pests – GMO SAFETY

Trial Run: The Success of Bt Corn in Kenya

Corn is one of the staple products in Africa. It gained popularity due to the fact it can be cultivated everywhere and in every possible temperature. Surely, the conditions in Africa are difficult and droughts are common but there are other issues that are causing a lot of trouble for the local farmers.

A couple of species of stem borers are known for attacking corn that is cultivated in Africa. This is a huge problem because thousands and thousands of people are relying on these plants as the source of food. Luckily, Bt corn did show great results in standing up to these pests and managing to thrive perfectly.

The research

A study that examined three harvest seasons in Kenya was released this month in the journal called Crop Protection. The scientists analyzed the produce to the smallest details, measuring both the number of successful crops, as well as the damage that was made by stem borers. This research included eighteen different sorts of crops and they were put to test at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization. The examined corn ranged from the high-quality GMO hybrids, to local corn species that were not treated with Bt.

So over the course of three planting seasons, scientists measured the damage that was done to all planted crops as well as the general productivity. It was clear that the first planting season was an overall success with all crop variations. However, the number of healthy products did reduce in the second and third season. It was also evident that Bt corn hybrids yielded more produce than any other planted crop. Mon810 hybrids came in second place, while the non GMO corn gave the least amount of usable corn.

Bt and Mon810 corn hybrids performed really well against pests and they were able to keep all species of stem borers away. Since Bt corn is resistant to these pests “from the inside”, there is no need for farmers to spend their funds on various chemicals in order to treat the outside of their crops. Therefore, Bt corn has a huge impact on the economy, and it can be an excellent source of affordable food to the entire region.

Conclusion

Even though GMO seeds are not widespread in Africa, it is clear that the countries that have implemented the new technology into their agriculture are generally more successful. South Africa is the leading force in producing GMO corn and the surrounding countries are following the same path. Since Bt corn seems to thrive in harsh African weather and the crop is resistant to pests, it is clear that this plant might be the future of farming on this continent.

Everyone would benefit from planting and producing Bt corn, but most importantly – a large number of people would stop worrying about their next meal. Famine is a real problem in Africa and since technology did come a long way, this is a step forward in helping those in need. Bt corn did pass the tests and now we can only hope that it will be accepted by the government in Kenya.

Source: Breaking.com.mx

The Economics of Genetically Modified Crops

The potential of genetically engineered crops is manifold. This occurs even in the midst of the dwindling effects it has on the resource base thus promising a significant increase in productivity hence promoting sustainability regarding food supply as well as the provision of raw materials for the rapidly growing population. Genetically modified crops give rise to environmental benefits that play a central role in alleviating poverty through income generation especially in developing countries. It is through genetically modified foods that there is a nutritional enhancement in the plants hence offering a new platform through which human health is enhanced.

In spite of the contributions that are realized through the introduction of GM crops, its development has aroused lots of opposition. This is particularly high in Europe, and the effect has spilled over to other parts of the globe. This is through such aspects as trade regulations, media coverage as well as the establishment of outreach groups that intend to lobby anti-biotechnology usage. The key driving forces for these issues is the concern over the environment, health risks as well as social implication effects. For example, there is fear that consumption of GM crops and foods derived from them having the potential to undermine traditional knowledge systems, especially in developing countries.

Regarding economics, the increase in privatization of crop improvement research has aroused possible monopolization of the seed market and thus causing adverse exploitation of the farmers in the region. This is because GM crops are associated with novel possibilities that have triggered research dealing with aspects of the economy and policy making. Through this article, there is a clear outline of the economic factors that relate to GM crops.

Status of GM crops

Commercialization of GM crops
The commercial application of the GM crops goes way back to the mid-1990s and has then spread across the globe. According to reports released in 2008, GM crops were grown in over 25 countries in over 120 ha of land. However, the US registered the highest share of GM crops accounting for 50 % of total ha across the globe. Despite the fact that there is a significant increase in approval of GM technologies in some countries in Europe, the commercialization of the GM crops is still negligible. This is because of a low level of public acceptance as well as other regulatory framework factors that are not favorable.
Today, there is a limited number of technologies that are commercialized including herbicide tolerance in soybeans among others. GM maize also has been introduced to confer herbicide tolerance as well as resistance against insects. The resistance against insects is based on a wide range of genes that spring from Bacillus thuringiensis bacterium. It is these Bt genes that play a central role in the control of corn rootworm, corn borers as well as other stem borers.

Micro-level impact of the first generation GM plants
Many of the studies that focus on the micro-level impact of GM plants are currently based on random sample surveys as well as a comparison of adopter performances with non-adopter GM crops. However, this kind of comparison is characterized by selectivity bias. Additionally, its adoption may give rise to an overestimation of technological impacts and underestimation of farmers’ impact under certain conditions. Bacillus thuringiensis technology is a promising platform for control of pests in the environment. Some of the approaches that are geared towards addressing selectivity bias using econometric means include;

Empirical evidence: Bt GMO plants do not entirely get rid of the need for sprays against insects. This is because there still crop damage that occurs. The reason for this is based on the fact that Bt toxins have a high specificity for certain species of pests while insect pests are not affected at all. There is evidence that insecticide-reducing effect, as well as yield increasing the effect, is observed on the international front with high scores reported in Argentina and India.
Conventional cotton farmers often use very low levels of insecticides and thus effectiveness in controlling pests is small. However, the use of pesticides in India is higher. This suggests that there is a yield effect of the Bt technology is influenced by the quantity and quality of insecticides used hence control of damage on cotton. Additionally, the resistance to insecticides, as well as the timing of spraying the GM crops, is also to be considered xxx.

