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(Mark O'Neill/QMI Agency)

Now that spring is finally in the air, garden centres across the country willbe stocking up on plants and seeds for the coming season. Manynurseries choose species that have been carefully cultivated to create themost commercially attractive product, but does that necessarily mean it'swhat's best for your garden?

Two types of "special" seeds have been emerging as favourites fornurseries. Hybrids are one of those, created by cross-pollinating twovarieties of seeds. Other seeds are genetically engineered. Thesevarieties are often referred to as GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

Genetically modified plants may contain genes from other species in orderto obtain the best commercial result. Because the genetic makeup ofthese plants is trademarked, the companies that produce the seeds arenot required to label them.

"GMOs could contain pig genes, fish genes, or whatever," said ColletteMurphy. Murphy is an organic grower who has become increasingly

concerned about GMO seeds and plants because of their potential impact. For example, a vegetarian who buys a GMOtomato plant may end up eating a product that contains animal genes.

"People think that there's no difference between a hybrid plant and a GMO," said Murphy. "But genetically modifying a seedinhibits its reproduction." Historically farmers and gardeners saved seed from year to year. Using GMO seeds meansbuying new seed every year, creating a captive market for seed producers.

Murphy is concerned that by limiting seed sources to what is currently considered the best, or the most desirable, we arebecoming increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic crop losses.

"People aren't aware that we are losing plant species faster than we are losing animal species," she said.

According to the UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition, more than 90% of crop varieties have disappeared from farmers'fields.

"It's like marrying your sister. You're weakening the gene pool," said Murphy.

The lack of biodiversity increases crop vulnerability to pests and disease, increasing the dependency on pesticides andchemical fertilizers. As the climate changes, commercial varieties of seeds currently available could prove useless in the

new conditions.

"One of the world's most pervasive threats to world food and livelihood security is the loss of biological diversity," accordingGenetic Resources Action International (GRAIN).

The answer says Murphy, is to preserve and protect heritage or heirloom varieties - pure strains of seeds that have beensaved and replanted for centuries.

"The key to our future lies in preserving our agricultural heritage," said Murphy. "It builds redundancy into the food system,so if one variety is destroyed, then we have others to fall back on."

The Irish Potato Famine: How one potato nearly wiped out a nation

Saving the seedsGenetically modified organisms are taking over our gardens, making for a weakened gene pool

By SUZANNE ELSTON, SPECIAL TO QMI AGENCY

Last Updated: April 2, 2011 2:00am

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The 1840 Irish potato famine was caused when a blight infected the single variety of potato planted that year, wiping out theentire harvest. The ensuing famine ultimately killed or displaced two and a half million people.

Norway's Doomsday Vault - Saving the Seed for Future Generations

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, located 1,300 kilometers from the North Pole, was built inside a sandstone mountain. Thepurpose of the vault is to hold up to 4.5 million batches of seeds. The seed bank will allow humanity to re-establishagriculture in the event of a catastrophe that wipes out existing plant stocks.

Plant Species at Risk - A race against time

Scientists calculate that there are 10 to 20% more undiscovered species than currently estimated. Twenty percent of knownspecies are currently considered at risk:

Flowering plants 282,821

Conifers 1,021

Ferns and horsetails 12,000

Mosses 16,236

Red and green algae 10,134

Lichens 17,000

Mushrooms 31,496

Brown algae 3,067

Existing plant species (est.) 380,000

Species currently at risk (1 in 5) 80,000 to 100,000*

* Kew, Natural History Museum and International Union for Conservation of Nature study, September 2010

For more information:

Seeds of Diversity is a Canadian volunteer organization that conserves the biodiversity and traditional knowledge of foodcrops and garden plants.

Urban Harvest is a certified organic grower, providing heirloom varieties of plants and seeds.

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