One Potato, New Potato

 



 

 

 

“One Potato, New potato”

 

 

 

 

A new technology has developed in genetically engineered potatoes with the use of jellyfish bioluminescence. The jellyfish, Aequorea Victoria produces a green bioluminescent gene that is being spliced into potatoes to aid in conserving water. Amanda Onion from ABC NEWS ONLINE wrote about a farmer utilizing this new technology in an attempt to decrease over watering and reduce the loss of nutrients that occur as a result of over watering.

“It’s very easy to overwater potatoes by watering too often or too much,” explains Steve Love of the Aberdeen Research and Extension Center College of Agriculture at the University of Idaho. “If we could relieve either one of these problems it could not only prevent wasting water, but also prevent nutrients from leaking from the soil.”

The potato tends to produce a large spud with an increase in water, however with environmental changes, increase in populations and decrease in water usage this may have dramatic results in the production of such a staple food source. The genetically engineered crops trigger a reaction within themselves when in need of water to conserve what they have and they will produce a green light visible under a black light. The farmer can more effectively water his crop only when needed hence become more efficient and productive. This new technology was expected to be in use 5-10 years from the date of this article in Dec, 2001.

The use of bioluminescent genes are being researched for the use in tracing infections, agriculture, and military uses. Hopefully, it will be able to trace infected or defective genes in AIDS patients and cancer patients. How wonderful for a surgeon to be able to have a definitive way in seeing the altered and diseased cells that need to be removed the first time and thus eliminating subsequent surgeries. Bioluminescence research: Use of ATP Bioluminescence for Rapid Detection and Enumeration of Contaminants: The Milliflex Rapid Microbiology Detection and Enumeration System. _Renaud Chollet and Sebastian Ribault. http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/27440/InTech-Use_of_atp_bioluminescence_for_rapid_detection_and_enumeration_of_contaminants_the_milliflex_rapid_microbiology_detection_and_enumeration_system.pdf



 

 







This article can be read at http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/jellyfish_potato.cfm

and another link at http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/6-bright-ideas-for-bioluminescence-tech-4#slide-4.

6 Bright Ideas for Bioluminescence Tech.