The dark side of modern Breeding

[ducks4you]

I am starting a discussion about your thoughts regarding the remedies of flora and fauna problems that we have today, and how we individually solve problems in our backyards.
I was inspired by this YouTube channel about the lack of genetic diversity in horses. Same can be said for other domestic animals and domesticated crops.
WARNING: This goes 25 minutes:

Breeding or cross breeding is hybridization in plants. This is different that genetically lab modified crops.
What are your experiences?

 

[flowerbug]

i am concerned about diversity in crops and how they may be bred.

more important to me in recent years is how to keep contamination from GMO crops out of any i may be growing. unfortunately there is no requirement to make crops that are GMO obviously (visually) distinguishable from those that aren't. so a normal person without access to genetic testing has limited ways to find out what is going on.

at the moment i don't grow any crops that may be affected but it is a consideration i do have when i may be thinking about what else i may grow.

 

[digitS']

Lots of nice pictures and video clips ...

I am in favor of "open pollinated" and hybrids, both. Preserving genes is important but so is individual success. And, this is especially and greatly important for utilitarian purposes including food supply, of course.

Hybrids often have broad environmental success. That doesn't mean that they always will but heirlooms may be very locally adapted. That is likely how they became unique heirlooms in the first place. If I thought that it would benefit me to just look on just the other side of the hill, to find a better variety for my garden, that's what I would do. Subsistence gardening is far from being widespread in "1st World" countries. I have thought that it would be a great idea to locate areas with very similar climate and venture into vacations in the gardens there . I might find the same lack of garden diversity in European areas, however. Probably not, tho –– at least, I hope so.

BTW, @Nyboy made the argument that dog breeding would wind down to nothing if customers generally lost interest in the dog breeds that he was involved with. Stands to reason but it doesn't seem to be happening.

BTW#2. That person narrating the video makes it very difficult to read captioning with the continuous hand waving that she practices right behind the captions. Those 25 minutes were rather exhausting to ... Steve. It was good to have the photo and video breaks .

 

[heirloomgal]

I have thought a great deal about this topic, for both plants and animals.

With the animals, and I think of dogs when I say this, the current estimate is between 15,000 - 40, 000 years worth of selective breeding. There's a lot to appreciate, and marvel at, with what we've achieved in terms of trait selection, temperament in particular, in that time. It's unbelievable that in some breeds, we've nearly bred out of them the inherent desire to self preserve. The trackers, the racers, the whole terrier group, war dogs, guardians; there is just so much diversity there and physical form to appreciate.

And at the same time, those breeding lines and selective process have created gene pools with abnormally exaggerated traits, so much so that it has a tendency to work against the dog. The guardians that will attack their own offspring only days after separation, the Malinois that climb trees and roofs to their own peril. And as pets, this also tends to be what works against owners. Even people who sign up for breed X and want the qualities of breed X not infrequently seem to still have their lives impacted negatively by them. I see in the dog circles, most people (not all, but the majority) have problems based on even diluted breed specific genes in their dog.