Seedless Watermelon GMO?


Seedless Watermelon GMO?
Seedless Watermelon GMO? Are seedless and mini or personal-sized watermelons GMOs or genetically modified organisms? The answer may surprise you!
Seedless Watermelon GMO?
No they are not. Seedless watermelons are sterile hybrids, not GMOs.
Crossing male watermelon pollen, containing 22 chromosomes per cell, with female watermelon flowers, containing 44 chromosomes per cell produces mature melons with small, white seed coats. White seeds contain 33 chromosomes, making them sterile. Therefore, they cannot produce seeds. The process does not involve genetic modification.
Think of it like cross-breeding. Take the mule for example. The mule is produced naturally by crossing a horse with a donkey.
What about ’mini’ or ’personal-size’ watermelons? Mini or personal-sized watermelons are also hybrids.
Please consider buying organic watermelons. Under United States law, organic foods cannot be grown from genetically engineered seeds and organic crops cannot be treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
What’s the problem with GMOs?
GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. GMO foods are artificially created in a lab by inserting the genetic materials from different species into a specific food crop. With the goal of making the crop less resistant to pests, drought, and other factors that negatively impact agricultural production.
Unfortunately, the United States government rushes GMO crops through the approval process without testing them for long-term health and environmental impacts. There are no government requirement to label foods containing GMOs. This makes it harder for consumers to determine if they’re eating GMOs. GMOs are suspected of causing food allergies, gastrointestinal disease, and other health problems.
One of the most troubling facts is that GMO food crops are engineered to withstand high doses of chemical pesticides. Most typically, glyphosate, a compound contained in Monsanto’s Roundup brand. GMO crops are created to be ‘Roundup Ready’ in order to withstand extra heavy sprayings of the pesticide. Glyphosate is a systemic pesticide. Systemic pesticides are incorporated into the ’system’ of the plant. So there is no washing them away. Weeds adapt to these pesticides, becoming resistant and requiring more frequent and heavier spraying. This translates to increased levels of glyphosate in the environment and higher toxin residue levels in our food supply.
3 easy ways to avoid GMO foods:
- Buy organic. The easiest way to avoid GMO foods or genetically modified organism, is to buy organic. By law, organic foods cannot be grown from genetically engineered seeds. United States laws also ban the use of chemical pesticides. Many of which GMO crops are designed to withstand.
- Look for the butterfly on the non-GMO food label. It guarantees the food you are buying is certified non-GMO. The Non-GMO Verified program actually tests products to make sure they contain barely any GMO material. The certification won’t approve a food product if it contains more than 0.9% GMO content. A new certification, the GMO Guard Verification Program from Natural Food Certifiers, is offering an even more stringent certification. Food earning that program’s certification cannot contain more than 0.05% GMO material.
- Avoid nonorganic processed foods. Almost all of the non-organic corn, soy, and rapeseed (used to make canola oil) grown in the United States is produced from genetically engineered crops. Processed foods are laden with these and other GMO ingredients in the form of high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil. Stick with organic whole foods and organic packaged foods. Note, not all ingredients in an organic processed food are required to be organic. Read your food labels. And realize that due to the overwhelming amount of corn, soy, and rapeseed crops in America, even organic crops are often cross-pollinated by or contaminated with GMO crops.
Heirloom Seeds vs. Hybrids
Although hybrids are not GMOs or genetically modified organisms, they do not occur naturally. And narrow the gene pool of the produce we consume. Which translates to fruits and vegetables being available in less varieties.
Your best bet is to grow your own watermelon and other fruits and vegetables from Heirloom Seeds. Heirloom Seeds help guarantee that a wide variety produce grows naturally. Allowing consumers to enjoy different varieties of each specific type of fruit and vegetable for generations to come.
Read more about Heirloom plants and order Heirloom Seeds here –> http://www.victoryseeds.com/