Statewide Iowa — A study finds an early tool of genetic engineering in crops shows benefits beyond its original intent. So-called B-T seeds are engineered with genetics from soil bacteria that kill specific insects. Researchers now say B-T seeds provide additional environmental benefits.
Steve Naranjo, with the U-S-D-A Agricultural Research Service, is one of the paper’s authors.
Naranjo cautions that insects are adaptable and can develop resistance to even the best tools, so he suggests farmers use technology alongside crop rotation and other strategies. Iowa State University entomologist Erin Hodgson, who was not involved with the study, says B-T has been fairly successful in corn.
The review of hundreds of studies shows B-T seeds offer protection even to adjoining fields where the seeds haven’t been planted. Globally, B-T crops have been grown on more than one-billion acres.
