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Two of the varieties contained genes for the Bt protein which protects the plant against the corn borer pest,

including Monsanto s Bt cotton: a plant modified to produce a bacterial toxin that discourages destructive bollworms and cuts down on the need for pesticides.

At Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, UK, for example, scientists are working on GM plants that will need even less pesticide than Bt cotton,

Unlike Bt cotton and other existing GM organisms, such a crop would need no insect-killing chemical for protection from pests.

or they are resistant to a pesticide like Roundup (manufactured by Monsanto Corp.).One widely used method of incorporating insect resistance into plants is through the gene for toxin production found in the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) according to the World health organization.

GMO crops that are modified with the Bt gene have a proven resistance to insect pests thus reducing the need for wide-scale spraying of synthetic pesticides.

One of the most common'pyramided'crops on the market is cotton that produces two different'Bt'toxins made naturally by the bacterium Bacillus thuringensis.

But this does not pose a threat for control by the current pyramided Bt cotton of this insect Tabashnik says.

The biosafety issue of Bt brinjal has been studied by more than 150 scientists and nothing new will come from fresh consultations.

who opposed the introduction of Bt brinjal citing what they called inadequate safety data provided by Mahyco.

since 2002 show that Bt brinjal is absolutely safe to eat. But Bhargava and activist groups argue that the GEAC did not get the company data independently analysed.

The only other study, by French scientist Gilles-Eric Seralini of the Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic engineering, branded Bt brinjal potentially unsafe for human consumption.

According to Seralini, eating Bt brinjal reduced appetite in goats, increased prothrombin time (the time it takes blood to clot) in goats and rabbits,

They have lost already the battle over Bt cotton the only GM crop grown in India

if they lose over Bt brinjal they lose the war, he says.

Argentina's forests dwindle: Nature Newsargentina, often perceived as a vast fertile territory, is losing its native forests.

The crop carries a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), and was developed by Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech, a joint venture between the Jalna-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company and the US seed giant Monsanto,

Bt brinjal was approved for cultivation by India's Genetic engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), a scientific regulatory body, in October 2009.

A 19-page statement issued by Ramesh said that his ministry had decided to impose a moratorium on the release of Bt brinjal until independent scientific studies had established that it would not adversely affect the environment or human health.

negative public reaction to the prospect of growing Bt brinjal; and advice from Monkombu Swaminathan, the agricultural scientist known as the father of the green revolution in India.

the founding director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular biology in Hyderabad and an active campaigner against Bt brinjal, added that he was pleased with the precedent-setting decision.

such as rice that is insect-resistant (Bt rice) or enriched with Vitamin a and micronutrients. Our national labs have all the genes for rice improvement,

Ramesh insists that the moratorium is specific to Bt brinjal and should not discourage ongoing research.

Kameswara Rao points out that even if Bt brinjal cannot be grown legally farmers may start cultivating it anyway,

as has happened with Bt cotton (see'Illegal seeds overtake India's cotton fields').'Indeed, Chinese farmers had been growing Bt rice for five years before receiving official government approval just four months ago,

says Kumar. To prevent an unauthorized release of Bt brinjal in India, Ramanjaneyulu believes that the environment ministry should now confiscate the transgenic brinjal seeds held by Mahyco.

News briefing: 11 february 2010: Nature Newspolicy Business People Events Awards Research Business watch The week ahead Number crunch Sound bites Policy Climate service:

The new approach, published today in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases1, uses crystal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt.

Organic farmers have used Bt to kill insects for decades, and plants have been modified genetically with Bt genes

since 1996 so crops such as corn and potato can produce the crystal proteins, protecting themselves from insects without any pesticides.

Aroian's previous study2 using a type of human intestinal roundworm parasite to infect hamsters showed a 90%reduction in three doses of Bt.

