VOA科学技术2023 杂交小麦可能会带来更多的食物而无转基因困扰（在线收听）

Hybrid Wheat May Lead to More Food without GMO Fears

杂交小麦可能会带来更多的食物而无转基因困扰

A new kind of hybrid wheat now available to American farmers may help reduce fears over genetically engineered crops.

美国农民现在可以使用的一种新型杂交小麦可能有助于减少对转基因作物的担忧。

The new hybrid is being introduced as seed companies worldwide seek to increase production because of decreasing grain supplies.

由于粮食供应减少，世界各地的种子公司都在寻求提高产量，因此新的杂交种正被引入。

The hybrid wheat was developed by Chinese-owned agriculture company Syngenta. The product was created without genetic engineering.

这种杂交小麦由中国农业公司先正达开发。该产品是在没有基因工程的情况下制造的。

The first seeds to grow the wheat will be released on 2,000 to 2,800 hectares of American farmland next year, Reuters news agency reports.

据路透社报道，第一批种植小麦的种子将于明年在2000至2800公顷的美国农田上播种。

Two major German chemical companies – BASF and Bayer – are planning their own launches of hybrid wheat in the future.

德国两大化学公司——巴斯夫和拜耳——正计划在未来推出自己的杂交小麦。

How is hybrid wheat made?

杂交小麦是如何生产的？

Developers, or breeders, create hybrid wheat by taking away the natural ability of plants to pollinate themselves. Instead, female wheat plants in a field are pollinated by male plants of a different line. The goal of the process is to create seeds that can produce bigger crops and better resist harmful environments. The fertilized female plant produces a new kind of hybrid.

开发者或育种者通过剥夺植物自身授粉的自然能力来创造杂交小麦。相反，田间的雌性小麦植株由不同系的雄性植株授粉。这一过程的目标是创造出能够生产更大作物和更好抵御有害环境的种子。受精的雌性植物产生了一种新的杂交种。

Using this hybrid technology permits breeders to choose the best elements from two parent seeds to produce new seeds containing the best characteristics of both.

使用这种杂交技术，育种者可以从两个亲本种子中选择最佳元素，以生产出含有两者最佳特性的新种子。

Producers say when seed companies produce hybrid wheat seeds, some female plants often fail to become fertilized because they depend on unpredictable winds to carry pollen. Pollen is a substance produced by plants when they reproduce.

生产商表示，当种子公司生产杂交小麦种子时，一些雌性植物往往无法受精，因为它们依赖不可预测的风来携带花粉。花粉是植物繁殖时产生的物质。

During some seasons, pollen is released into the air and carried to other plants to be fertilized. Producers say the fertilization of each plant is more certain during wheat's natural process of self-pollination.

在某些季节，花粉被释放到空气中，并被携带到其他植物中受精。生产商表示，在小麦自然授粉过程中，每种植物的施肥都更加确定。

How widespread are hybrid crops?

杂交作物有多广泛？

Farmers have grown hybrid corn since the 1930s. The growth improved crop sizes, called yields, by increasing the plant's resistance to things like insects and disease. Vegetables like onions, spinach and tomatoes are also grown from hybrid seeds.

自20世纪30年代以来，农民一直种植杂交玉米。这种生长通过提高植物对昆虫和疾病的抵抗力，提高了作物的大小，即产量。洋葱、菠菜和西红柿等蔬菜也是用杂交种子种植的。

Seed companies said they used their experience launching hybrid corn and barley to develop hybrid wheat. Average corn yields increased 600 percent from 1930 to the mid-1990s. This result was partly helped by hybridization. Wheat saw an increase of two-and-a-half times, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

种子公司表示，他们利用推出杂交玉米和大麦的经验开发杂交小麦。从1930年到1990年代中期，玉米平均产量增加了600%。杂交在一定程度上帮助了这一结果。美国农业部表示，小麦产量增长了2.5倍。

Researchers say hybrid wheat has taken longer to come to market because the development process is more costly and complex. It could be important to increasing wheat yields while avoiding being linked to "GMO" development. GMO stands for genetically modified organism.

研究人员表示，杂交小麦上市需要更长时间，因为开发过程成本更高、更复杂。在避免与“转基因”发展挂钩的同时，提高小麦产量可能很重要。GMO代表转基因生物。

Genetically modified wheat has never been grown for industry purposes because of fears that allergens or poisons might be created. Wheat is used to make numerous major foods worldwide.

由于担心会产生过敏原或毒素，转基因小麦从未用于工业用途。小麦被用来制造世界各地的许多主要食品。

Dave Hankey owns Hankey Seed Company in Park River, North Dakota. He told Reuters, "Because of the resistance to genetically modifying stuff, hybrids would be considered better and safer."

戴夫·汉基在北达科他州帕克河拥有汉基种子公司。他告诉路透社，“由于对转基因物质的抵抗力，杂交种会被认为更好、更安全。”

He added, "That would certainly be the public perception."

他补充道，“这肯定是公众的看法。”

Words in This Story

hybrid – n. a plant or animal that is produced from two different kinds of plant or animal

pollinate – v. to take pollen from one plant to another so that new plant seeds can be produced

fertilize – v. to cause an egg or seed to start to develop into a new young animal or plant by joining it with a male cell

characteristic – n. a typical or noticeable quality of someone or something

certain – adj. used to describe a particular person or thing without directly naming them

modify – v. to change something, usually in a way to improve it or make it more acceptable

allergen – n. a substance that can cause an allergy: a condition when the body reacts badly to something

perception – n. a belief or opinion, often held my many people and based on how things seem