Fusarium oxysporum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fusarium oxysporum, also referred to as Agent Green, is a fungus that causes Fusarium wilt disease in more than a hundred species of plants. It does so by colonizing the water-conducting vessels (xylem) of the plant. As a result of this blockage and breakdown of xylem, symptoms appear in plants such as leaf wilting, yellowing and eventually plant death. Interest in Fusarium oxysporum as a herbicide was first raised after the discovery in the 1960s that it was the causative agent in the destruction of the Hawaiian coca population. The United States government was involved in a controversial program to use Fusarium oxysporum for the eradication of coca in Colombia and other Andean countries, but these plans were cancelled by president Bill Clinton who was concerned that the unilateral use of a biological agent would be perceived by the rest of the world as biological warfare. The Andean nations have since banned its use throughout the region. Use of biological agents to kill crops is potentially illegal under the Biological Weapons Convention.
Fusarium oxysporum, also referred to as Agent Green, is a fungus that causes Fusarium wilt disease in more than a hundred species of plants. It does so by colonizing the water-conducting vessels (xylem) of the plant. As a result of this blockage and breakdown of xylem, symptoms appear in plants such as leaf wilting, yellowing and eventually plant death.
Interest in Fusarium oxysporum as a herbicide was first raised after the discovery in the 1960s that it was the causative agent in the destruction of the Hawaiian coca population.
The United States government was involved in a controversial program to use Fusarium oxysporum for the eradication of coca in Colombia and other Andean countries, but these plans were cancelled by president Bill Clinton who was concerned that the unilateral use of a biological agent would be perceived by the rest of the world as biological warfare. The Andean nations have since banned its use throughout the region. Use of biological agents to kill crops is potentially illegal under the Biological Weapons Convention.
potentially illegal
Ha Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2005/8/3/12463/49821
http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2005/8/4/3105/97190
and have been meaning to do an update. During my move I found a brief mention that some folks in Britain are also on board with this, despite the EU having banned the whole idea.
The banana story fits in well as an object lesson about what this shit can do when let loose. And don't even get me started on the dates and tomatoes... Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. -Hobbes
