Report calls for increased effort to save plant diversity

A report by a task force of agriculture professors says it’s important thatthe many varieties of plants in the world not be allowed to die off. IowaState University Professor Donald Duvick (due’-vick) helped write the reporton what’s known as biodiversity. He says plant breeders need a diverseselection of plants.Duvick says the world needs a mixture of all types of plants and animalsjust to operate. He compares it to an automobile.Duvick says as countries move to more and more large scale crop productionthey tend to narrow in on one variety of plant. Duvick says there needs to be more study into the advantages of mixingcrops. He says many farmers do this on the very basic scale by rotatingsoybeans and corn from year-to-year.