Transgenic Insecticidal Corn: The Agronomic and Ecological Rationale for Its Use

Processes for regulating genetically modified and gene edited plants

Innovation in agriculture has been essential in improving productivity of crops and forages to support a growing population, improving living standards while contributing toward maintaining environment integrity, human health, and wellbeing through provision of more nutritious, varied, and abundant food sources. A crucial part of that innovation has involved a range of techniques for both expanding and exploiting the genetic potential of plants. However, some techniques used for generating new variation for plant breeders to exploit are deemed higher risk than others despite end products of both processes at times being for all intents and purposes identical for the benefits they provide. As a result, public concerns often triggered by poor communication from innovators, resulting in mistrust and suspicion has, in turn, caused the development of a range of regulatory systems. The logic and motivations for modes of regulation used are reviewed and how the benefits from use of these technologies can be delivered more efficiently and effectively is discussed.

Genetic modification and yield risk: A stochastic dominance analysis of corn in the USA

Production risk has been ignored in most of the analysis of GM technology, which has mostly focused on its effects on mean yield. We use stochastic dominance to quantify the effect of GM traits on the entire distribution of yields in corn in the USA under a wide range of growing conditions. Although no GM hybrid outperforms conventional hybrids under all growing conditions, we present evidence that most GM hybrids can be considered as improvements of the yield distribution.

Insect conservation: a synthetic management approach

Threats to insect diversity range from habitat loss and invasive alien organisms to environmental contamination and biological control. Many of the threats are synergistic, with the joint impact of habitat loss and global climate change being highly adversely synergistic. Recent research on insect conservation has elucidated some basic principles for conservation management. There are six basic principles that are interrelated and together provide guidelines for synthetic conservation management of insects. They are maintain reserves (principle 1), maintain as much quality landscape heterogeneity as possible (principle 2), reduce contrast between remnant patches and neighboring disturbed patches (principle 3), outside reserves, introduce land sparing (principle 4), simulate natural conditions and disturbance (principle 5), and connect similar patches of quality habitat (principle 6). These six principles constitute a coarse-filter, landscape approach. Permeating all six is the principle of maintaining healthy population levels, which require the combined support of the metapopulation trio of large patch (habitat) size, good patch quality, and reduced patch isolation. In addition to these six coarse-filter principles is an overlay of the fine-filter, species approach, in which particular species are given focused attention and management.

Effects of biotechnology on biodiversity: herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant GM crops

Biodiversity is threatened by agriculture as a whole, and particularly also by traditional methods of agriculture. Knowledge-based agriculture, including GM crops, can reduce this threat in the future. The introduction of no-tillage practices, which are beneficial for soil fertility, has been encouraged by the rapid spread of herbicide-tolerant soybeans in the USA. The replacement of pesticides through Bt crops is advantageous for the non-target insect fauna in test-fields. The results of the British Farm Scale experiment are discussed. Biodiversity differences can mainly be referred to as differences in herbicide application management.

Patterns of pesticide use in California and the implications for strategies for reduction of pesticides

We used the California Pesticide Use Reports to study use of fungicides, bactericides, fumigants, and selected insecticides, primarily for vegetable, fruit, and nut production in California from 1993 to 2000. There were no obvious trends in decreased use of most compounds used to treat plant disease. However, growers have rapidly adopted recently introduced "conventional" compounds. There is very limited use of microbial biocontrol agents to control plant disease and no indication of an increase. We used case studies to explore the potential of different strategies to reduce pesticide use or risk. There have been reductions in use of organophosphate insecticides, largely by substitution with pyrethroids. Theoretically, replacement of "calendar spray" pesticide programs with "environmentally driven" programs could reduce pesticide use in years with lower disease pressure, but this assumes that the majority of growers currently use a "calendar spray" program and that growers who use less than recommended by an environmentally driven program would not increase their use.