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The Forum > General Discussion > In praise of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and Bill Gates

In praise of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and Bill Gates

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In summary:

--Plants use light to split water into hydrogen and oxygen producing high energy electrons.

--The energy from the electrons is used to synthesise carbohydrates from water and carbon dioxide

--The process is called photosynthesis

I cannot improve on Wikipedia’s explanation of the processes underlying photosynthesis so I’ll just post a link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis

Not all photosynthesising organisms are equal. The most important food crops, potatoes, rice and wheat use a process known as C3. Some plants, such as maize, use the much more efficient C4 process.

The differences are huge. A C4 plant needs only around 300 grams of water to produce one gram of carbohydrate versus 550 – 850 grams of water per gram of carbohydrate in C3 plants. C4 plants also function better at higher temperatures and for a given leaf nitrogen content are able to absorb CO2 at more than twice the rate of C3 plants.

Could we use genetic engineering to produce a rice plant that uses the C4 pathway? If we could it would lead to a dramatic increase in yields per hectare with no extra water or fertiliser required.

Well that’s the dream and no one is sure whether it can be done. Historically the C3 pathway appeared first. The C4 pathway evolved independently on at least 40 occasions so obviously plants can make the transition.

Now scientists at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) have taken a giant step forward in making the dream possible. They have carefully tracked the expression of genes in the leaves of maize plants as they develop. We now have a complete record of gene expression for at least one C4 species as the leaf develops.

See: http://bti.cornell.edu/pdfs/trans/TheTranscript_Fall_2010.pdf

What the researchers at BTI have done is provide a resource for scientists working to develop a C4 rice plant.

That’s how most science is done. Breakthroughs and eureka moments are rare. Mostly it’s tiny steps forward.

The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation financed the research.

Australia as a water-short rice growing country would benefit enormously if the greenies ever allow it.
Posted by stevenlmeyer, Thursday, 22 September 2011 8:30:02 PM
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Really great stuff Steven, the sort of thing that could change the world, & our effect on it.

Tell me, do you think the greenies will just lump it in with other genetic engineering, & make it impossible to use in the real world?
Posted by Hasbeen, Friday, 23 September 2011 10:26:32 AM
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CORRECTION

I wrote:

>>A C4 plant needs only around 300 grams of water to produce one gram of carbohydrate versus 550 – 850 grams of water per gram of carbohydrate in C3 plants.>>

On reflection this is misleading.

Both types of plant actually use almost the SAME amount of water to produce a gram of carbohydrate. The difference comes from the rate of TRANSPIRATION.

Being more efficient C4 plants lose less water through transpiration than C3 plants.

But from the point of view of a farmer you need to supply more water to a C3 plant per gram of carbohydrate than to a C4 plant.

Sorry if I inadvertently misled anyone.

Hasbeen,

I have no doubt the greenies will object.
Posted by stevenlmeyer, Friday, 23 September 2011 10:39:43 AM
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Wish I knew one percent of what you do Steven.
Watching this thread and your last with interest.
I a 30 year bush firefighter am surrounded by fires, it will get very much worse.
Those extremist greens who tell us we know nothing, often live in the very base of tomorrows inferno.
And that inferno will bring much more damage to the Forrest's that the century's old practice of slow burning.
New fuel? new under standing science is indeed great!
Posted by Belly, Friday, 23 September 2011 12:22:41 PM
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Belly,

Thank you for your kind words.

Don't get me started on the greenies. Never mind a 350 word limit. 350,000 wouldn't be enough for me to express my contempt.

I do admire your being a bush firefigher for 30 years. How old does that make you?
Posted by stevenlmeyer, Friday, 23 September 2011 1:36:14 PM
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you should..get out more
like reading other..olo threads

belly there..announced he is 66
had his birthday..a few days ago
but its a fair question..and
i shouldnt destract..from the topic

anyhow your posting..a lot of praise
''In praise of Vittal Yachandra''

how about praising..*palasteinians
for that clever move..at the un

or the clever jews..in israel;
so expert at dry-land farming
by stealing palistinian water/land and work effort

but of course..in time they too
will get their due jew praises..[yeah right]

they..are expert at all they do
from getting govt-money..from usa
to telling/ordering..the president..to veto

gotta hand the due
to the jew

anyhow its good..that you explained
[clarified] re transpiration rates

we just cant wait for the frankenstein water plant
to be mutated..into a dry land plant..

heck we allready grow rice..in our deserts

ps you failed to mention that respiration..[of water and oxigen]
is a by product..of creating..all that other stuff..[including carbo-hydrate]

carboh/hydrate:..any of a large group..of compound's
including..sugers/starch and cell-ulose

which contain
that horrible POISEN*[c02]..LOL

as well as hydrogen
[that other vile greenhouse/gas..*not taxed]..

and oxygen..that stuff
we living breath in..
.
[then breath out that horrible poisen c02
*that plants need to live on]

the substances of life
that we all need to make energy

[you know E=mc2...lol]..recall
that great jew einstein..[one stone]

e=energy
E= mass..ie weight

times the speed of light
times the speed of light
lol

so tell me
is the answer in jules?

