UMD Research Reveals Reason for Growing Pest Damage in Genetically Protected Corn Crops

[OKIsItJustMe]

(You’ll never guess…)

http://www.research.umd.edu/news/news_story.php?id=10223

[font face=Serif][font size=5]UMD Research Reveals Reason for Growing Pest Damage in Genetically Protected Corn Crops[/font]

[font size=3]A UMD-led study provides new evidence of a decline in the effectiveness of genetically engineered traits widely used to protect corn crops from insects. This loss of effectiveness could damage U.S. corn production and spur increased use of potentially harmful insecticides.

Based on two decades of field experiments by University of Maryland researchers, the study concludes that damage to corn crops from a major insect pest called corn earworm is increasingly. Authored by two scientists from the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and one from Benzon Research, an independent contract research facility, the study documents the growing resistance of the earworm to protective “Bt” genetic modifications widely used in corn and cotton crops.

Lead author Galen Dively, professor emeritus in UMD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources predicts that corn earworm resistance to the Bt technology is likely to increase, and spread. His team’s results have broad implications for profitable corn production, biotechnology regulatory policies and sustainability of the use of Bt crop protection biotechnology.

…

Development of pest resistance to Bt has previously has been reported in five insect species, but all have been in response to crops that expressing a single Cry protein. This new paper is the first report of corn earworm resistance to multiple, or pyramided Cry proteins in genetically modified corn. The report also illuminates a need for more widespread resistance monitoring for all registered Cry proteins, including the Midwestern corn belt. Previously, resistance testing on corn earworm and other caterpillars has only taken place in southern production regions where Bt corn and cotton are prevalent.

…

January 10, 2017 [/font][/font]

http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169115

[Achilleaze]

1. Who could possibly have forseen this ?

[KT2000]

2. isn't the increased use of pesticides

the whole point??? That is where the money is.

[procon]

3. The next gene modification to correct this problem will unleash more unforeseen

consequences that will require still more gen mods... to infinity and beyond! How long will it be before these tweaks filter down to affect humans?