11/22/05 Apomixis, part one

We start with a definition; apomixis. FARMER "Apomixis is an anomaly in nature where a mother plant reproduces herself." Ross Farmer is president and CEO of Gemini Life Sciences, a Sugar City-based company that last year secured a two million dollar development grant to induce apomixis in various food crops in an effort to increase yields while saving millions of dollars on the labor intensive process of fertilizing hybrid seed. FARMER "Dandelions are apomectic. Kentucky bluegrass is apomectic. There are about a thousand plant species that are normally sexual that for some reason under certain circumstances instead of a sexual process resulting in an off spring the mother just reproduces herself." Farmer works with Doctor John Carman at Utah State University who has been studying apomixis for more than two decades and believes he can apply that to crops like corn, wheat and rice. FARMER "Across the nation if they were allowed to grow commercially wheat output could increase by 15 percent, rice by 35 percent." Farmer says apomixis could have a huge impact on energy production to the benefit of agriculture producers. More about that tomorrow. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott