Selective Breeding
Approximately twenty plant species provide about 90% of the world's food. All major food crops, including corn, wheat, and soybeans, are becoming more and more genetically modified (GM) and exhibit less and less genetic variation. The crops we grow are drought tolerant and able to withstand herbicide spraying. They are more resistant to insect pests. One wild relative of corn called milpilla or Zea diploperennis, is exceptionally disease-resistant and is the only perennial in the corn family. Zea diploperennis grows on only one mountain in western Mexico.
Today we are faced with human diseases we have never had to fight before; HIV-AIDS, ebola, zika. Imagine if our agricultural corn crops are hit by a new and previously unknown pathogen; one that attacks members of the Zea species. This has happened before with other plant species: the potato crop in Ireland, the chestnut trees in the U. S. What would be the best preventative strategy for survival of the corn species?
Responses
A Conducting research to find a way to kill the pathogen.Conducting research to find a way to kill the pathogen.
B Decreasing the gene variation in favor of more GM corn varieties.Decreasing the gene variation in favor of more GM corn varieties.
C Increasing genetic variation and breeding plants with the wild variety.Increasing genetic variation and breeding plants with the wild variety.
D Conducting research to find a natural predator of the disease-causing pathogen.
C Increasing genetic variation and breeding plants with the wild variety.
By increasing genetic variation and incorporating traits from the wild variety of corn, we can create a more resilient crop that is better equipped to handle new and unknown pathogens. This strategy would help diversify the gene pool of corn crops and provide a better chance of survival in the face of potential threats.