Exploring Legumes and Root Crops: From Roundup Ready Wheat to the Amazing Potato, Slides of Sociology

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Legumes, continued; Leaf, Stem and

Root Crops

Roundup Ready Wheat

The Latest Battlefield in the “Biotech Wars”:

Roundup Ready Crops: corn, soybeans, cotton

None of these have major use in human consumption

Roundup Ready Wheat: produced and marketed by Monsanto

• major use of wheat = human food
• major export crop ( Japan, Europe)

Worry: if any farmers grown GM Wheat, some importers (Japan) will ban all wheat from U.S.  all farmers will lose this market

New World Beans – 2. Common

Beans

Phaseolus vulgaris – source of many types

Another independent domesticate in Mexico and South America

New World Beans – 2. Common

Beans

Phaseolus vulgaris – source of many types

Another independent domesticate in Mexico and South America

Another New World Legume -

Peanut

Arachis hypogaea – peanut, ground nut, goober central South America

Forage Legumes – Sitting in the

Clover

Alfalfa – Medicago sativa - king of forage crops – associated with horse husbandry

Clovers – Trifolium

Lespedeza

Sweet Clovers - Melilotus

The Amazing Spud

• The potato is a short duration crop that produces a large amount of calories in a short period of time
• The potato produces more protein and calories per unit area per unit time and per unit of water than any other major plant food.
• The ratio of protein to calories, the quality of the protein and the high levels of vitamins and minerals are assets greatly needed in many countries.

Potatoes Travel to Europe

Frederick the Great encouraging peasants to grow more potatoes

Vincent van Gogh painting: “The potato eaters” (Belgium)

The Irish Potato Blight

Ireland – potato became staple crop in 1800s

functionally monoculture – political & cultural considerations

1840s – potato blight hit: population 8 million  6 million

• 1 million people died; 1.5 million people immigrated to Australia & U.S.A.