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Scotts Testing Genetically Modified Grass

Posted by michael on from the roll-the-concrete-over-it,-to-try-to-keep-it-back dept.

Caseyscrib writes "There is an article on Yahoo! News that talks about how Scotts is testing a genetically modified version of creeping bentgrass, popular on golf course greens and fairways, that will be resistant to a common weed-killing chemical. Environmentalists have long opposed bioengineered crops of any kind, and fear that '...if it was to escape onto public land, we wouldn't know how to control it.' It is now in the final stages of approval."

3 of 454 comments (clear)

  1. How to control it... by nuclear305 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I can think of several ways of controlling such grass.

    1) Pour gas, light match
    2) Use barriers that most people already use to stop plant growth.
    3) Shovel.

    In all seriousness, sounds like those afraid of controlling it are just spreading FUD. If we can modify grass to resist weed killer, who says we can't also make it vulnerable to something environmentally friendly like cooking oil?

  2. Great, what we all need is resistant grass. by marcello_dl · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So they can pour that weed-killing chemical with no fear of damaging the golf course. But, what about me? I haven't been genetically reengineered, I guess that too many chemicals around may affect me somehow.

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  3. Two Problems by thorgil · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Basically two problems:

    1. Modified grass spreads and become "Superweed".
    2. Modified genes spread to other species, either by hybridization or vectors such as bacteria. (Agrobacterium tumefaciens as an example)

    This is what opposers are afraid of. /Tobias

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