Bt Corn Adoption Benefits Other Crops, Too
A new study of 40 years' worth of data from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States finds that widespread adoption of insect-resistant Bt corn has reduced pest damage and the need for insecticide applications in offsite, non-Bt crops such as pepper, green beans, and sweet corn, as well.
Common Corn Pest Presents Major Challenge to Bt Crops
By Andrew Porterfield The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a major corn pest in South America, known to devour corn crops from Argentina to the Southeastern United States. Farmers have […]
How Climate Change May Accelerate Corn Earworm’s Resistance to Bt Crops
Add “crop pests developing resistance to control methods faster” to the list concerning potential effects of global warming. Entomologists at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the University of Maryland […]
Study Finds Many Bt Corn Growers Aren’t Planting Refuge Crops
By Josh Lancette A new study from North Carolina found that corn growers in the state are not planting as much refuge crop as needed, potentially leading to increased insect […]
Bt-resistant Insects not Likely to Be a Problem for Maize Farmers
Dominic Reisig, an entomologist at North Carolina State University, received a phone call in 2013 from a farmer who was having trouble with fall armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda), an insect pest […]
Insect-resistant Maize Could Increase Yields and Decrease Pesticide Use in Mexico
Este comunicado está disponible en español. Although maize was originally domesticated in Mexico, the country’s average yield per hectare is 38% below the world’s average. In fact, Mexico imports 30% […]
Scientists Offer Recommendations for Delaying Resistance to Bt Corn in Western Corn Rootworm
Corn that contains proteins that protect it from insect damage has been grown in the U.S. since the mid-1990s. Known as Bt corn, because the proteins are derived from a […]
Bt Sweet Corn Can Reduce Insecticide Use
A new study finds that genetically-modified sweet corn is better for the environment and safer for farm workers than conventional corn. Since 1996, corn containing a gene that allows it […]