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Biotech Crops vs. Pests: Successes, Failures from the First Billion Acres

By Guest PostJune 11, 2013Environmentbacillus thuringiensis, bacterium, Beijing, biotech crops, bruce tabashnik, bt, bt crop acreage, bt toxins, cirad, epa, evolutionary theory, france, global assessment, insecticidal proteins, kongming wu, million hectares, organic farmers, pest resistance, pests, pink bollworm caterpillar, rapid evolution, resistance in pests, sprays, thierry brevault, university of arizona, world, yves carriere

A new global assessment helps scientists explain why genetically modified crops have suppressed some pests for longer than a decade, while others adapted in a few years.

Since 1996, farmers worldwide have planted more than 1 billion acres (400 million hectares) of genetically modified corn and cotton that produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short.

Bt proteins, used for decades in sprays by organic farmers, kill some devastating pests but are considered environmentally friendly and harmless to people. However, some scientists feared that widespread use of these proteins in genetically modified crops would spur rapid evolution of resistance in pests. (more…)

UA Entomologists Partner with China to Thwart Bollworm Resistance to Bt Cotton

By Guest PostFebruary 21, 2013Environment, Sciencearizona, arizona cotton growers, bacillus thuringiensis, bacterium, battle against bollworms, bruce tabashnik, bt, bt toxin, caterpillars, China, chinese academy, chinese scientists, combat insect resistance, cotton bollworm, cotton crops, cotton farms, cotton in china, cotton plants, entomologists, farmers, genetically engineered, kongming wu, new weapon, pink bollworm, pink bollworm moths, spraying insecticides, university of arizona, xianchun li

Researchers at the UA are studying resistance in pink bollworm in China and working to develop strategies against it.

University of Arizona entomologists are joining forces with scientists on the other side of the globe to protect cotton in China from potentially devastating insect pests.

Xianchun Li, associate professor of entomology in the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Bruce Tabashnik, head of the department of entomology, both members of the UA BIO5 Institute, are partnering with Chinese scientists to combat insect resistance to genetically engineered cotton plants. (more…)

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Biotech Crops vs. Pests: Successes, Failures from the First Billion Acres

UA Entomologists Partner with China to Thwart Bollworm Resistance to Bt Cotton