[ie 'E']..well i gues we will praise
the due that figures that out

or better actually invents..*something

all this praise stuff is so much like
WE GOT A CURE FOR CANCER*
lol..[in ten more years]

gee i been hearing..that since the 30's
but praise..where praise is jew eh

anything but diss-cuss the 2 state formula
for colenisation
by perpetual; war
and meanness to the true semites

praise
bah

what is the praise of..*[pick your own words]

jesus said by their works..will we know..'them'

[seeking the praise of innocents/ignorants/man]
but heck if you got no works..words will do..
Posted by one under god, Friday, 23 September 2011 4:01:45 PM
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C4 photosynthesis is a very complex trait. Effective C4 rice is probably some way off. The real benefit of this research will be better understanding of what the genes are doing and what happens when these genes are tweaked. That could lead to higher-yielding and more drought tolerant maize cultivars, as well as other breeding advances using existing variation.

Drought tolerance is a very difficult trait to work on, as it is hard to dial up a drought on order. Understanding these genes might provide an alternative way of finding useful germplasm for breeding.
Posted by Agronomist, Saturday, 24 September 2011 12:51:41 PM
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OUG, If I am reading this right, your anti Semitic shots on Brother Meyer are out of place on this thread.

I have an issue with the Rothschild’s World Banking Caliphate. Israel and the Palestine, and many Zionist views, but Brother Meyer is not running the banks or Israel. I know of the over representation that Jews have in banking, commerce, academia, arts, entertainment, so what, I consider it evolution. Our GENTILE governments could curtail their interests (like the NSDAP did) and give the GENTILES a chance to achieve prominence, but the mix outcome would be the same, because who applies themselves and who dares wins. When it comes to Jewish conspiracy, of course there is, you always do a mate rate or favor for your mates, we Gentiles had to form clubs and associations like the Masons because just being Gentile was not enough to make us stick together.

Stevenlmeyer is a pleb, just like you and I and if he chooses to be a "my heritage right or wrong" acolyte you must understand that being without a geographic nation for two thousand years tends to make you stick together just to exist, but that does not make his views particularly honest or valid. For every wrong perpetrated by a powerful controlling JEW hundreds of thousand ordinary JEWISH plebs live, love, express charitable understanding and fight well above their weight in the humanitarian stakes.

Your payout on Steven is wrong on so many levels, especially since the thread is based on hope, we know exploitation comes with the hope if delivered by the hand of man, but your intimation that the JEWS will exploit this is wrong, all rich controlling bastards will exploit this including JEWS and traditional GENTILES, and the up and coming ASIAN and INDIAN rich controlling bastards. If a rich JEW is not exploiting us then it is a rich GENTILE, OUG give you a hundred million tomorrow MAKE YOU 25 years of age again and you would be the exploiter. What did the JEW Jesus say about throwing stones?
Posted by sonofgloin, Saturday, 24 September 2011 1:39:35 PM
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you are correct son of golin
its just we have earth shaking events going down
and all we get are topic's about praising agro-mists

steven rightfully ignores all i say
and each post replies the topic

but as im replying..there on the radio is reality
and your post indicates you are aware of much of the reality
that seemingly cant be mentioned..thus falls betwen the cracks

when for all this topicfal stuff to happen
first we must survive real greater and present dangers
that only one exclusive coven can ever hope to fix

heck how many other states,but israel and the vatican
exclude or deride all other beiefs..from their exclusive closed utopia

steven belongs to an amasing group of people
who are truelly blessed by god..but there isnt one life that live..but by gods will

jesus came..he the messiah came
and he was the messiah of the essean
but thanks be to paul/saul..his message has become moderated over time

in that moderration
a more clear message of love and grace and mercy
has emerged..but not exclusivly for one group..but for all

one father giving life to all life
and i have got the opperuinity via stephen..to address..his peers

obama is really being set up to veto justice
that is revealed to be the faulse prince of peace
he could order the banks to accept loosing the fed
with minimal pain..could restopre justice

but thanks be to a powerfull group
we look like attacking iran soon
look like killing many more

i will take the risk
in the hope of waking up
those hoping for a clean armogeddon
that god isnt going to let that happen

if only those caliming to be his own
could awake from their nightmare
and lead us to the living loving god of life
renmove that dumb cemitry..holding the matured messiah from returning

with his new message of love/grace/mercy

[it will happen]..25 dec 2012
best we prepare for the popes return
and maybe start doing that paul revealed

that peter
was supposed to do
be the love..thank you my brothers
Posted by one under god, Saturday, 24 September 2011 2:06:47 PM
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I went to a seminar on someone conducting a project on photosynthesis, mostly on the genetic level, rather than the really basic biochemistry. They were studying how algae can produce hydrogen gas through photosynthesis and how they could exploit that and engineer a more efficient system for producing hydrogen for fuel in bioreactors...

I don't think they have gotten very far, but I'm sure they weren't the only ones working on it.

Anyways, nice thread, pity about the jew crap.
Posted by Bugsy, Saturday, 24 September 2011 7:36:51 PM
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The problem GMO crops is that the big Agro Companies create them sterile so individuals cannot grow their own.We need to keep fertile seed banks so there will freedom of choice to grow your own.
Posted by Arjay, Sunday, 25 September 2011 5:39:24 PM
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For once Arjay I agree with you.
Posted by stevenlmeyer, Sunday, 25 September 2011 6:19:40 PM
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Arjay, there are no sterile GMO crops in commercial production and none planned. The seed of GMO crops are in fact quite viable, which can cause concern when they get into the wrong place. http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2011/s3129428.htm
Posted by Agronomist, Sunday, 25 September 2011 7:31:15 PM
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