Bt is grown in fermenters that hold thousands of litres for use as an agricultural spray

The cost to treat one child with Bt would be 28 cents, Aroian estimates. It could be driven down more with optimizations in production,

According to the report, farmers who grow Bt crops, which are engineered to produce pest-killing toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, use less insecticide.

In 1997, the Chinese government approved the commercial cultivation of cotton plants genetically modified to produce a toxin from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that is deadly to the bollworm Helicoverpa armigera.

More than 4 million hectares of Bt cotton are grown now in China. Since the crop was approved

Their rise in abundance is associated with the scale of Bt cotton cultivation. Wu and his colleagues suspect that mirid populations increased

because less broad-spectrum pesticide was used following the introduction of Bt cotton. Mirids are not susceptible to the Bt toxin

so they started to thrive when farmers used less pesticide, says Wu. The study is published in this week's issue of Science1.

The rise of mirids has driven Chinese farmers back to pesticides they are currently using about two-thirds as much as they did before Bt cotton was introduced.

New york, concluded that the economic benefits of Bt cotton in China have eroded2. The team attributed this to increased pesticide use to deal with secondary pests.

since Bt cotton was introduced. Along with genetically modified crops, says Andow, farmers need effective systems for responding to changes in pest abundance.

In October 2009, India's Genetic engineering Approval Committee gave the go-ahead to commercial planting of Bt brinjal,

a variety of aubergine modified to produce a protein from the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacterium that is toxic to insect pests.

Bt Brinjal: A Pioneering Push, written by Kumar for the magazine Biotech News, and The Development and Regulation of Bt Brinjal in India by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, a lobby group based in Ithaca, New york,

and funded by biotechnology corporation Monsanto, headquartered in St louis, Missouri. Kumar had contributed also to this second report.

Bt brinjal...has been subjected to a rigorous biosafety regulatory process encompassing all aspects of toxicity, allergenicity, environmental safety, socioeconomic assessment etc.

Kumar says that the report's conclusion that Bt brinjal is safe is based largely on data analysed by the Genetic engineering Approval Committee last year suggesting that a report commissioned to supplement the committee's scientific guidance is actually based on the committee's recommendations.

I knew even before the moratorium was put on Bt brinjal, he told the Times of India this week.

assessed the effects of planting maize (corn) genetically modified to produce Bt toxin, which kills the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis).

We were surprised to find that a higher proportion of the total benefit is actually going to the non-Bt farmers,

Not only does Bt maize suppress the corn-borer population in fields planted with the GM crop

This work provides strong evidence for the reduced pest burden for non-Bt corn caused by the Bt corn, based on a reduction in overall pest-population size

Conventional growers also help to stop corn borers becoming resistant to the Bt toxin by hosting pest populations that are susceptible to it, according to the team's research.

the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea), has evolved resistance to Bt toxin in situations where GM-crop coverage is 100%.

Some farmers were very sceptical of entomologists telling them they needed to maintain non-Bt corn

called Bt toxin. To prevent the spread of Bt resistance, farmers are required to plant nearby'refuges'of conventional crops.

The idea behind the refuges is to keep a population of non-resistant moths close at hand as potential mates for any resistant moths that arise.

To his surprise, the models suggested that the combination of Bt cotton and sterile-moth releases could wipe out pest populations

and stave off Bt resistance for at least 20 years. In 2005, the Pink bollworm Rearing Facility in Phoenix began cranking out pinkies for the Arizona experiment.

Ideally, the same approach could be used in regions where poor farmer compliance with the refuge rule has contributed to widespread Bt resistance.

it's conceivable that farmers will someday no longer have a use for Bt cotton at all.

and commercial release is Bt cotton which has added genes from the Bacillus thuringiensis bacterium, making the plant produce toxins that confer resistance to some insect pests.

A Bt cotton variety is being developed for Kenyan farmers at KARI. According to the regulations it will take a minimum of three months to get the green light for environmental release after permission is sought from the authorities.

