Genetically modified (GM) foods are a controversial subject, with debate surrounding issues including whether GM food should be labelled as such, what impact they have on the environment, whether there is a risk of gene transfer to consumers of the GM food and the impact on pesticide use and resistance.
In terms of pesticide use and the environment, a current study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology describes trials on a GM sweetcorn named Bt corn from the Department of Entomology in Cornell University. This corn is an example of a crop that expresses proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which are toxic to certain insects. It has also been used in cotton crops. Bt corn has been grown in the USA since 1996 but has been mainly used in animal feedstuffs or processed into products such as starch. Activist group pressure resulted in limitations in the grocery providers who are prepared to carry Bt corn, yet some consumer surveys suggest that when consumers are adequately informed about Bt corn they will often express a preference over unmodified, conventional corn. The study in the Journal of Economic Entomology found that when trials were conducted in the USA states of New York, Minnesota, Maryland, Ohio and Georgia between 2010 and 2011, fewer applications of pesticide were needed than for conventional corn. In New York, for example, 99-100% of the Bt corn ears were marketable without use of any insecticide sprays compared to only 18% of non-Bt corn after 8 insecticide sprays. The ability to reduce insecticide sprays has a direct impact on conservation of non-damaging insect populations who would otherwise be at risk from the insecticides used to kill the crop-damaging insects.
There are reasonable arguments on both sides of the GM crop controversy but not all GM crops are the same and it is important to consider the impact of each GM food on a case-by-case basis in a rational manner. So long as unbiased regulatory processes can be assured, there is a place for GM crops and there can actually be benefits to the environment, for example in terms of reductions in pesticide use and positive impacts on populations of insects that are not harmful to crops.
Sources
Shelton, A.M., D.L. Olmstead, E.C. Burkness, W.D. Hutchison, G. Dively, C. Welty and A.N. Sparks. Multi-state trials of Bt sweet corn varieties for control of the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Econ. Entomol., October 2013
Entomological Society of America (2013, October 7). Genetically modified sweet corn can reduce insecticide use. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2013/10/131007094508.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fplants_animals%2Fzoology+(ScienceDaily%3A+Plants+%26+Animals+News+--+Zoology)
In terms of pesticide use and the environment, a current study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology describes trials on a GM sweetcorn named Bt corn from the Department of Entomology in Cornell University. This corn is an example of a crop that expresses proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which are toxic to certain insects. It has also been used in cotton crops. Bt corn has been grown in the USA since 1996 but has been mainly used in animal feedstuffs or processed into products such as starch. Activist group pressure resulted in limitations in the grocery providers who are prepared to carry Bt corn, yet some consumer surveys suggest that when consumers are adequately informed about Bt corn they will often express a preference over unmodified, conventional corn. The study in the Journal of Economic Entomology found that when trials were conducted in the USA states of New York, Minnesota, Maryland, Ohio and Georgia between 2010 and 2011, fewer applications of pesticide were needed than for conventional corn. In New York, for example, 99-100% of the Bt corn ears were marketable without use of any insecticide sprays compared to only 18% of non-Bt corn after 8 insecticide sprays. The ability to reduce insecticide sprays has a direct impact on conservation of non-damaging insect populations who would otherwise be at risk from the insecticides used to kill the crop-damaging insects.
There are reasonable arguments on both sides of the GM crop controversy but not all GM crops are the same and it is important to consider the impact of each GM food on a case-by-case basis in a rational manner. So long as unbiased regulatory processes can be assured, there is a place for GM crops and there can actually be benefits to the environment, for example in terms of reductions in pesticide use and positive impacts on populations of insects that are not harmful to crops.
Sources
Shelton, A.M., D.L. Olmstead, E.C. Burkness, W.D. Hutchison, G. Dively, C. Welty and A.N. Sparks. Multi-state trials of Bt sweet corn varieties for control of the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Econ. Entomol., October 2013
Entomological Society of America (2013, October 7). Genetically modified sweet corn can reduce insecticide use. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2013/10/131007094508.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fplants_animals%2Fzoology+(ScienceDaily%3A+Plants+%26+Animals+News+--+Zoology)
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