Genetic engineering versus organic farming. - Push-Pull

Using bees as 'Flying Doctors'Grey mould is the worst disease affectingstrawberries. A clever new organic controluses honey bees or bumble bees. When thebee leaves the hive, she passes through afootbath containing an antidote to grey mould.This is a harmless fungus. When bees pollinatethe strawberry blossoms, they deliver theharmless fungus precisely into the blossoms.The beneficial fungus thus inoculates theblossoms preventing infection by grey mould.Recent studies in the US and Switzerlandshow that strawberry yields can be more thandoubled with the help of these ‘Flying Doctors’.were asked not to use perfume because thiscould confuse the plants.) Scientists are tryingto find out if these scents could be used towarn tomatoe plants in advance of a caterpillarinvasion. The plants would be perfectly prepared:a clever strategy, using nature’s own methods.More findings from modern organicresearch: plants can ‘talk’ to each other.When attacked by a caterpillar, a tomatoeplant starts to produce defence chemicals.It also warns neighbouring plants by exudinga scent as an SOS-signal. These tomatoes thenalso start to produce the defence chemicals,even though they are not being attacked. (Thisscent, methyl-jasmonate, is often used inperfumes. During the experiments womenLeft: Bumble beeRight: Perfume flask: tomatoes‘talk’ to each other with scents.