Next in line will be Bt maize (corn also being developed by scientists at KARI, says Gichuki. Other crops undergoing confined field trials include virus-resistant sweet potatoes and drought-resistant maize,

which is modified to produce a protein called Bt that is harmful to insect pests, is one of only two GM CROPS approved for cultivation in the EU. The other is a high-starch GM potato called Amflora that is intended for industrial applications such as paper production.

Bt Delta Endotoxin-The Bt delta endotoxin was selected because it is highly effective at controlling Lepidoptera larvae caterpillars.

For this reason GMOS that have the Bt gene are compatible with biological control programs

The Bt endotoxin is considered safe for humans other mammals fish birds and the environment because of its selectivity.

Bt has been available as a commercial microbial insecticide since the 1960s and is sold under many trade names.

Bt-corn is a type of genetically modified organism termed GMO. A GMO is a plant

Examples of GMO field crops include Bt-potatoes Bt-corn Bt-sweet corn Roundup Ready soybeans Roundup Ready Corn

A study was published recently examining adverse effects of Bacillus thuringensis (aka the Bt toxin) that Monsanto builds into their corn and soy.

and he's kind of an expert. http://wwwi-sis. org. uk/Bt-toxin. phpit is no coincidence that Monsanto has invested so much money in our politicians and against measures such as California's Prop 37.

In this case the GM plant is Bt corn and the pest in question is the Spodoptera frugiperda

Bt plants are engineered so that they have genes from a soil bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis. The genes produce crystalline chemicals that kill insect larvae when they eat it.

A larva that chows down on a Bt-crystal-producing GM plant soon stops eating.

*In addition to Bt corn Bt cotton is popular. Yet resistance to Bt crops has been occurring with pest species throughout the world.

The first publicly announced case of insects in a field evolving resistance to Bt plants occurred in India in 2009.

The first U s. case followed in 2011. Since then there have been dozens of similar incidents.

In 2013 a team of entomologists and agriculture scientists reviewed 77 previous studies about international Bt crops.

The team found that in 2005 only one of the 13 pest species examined could eat Bt plants without dying.

But by 2013 five species could eat Bt plants. The first engineered Bt plant was registered by a U s. company in 1995

but not long afterward scientists noted that insects would likely evolve resistance to them. Controlling pests whether it's with microbes in a hospital

The rising Bt resistance means that farmers will likely ramp up their insecticide use. One group of Brazilian farmers even wants GMO companies to reimburse them for the additional insecticides they had to use

because their Bt crops failed to deter pests. Companies are also likely developing new GMO crops perhaps with more insect toxins engineered into them to combat the newly evolved resistance.

There is already a second generation of genetically modified Bt crops that make two Bt toxins instead of just one.

So does planting first-and second-generation Bt crops separately. Both strategies lessen the deadly pressure against insects susceptible to Bt poisoning so they'll evolve more slowly.

Seed company Dow Agrosciences told Reuters that Dow representatives taught Brazilian farmers these strategies. The companies'instructions were confusing a lawyer representing the farmers told Reuters

Most non-scientist Americans first learned about Bt corn when a study came out finding that pollen from the corn may kill caterpillars of the monarch butterfly.

Later studies have found that Bt corn doesn't significantly affect the numbers of monarch butterflies

These toxins were isolated from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt. These Bt corn hybrids have been adopted widely because they are exceptional for managing ECB--99.9 percent of larvae are expected to die

when they feed on plants expressing Bt toxins he said. Yet a drawback to using these hybrids has been the high cost of purchasing the seeds

which can decrease potential profits. To understand current ECB populations in Pennsylvania field corn the researchers assessed larval damage in Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids at 29 sites over three years.

Specifically they planted Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids on farm sites across four growing zones in Pennsylvania in 2010 2011 and 2012.

During September of each season they assessed corn borer damage on 400 random plants at each site.

