Cyanide-Producing GM Grass Linked To Texas Cattle Deaths.

[Patrick]

http://science.slashdot.org/story/12/06/...tle-deaths

...Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are trying to determine if an unexpected mutation in a popular GM grass, Tifton 85, is responsible for the sudden deaths of a small herd of cattle in Elgin, Texas three weeks ago. The grass has been used for grazing since 1992 without incident, however after a severe drought last year in Texas, the grass started producing cyanide in sufficient quantities to kill a small herd of cattle in Elgin, Texas. Testing has found the cyanide-producing grass in nearby fields as well...

I wonder if this is by design. :-/

[Eddie]

Tifton is not a "GM" product; it's a conventional hybrid between a South African strain of Bermudagrass and and one from the Tifton agricultural experiment station in Tifton, Georgia.

Roundup is not used on Bermudagrass pastures so I doubt there will ever be a "GM" Bermudagrass.

Wilting, drought, extreme heat, bruising or trampling can lead to contact between cyanogenic compounds and hydrolytic enzymes in plants, resulting in inadvertent cyanide production. The cyanide production in this instance is probably a side effect of wilting due to extreme drought, which Texas has been suffering for several years. A number of grasses will do this, as will wild cherry (Prunus serotina) and other plants.

[Patrick]

Thank you my friend. That's good to know.