Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Seeds of Destruction

Seeds are produced by plants at times largely dictated by the seasons. The plants aim to give their genetic investments optimal conditions for propagation. Commercial seed producers generate the packets people use in their gardens. One US seed producer, now maintains there are 'no normal seasons any more' and struggles to produce lettuce seeds. Climate change, with its floods, freezes and heatwaves, threatens his seed production. Unseasonal conditions also make plant diseases more difficult to control. These are, of course, serious issues for the seed farmer but they are even more potentially devastating for wild plants (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/16/seed-farmers-climate-change). Wild plants cannot quickly adapt to fluctuating climate change. Species are likely to disappear in certain areas. Houston, we have a problem!
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