That s wrong without any doubt:
Tissue culture is the _only_ _way_ to propagate many plants at all!
(believe it or not...)
> The point I make is that people are not hunting
> for N.rajah (because it is readily available)
> but others. The names change (very fast). Still
> the problem has the same features as earlier.
> In contrast to the past people now run to the
> rain forrest collecting new species (naming
> them thus creating a market and propagating
> them in their own monetary interest believing
> in the need to environmentally -> tissue
> cultured satisfy the demand).
Rarely have I heared or read such a bunch of nonsense....
Sorry, that s not my usual style of writing but....
> You know yourself that the genetic diversity is
> not preserved by tissue culture. You also know
> the market value of newly introduced species.
So?
In the wild very likely less than 20 clones of N. clipeata exist anymore.
Why aren t 20 tissue culture clones worth the effort.
The "market value" you re talking about is an illusion. In your vision
some persons make big money by selling millions of rare Nepenthes.
But, where are the people who buy these enormous amounts of plants???
Nowhere!
The market is so small that the "black market prices" (as you prefer to
call them) would cover not much more than the investments and time for
propagation and screening if you would seriously calculate.
> What I accuse is the hypocracy to say "we are
> doing tissue culture to save the rain forrest"
> instead of saying "yes they have a market value
> and that is why I am propagating them for my
> own financial benefit". If this is in a
> commercial scale the internet is the wrong
> place to market it. I am not talking about
> 'uncosts'. I am talking about plants little
> tiny bastards (tissue cultured 2cm in height)
> offered for $50 and more. This is not the
> hobbyist propagating them in his/her hood
> (during the time when other's are going out
> with their girlfriends) for his/her fun but an
> entrepreneur with the aim to make money.
???
> See above. You do not save the genetic
> diversity by tissue culture of one (not even
> two male/female) plant.
Who is talking of one or two plants?
Usually in case of more restricted or rare plants I and all the other
tissue culture people I know try to keep around 10 clones which easily
adds up to 50 or more well separated clones worldwide!
This might unfortunately probably soon be more than the rest of clones
which are left in the wild in some cases.
> So, tell me please, what do you do against the
> global warming, the war in Chechnia, ...
What are you doing against it???
> What does N.xxxx help us in the tube if the
> forrests are gone ? It is hypocritical to say
> plant collectors do any good to the nature by
> ha- ving the plants in their greenhouses. It is
> for their own fun.
What does the lack of N.xxxx help us if the forests are gone?
Well, sit back and relax, watching the biodiversity fade away if you
prefer the role of an observer.
I for my case try to help at least the group of plants I love most and
these are Nepenthes.
All the best and _happy_ _observing_
Andreas
Andreas Wistuba
Mudauer Ring 227; 68259 Mannheim; Germany
Tel.: +49 621 705471 Fax: +49 621 711307
e-mail: a.wistuba@carnivor.rhein-neckar.de
a.wistuba@dkfz-heidelberg.de
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