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by Christopher Hooton
18 March 2014
from
TheIndependent Website
Nature has fought back against biotechnology, with rootworms now
being able to stomach corn that was genetically modified to poison
the pests.
While an awe-inspiring demonstration of nature's endurance, the
development could cause billions of dollars worth of damage to US
crops.
Named after the pesticidal toxin-producing
Bacillus thuringiensis it
contains, Bt corn makes up 75% of the US's corn crop, but
scientists' predictions that rootworms would evolve to overcome the
poison were largely ignored by farmers, companies and regulatory
bodies, who have been accused of "squandering the benefits of
genetic modification."
Bt corn was first planted in 1996 as an alternative to insecticides
which cause more ecological damage, and quickly caused the numbers
of the voracious worm to plummet.
Bt corn makes up 75%
of US corn crops
(Picture: Getty)
By the turn of the millennium scientists were warning of the huge
problems there would be if the rootworms adapted to survive Bt toxin
however, leaving the beetles with a whole field in which to
reproduce.
"Unless management practices change,
it’s only going to get worse," Aaron Gassmann, an Iowa State
University entomologist, told Wired. "There needs to be a
fundamental change in how the technology is used."
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