The Green Files > Genetically Modified Cotton Field Monitoring

http://www.biotech-weblog.com [The Biotech Weblog - Your ultimate guide to bio technology - Grand Rounds Vol 2, No 4: Medical Blogging] Biotech cotton is genetically modified to include the Bacillus thuringensis Bt gene, also used in maize and rice, conferring resistance to insects. When pink bollworms feed on the cotton, the Bt toxin is released in their gut and they die, bringing insect population under control, which in turn reduce the necessity to use chemical pesticides.

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Scienceblog.comhttp://scienceblog.com [Scienceblog.com] Science Blog - Genetically modified cotton crops produced greater ...: "The large scale applications of genetically modified crops in the United States or China are not truly representative of what would happen if the crops were grown in the small farm sectors of poor countries in tropical and subtropical climates," said Qaim, who conducted the research while he was a post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley's Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, which is within the College of Natural Resources. "The results we see in India are much more representative of what would happen if transgenic crops were used in sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia."

http://resistagrochem.blogspot.com [Resistagrochem.blogspot.com] RESIST Agrochemical TNCs!: GMO Updates: At the very least, that is a preposterous claim since genetically engineered BB rice, while indeed the target gene comes from a wild rice, still uses the same recombinant DNA technique that relies on the use of gene promoters, gene terminators and gene markers, all of which come from totally unrelated organisms such as viruses and soil organisms. Also, if PhilRICE was able to develop a bacterial blight resistant rice through conventional breeding, which does not require undergoing biosafety requirements, it defies one’s imagination why should they spend precious research funds and time to develop a genetically engineered BB rice?

Luisteodoro.com[Luisteodoro.com] LuisTeodoro.com » Blog Archive » Food fights: the unresolved issues: There are also concerns that Btcorn and other GMOs that have been modified to produce their own insecticides can develop insect resistance to pesticides in the long-term, which means the creation of an even bigger problem. Another concern is the possibility of gene transfer through natural cross-breeding from, say, Btcorn to common weeds, creating a species of superweeds resistant to herbicides.

Alternet.orghttp://www.alternet.org [Alternet.org] AlterNet: EnviroHealth: The GMO Menace: In the genetic makeup of the latter variety, which includes Bt-corn and Bt-soya, a gene is integrated that enables the modified plants to continuously produce a toxin from a bacterium, the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This toxin then acts as an insecticide.

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