Contrary to what most people believe, hybrid agriculture does not change the molecular structure of fruits and vegetables. Hybrid plants are two like fruits or vegetables that are pollinated to produce a new form of the two fruits or vegetables'. Ok, that does change the molecular structure. However, not in the manner most people believe. This form of agriculture can be traced as far back as the 17th century. Hybrid planting has always been utilized to bolsters the yield of the harvest and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables that can be produced. This is a common practice to keep up with the need of the public. Hybrids are shown to have health benefits, often more than the original fruit or vegetable offer. In addition, these plants resist the infestation of insects yet the reason behind this phenomenon is not yet known.

In the past 25-30 years, this practice has been used to enable fruits and vegetables to be harvested sooner so they can be shipped to market sooner. Unlike many other vegetation that must be shipped too early before they are matured or ripe. This practice has left our fruits and vegetables with little or no taste. Many times consumers purchase what they believe to be a certain fruit, without realizing they had actually purchased a hybrid of the fruit of vegetable they believed they were buying.

Recently, many farmers and government agencies are now testing genetics on our fruits and vegetables. In genetics, it is reported that animal hormones are being injected into tomatoes, and other plants we consume. This is not a territory that should be explored, granted the government will test to ensure safety, however it would be impossible to test a project such as this long enough to show how the practice would affect humans in 50 years. Another consideration is many will never know they are buying these genetic engineered fruits and vegetables just as they are not aware they are buying hybrids today. What happens to those who prefer to live a vegetarian lifestyle? Would this practice be right to force on an unwitting public? Of course, not, however our government has used this practice many times in the past.

The reason genetics is an issue when speaking of hybrids, is because genetics is the next generation of experimentation agriculture is beginning to pursue. Not being fond of tasteless fruits and vegetables, due to the demand, hybrids may be the lesser of two evils.

University of California, Berkeley, ScienceDaily, (Oct. 31, 2003) Accurate Mapping f Plant Genome Could Lead To New Generation of Hybrid Plants, Retrieved April 11, 2008http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/10/031 031063921.htm

Learn more about this author, Mary Tyrer.
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