PLANTS FOR THE FUTURE
The world is entering the age of biotechnology, where scientists can alter the genes that carry the biological codes controlling heredity in living things. Scientists at more than 200 companies and universities in the United States work to develop plants with traits such as larger size or resistance to disease. Scientists believe these new ventures will lead to the beginning of an era of custom-designed agriculture.
Biotechnology at work. In a matter of weeks scientists can grow the plants that take years to produce in nature. And by controlling the growth environment, they can cause the plants to grow in specific ways. Scientists are also experimenting with protein-rich crops, such as soybeans. Grown on a large scale these crops could dramatically improve the world's supply of protein.
Another research group has created several healthy snack foods. These biotechnologically developed snacks include extra sweet and crunchy carrots, varieties of both common and exotic fruits, and popcorn so flavorful that popcorn lovers will enjoy it without adding salt or butter.
Increasing food supplies. Other plant scientists work to make tropical plants grow faster so that they will grow during the shorter summer growing season of cooler regions. Similarly, scientists are trying to develop a corn that has the soybean's ability to produce fertilizer from the nitrogen in the air. The potential annual savings in fertilizer bills for corn could amount to millions of dollars.
While some plant scientists seek to increase the world's food supply through biotechnology, others look to the past for plants that may once again become important. One such plant - amaranth - was the principal grain of the Aztecs and Incas. After the Spanish conquered those civilizations, they prohibited the growing and eating of amaranth because it had been used in Indian ceremonies. However, amaranth survived in a few remote highland villages. Today several research centers in the United States work to develop its use again.
Amaranth is a particularly exciting food possibility for the future because it requires little water or fertilizer and will grow almost anywhere. Even more importantly, amaranth seeds are richer in protein than any other grain now cultivated. They look much like sesame seeds, have a pleasant nutty taste, and can be popped like corn or steamed and flattened into flakes.
Some plant scientists believe that a plant called the pepino will gain popularity. It, too, is an ancient South American plant. It grows tomatolike foliage, and the fruit tastes like a cross between astrawberry and a melon. The first North American fields of pepino were planted in California in 1985. The first people to taste pepino predicted enormous success. Now researchers are working to develop a pepino that grows in cooler climates and that will be easy to pick, pack, and store.
These plants offer hope for adding significantly to the world's food supply. Biogeographers and biotechnicians continue to have success. Within just a few years a wide variety of custom-designed products will be ready for use.