HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-07-22, Page 164
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Page 16
Times -Advocate, July 22, 1981
Genetics pla
Hobert I Brown. the new
director of research and
development at Ciba-Geigy
and Stewart Seeds in Ailsa
Craig was introduced at
Tuesday's annual media
day
Dr Brown presented the
following report
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Sales & Service
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Exeter
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Our H & 1) program in-
volves the basic assumption
that many problems in crop
production are amenable to
improvement by genetic
means Our Agrochemicals
Division attacks cropping
problems through chemistry
- we use plant breeding.
Various studies during the
past decade have shown that
more than half the yield gain
achieved over a 40 year
peritx1 in barley. wheat and
corn is attributable to
genetics
That is. while fertilizer
usage. agrichemicals and
other improved farming
techniques have played a
role. about 50`. of the total
yield improvement of most
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New research director introduced at Stewart Seeds
major role in crop yield
plants has been due to new
varieties.
Many stress situations
detract from high yield of
plants. While improving
yield for the farmer is our
chief concern. we seek to
achieve that end by im-
proving such things as heat,
cold. drought. disease, and
insect tolerance - the so-
called components of yield.
The higher average yields
of the past decade have been
achieved. in many cases, by
reducing the impact of dis-
eases. insects, and other
stresses - not by improving
the absolute top yields possi-
ble with perfect conditions.
Our breeding program is
called the Comprehensive
Breeding System because it
attacks all aspects of im-
provement at the same tiine
on the same material. For
example, in our corn
breeding program we plant
early to select for cold
tolerance: we infest with
European corn corer; we
study the roots for corn root
worm and root rot tolerance.
We may inoculate with
several leaf blight organism
and stalk rot: we plant thick
to create stress. particularly
as it affects stalk strength,
and we harvest only the
ripest ears which harvest
easily and have the highest
grain quality.
In addition, we put strong
emphasis on testing large
numbers of experimental
improvement says Brown
hybrids at several locations
in Ontario. Quebec, and
Manitoba.
Our R & I) program of
genetic improvement covers
five crop species: maize,
barley. wheat. soybeans, and
white beans with our
greatest emphasis budget -
wise. on maize. Nonetheless
our barley and wheat
programs. initiated as
recently as 1974, have been
successful already in
producing licensed varieties
AT CIBA-GEIGY MEDIA DAY — A panel discussion on "Women in Agriculture" featiirod T<,ns in✓s annual Ciba-Geigy
media day at Ailsa Craig. Above, Ciba-Geigy and Stewarts Seeds officials Byron Bonler tnvwrn'rPeacock and Larry
Morris chawith panel members Lynne Cohoe of Burgessville and Barbaro Peacock a Wind-ar nr-'n hraadcaster.T-A photo
Few people worried about
the Toss of farm land in
Canada before World War II.
Canada is a huge country
with enough 1 tad un-
developed to last tor cen-
turies. they said.
Since the early 1950's, a
few more voices were added
to the concern, especially
when great tracts of land
were lost forever as cities
gobbled up some of the best
farm land in the country.
That land became lost un-
der huge mounds of con-
crete. asphalt, ticky-tacky
houses. power corridors and
car -filled parking lots. The
land is lost as a resource
now.
But every time you go
through a checkout counter
at the supermarket, another
thousand acres of land dis-
appears in Canada through
erosion or urban expansion.
This loss of farmland was
accepted by most people un-
til the last decade.
Canadians produced a suplus
of food. We had too much
grain. too much milk, too
many hogs. too many beef
cattle. too many chickens,
' too many eggs, too many
turkeys.
It was a time of large sur-
pluses and increasing yields
per acre. Lots of food.
If the western world is los-
ing its pre-eminence in
many area such as arms
superiority, lack of domestic
energy supplies. lack of
technology and innovation,
perhaps another lack is the
inability to protect the great
body of farm land left in this
country.
A patchwork quilt of
restrictions exist across the
nation. Some provinces have
tried legislation to protect
the land but many of the
laws are too difficult to en-
force or the legislation is too
vague to be effective.
It is my humble opinion -
ind 1 am not a farmer - that
per acre yields in Canada
have reached a peak, that
agriculture can no longer
replace the cropland by
technology. Mechanization,
fertilizers. pesticides, new
varieties. high technology
have been able to offset the
loss of land. But not any
longer.
When this country was
settled by pioneers, the best
larm land was chosen.
Around that agricultural
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Letters aro appreaated by Bob Trotter [Wale Rd Elmira Orli N38 2C1
base came towns and
villages, then cities. Where
stand the cities`' The towns
and villages of yesteryear
have become the cities of to-
day and most of them are
right in the middle of the
nation's best agricultural
land. That urbanization has
gobbled up the land. The best
farm land 'being converted
to urban - t twice the
rate of poorer and.
What happens in the
United States eventually
happens here. It has been es-
timated that more than 100
million acres of U.S. land
had died through erosion
because farmers have been
forced onto poorer land
which is harder to farm and
more difficult to protect
from the forces of nature.
Increasingly, rural
Canada is becoming in-
distinguishable from urban
Canada A mammoth report
prepared during the Carter
administration took a global
view of the situation. The
global experts said that
arable land around the world
will increase by only four
per cent in the next 20 years
while population will in-
crease by as much as 50 per
cent
The world's population -
four billion in 1975 - will be
6.35 billion by the year 2000.
Where there are two people
today. there will be three in
20 years
Faulty farming methods
are turning global grass land
and crop land into "barren
wastelands." according to
the report. at a rate of ap-
proximately an amount of
land the size of the state of
Maine each year.
Now. somewhere in this
pile of statistics and the past
and present trends is a ma-
Saintsbury
has picnic
By MRS. HEBER DAVIS
SAINTSBURY
Mr's Carol Greenlee,
Kimberly. Pam and Steven
entertained the Sunday
School children and mothers
recently to a pot luck lunch
meal at noon. This was
followed by games by the
children and an afternoon in
the family pool. The weather
was ideal and all reported a
good day
Hobert Tindall is holiday-
ing with his sister Mr. and
Mrs Hon ('unningham, Mar.
Mr and Mrs. George
Carroll and Mr. and Mrs.
Ken Carrier and family,
Detroit are visiting relatives
in the community.
Mrs Earl Atkinson,
Lucan. Mrs. Raymond
Greenlee. Exeter and Mrs.
Heber Davis were lunch
guests with Mrs. Earl
Greenlee. Tuesday.
Mr and Mrs. Bob Tindall
attended the Tindall family
reunion at the Centralia
Community Centre, Sunday.
jor lessons all of us must
learn: The profligate waste
of farm land in this country
must be curtailed.
It may not loom as a huge
problem today but in years
to come when half the world
is literally starving to death,
we will look back and blame
the farmers, the politicians
and the so-called statesmen
of today for killing millions
of people.
Soends today's sermon.
- Mingo barley in 1979, and
Eavor winter wheat this spr-
ing.
Accompanying reports by
Dr. Keh Mingo Ho and Mrs.
Louisa Ho gives details
respectively for the barley
and wheat breeding
programs. which also utilize
the Comprehensive
Breeding System, as well as
specialized techniques.
Sophisticated scientific
techniques are involved In
the production of haploid
barley as the basis of the
breeding program by Dr.
Ho.
Mrs. ffo is expanding her
wheat program to include
other culture for the produc-
tion of haploids as well. New
discoveries in genetic
technique are being
assimilated into our genetic
improvement programs as
soon as feasible. and we are
watching the basic research
division of our parent com-
pany in Switzerland for new
developments in genetic
engineering. which we may
incorporate to strengthen
our programs."
The media day featured a
panel on "Women in
agriculture with Michelle
Geaffrian. a Ceba-Geigy
vire-president as
moderator.
Panelists included Wind-
sor agricultural broadcaster
Barbara Peacock, farm
business partner - wife
Lynne C.ohoe, veterinarian
Dr. Barbara Cameron and
Louisa Ho. a plant breeder
with Ciba-Geigy Seeds Ltd.
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