected of course but they don’t make the money which farmers need to live.
It will be fun if we lose modern high yield rapeseed and soybean. Lovely.
Unrelated but horrible farm story you reminded me of. Worked on a tater farm when I was a kid. One of my favorite things when riding the planter was when they would spray fungicide on the planting from previous days. It smelled just like Grapico cola (grape flavored soft drink). We all loved the smell of it and basically huffed the wind. Probably get dick cancer or something from it one day.
I thought the 5 year gap was shortening every year because the years pass
Shortening at the rate of 1 year per year
Nope, a newly modified canola strain has about 2 years before the fungus can overcome it. And a new strain needs to be introduced. And those new strains are getting harder and harder to produce.