Econometric estimates: using different models, this confirms the net effect on insecticide reduction and increasing effect on yield in using the Bt technology. This is evident through the demonstration that part of the impact variation that was seen in some countries like India was because of integration of the Bt gene in a few cotton varieties that did not suit the location. This is because the positive impact of this gene was undermined by the adverse effect of the germ-plasm.
This indicates that the full benefits of GM plants can be realized through the insertion of the target gene in a wide range of varieties that are locally adaptable. This is the approach that is used in reducing the occurrence of selectivity issues as well as problems associated with endogeneity.

Gross margin effect: farmers that have been shown to adopt Bt technologies have benefited from the economic advantage that is related to female entrepreneurs saving insecticides as well as high yields. This means that on average the gross margin gains are estimated to be very high in the case of such crops as GM Bt maize and GM Bt cotton. Additionally, the cost of seeds is much lower in developing countries as opposed to other regions of the world. This is attributed to the weak aspects that relate to intellectual property rights, seed production, subsidies as well as other price interventions that are set by the government. Additionally, other factors such as agricultural policies play a role in determining the gross margin effects.

Conclusion
Aspects that relate to economics play a pivotal role in determining novel ways through which social benefits can be maximized. This means that more effort is to be directed towards quantification of possible indirect effects of GM plants and the outcome it has on health and the surrounding environment. This is through a significant contribution made by economists in designing efficient regulations and innovative systems. This could finally lead to advanced levels of income generated from the sale of GM crops.

Examining Inborn Defenses against Pests in Leptra Corn

One of the most prevalent traits of genetically modified plants is their ability to resist insects that would normally consume and destroy the plant. One recent addition to the family of gmo plants created to protect itself from insects is a hybrid plant created by DuPont Pioneer and is known as Optimum Leptra. The website states that the modification is to the corn plant and is designed to reduce the ear feeding of lepidopteran pests which delivers cleaner ears with less kernel damage and that it eliminates the major risk of development of molds and mycotoxins in harvested grain (“Optimum Leptra Hybrids”).

An article by Clarin Rural, covering news in the Latin American regions, talked about how the corn will soon be introduced in Argentina after having the Ministry of Agro Industry approve the marketing of the plant (“Resistant corn comes with four transgenic events”). The article gives more details on the function of the modifications, stating that two of the events protect against stem borer and isoca Tang, a double event for protection against fall armyworm and glufosinate ammonium with a room for glyphosate. The corn has already been made available in Brazil and hopes carry to better yields with it in Argentina.

In the United States the protections on the crop protect it from different pests. In the article “DuPont Pioneer releases Optimum Leptra Hybrid” on AGProfessional, in the United States the insects repelled by the modifications of the corn include European and Southwestern corn borers, the corn earworm, and black and western bean cutworms. In the article, penned by the DuPont Pioneer Company, they cite figures of 98% reduction in ear feeding damage using their crops. The plants are also resistant to herbicides, protecting them from more types of poison control.

Some of the traits found in the corn have long been used in other genetically modified plants produced by DuPont, and have long known mechanisms for working. For example, Herculex I, a trait available in Leptra to kill bugs functions by being ingested by larva who feed on the modified plant. The protein binds to receptors in the gut of the larva and causing a series of reactions which ultimately lead to the death of the larva (“Herculex FAQ”).

As with any genetically modified food, of course, there are questions about the effects these different traits may have on the ecology around it. Modified plants that have natural pesticides and that are resistant to herbicides and pesticides have been shown to cause resistant strains of weeds and pest insects to survive and reproduce, causing a drop in the effectiveness of the traits modified in the plants. The article “How pesticides develop” by Michigan State University explained that worldwide more than 500 species of pests have developed a resistance to pesticides due to the growth of resistance among their populations.

Even so, the Clarin Rural article goes on to state that the importance of the Leptra crop is that, since it has so many different resistance traits it makes it easier to rotate the amount of herbicides and pesticides needed for cultivating the crop. In addition, the natural pest defenses the corn has should also reduce the amount of poison needed as it is targets the greatest pests that threaten the growth of corn plants in the regions the crop is planted in. All of these different additions may prove to be fundamental in helping feed a world that is highly defendant on its corn plants on production, if they can get past the stigma of genetic modification and scientific uncertainty.

Sources:

Clarin. (2016). Argentina approves new GMO corn with four traits for insect, pesticide resistance. Genetic Literacy Poroject.

Dow AgroSciences. (2016). Herculex I FAQ. DowAgro.

DuPont Pioneer. (2013). DuPont Pioneer releases Optimum Leptra hybrid. AGProfessional.

Gut, L., Schilder, A., Isaacs, R., & McManus, P. (2016). How Pesticide Resistance Develops. Michigan State University.

Pioneer. (2016). Optimum Leptra Hybrids. DuPont Pioneer.