With less ECB damage around non-Bt hybrids in our tests yielded just as well as Bt hybrids so the decline in ECB populations provides an opportunity for growers to generate greater profits by planting high-yielding non-Bt seed

which is much cheaper than Bt seed. Secondarily planting more non-Bt corn will reduce the potential for ECB to develop resistance to Bt toxins as corn rootworms have done in about a dozen states so far.

The team's results appeared in an early online edition of the journal Pest Management Science in December.

In addition to investigating the extent of ECB populations and damage in Pennsylvania the researchers also examined the predictive ability of the Pestwatch network

whether Bt or non-Bt hybrids are right for growers in different parts of the state.

According to Tooker growers planting Bt corn hybrids are required to plant set amounts of non-Bt corn as part of a resistance management plan to help prevent evolution of ECB populations that are resistant

to the Bt toxins expressed in corn hybrids. Based on our results we would tell growers to scout their non-Bt acreage toward the end of the growing season he said.

If they have low ECB populations and Pestwatch reflects low moth captures in their area we would recommend that in the next season they give competitive non-Bt hybrids a try on some of their acres

because they could see better profits from growing non-Bt hybrids. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Penn State.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference e

#New role for milk: Delivering polyphenols with anticancer activitypolyphenols found in tea manifest anticancer effects

which is controlled not by commercial transgenic hybrids that express Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1ab but partial control has been observed by corn varieties that express Cry1 F toxins.

#Delaying resistance to Bt corn in western corn rootwormcorn 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 bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis these plants have been grown widely by farmers.

While Bt corn has been highly effective against the European corn borer it has been less so against the western corn rootworm

which has been documented to show resistance to the Bt proteins. In a new article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management--an open-access peer-reviewed extension journal--the authors explain why this has occurred

In Resistance to Bt Corn by Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in the U s. Corn belt Drs.

Aaron Gassmann (Iowa State university) Michael Gray (University of Illinois) Eileen Cullen (University of Wisconsin) and Bruce Hibbard (University of Missouri) examine why Bt corn has been more effective against the European corn borer

First Bt proteins intended for the European corn borer are produced at a higher dose than the ones intended for rootworms;

which increases the chances of potentially resistant insects mating with non-resistant ones that have not been exposed to Bt proteins;

One approach to IRM is not necessarily optimal for all insect pests according to the authors who recommend that growers use the following IPM approaches to delay further rootworm resistance to Bt corn:

-Occasionally rotate to a non-Bt corn hybrid and consider use of a rootworm soil insecticide during planting.

-Consider using corn that contains different Bt proteins than ones that may have performed poorly in the past. -Consider using pyramided Bt hybrids

which is defined as corn that contains multiple Bt proteins targeting corn rootworm. -If crop rotation is not an option

and corn containing multiple Bt proteins is not available suppression of rootworm adults by using insecticides for one

or two growing seasons may be an appropriate remediation step. -Most importantly implement a long-term integrated approach to corn rootworm management based on scouting information and knowledge of corn rootworm densities that uses multiple tactics such as rotation with other crops

rotation of Bt proteins and the use of soil insecticides at planting with a non-Bt hybrid.

Two genetic loci Bi and Bt are known to confer bitterness in cucumber. In this study researchers found that the Bt locus was delimited to a 442-kb region on chromosome 5 that harbors 67 predicted genes.

They further investigated the genomic basis of divergence among the cultivated populations for identifying genes controlling important traits.

However most of this Bt corn has been used for animal feed or processed into corn meal starch or other products.

Due to pressure from activist groups some grocery stores have refused to carry Bt sweet corn. However a new study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology suggests that Bt sweet corn is better for the environment

because it requires fewer pesticide applications than conventional corn. Our data suggest that using Bt sweet corn will dramatically reduce the use of traditional insecticides the authors wrote.

Based on the performance of Bt field corn growers should realize increased profits and there will be less risk to nontarget organisms including natural enemies that help suppress pest densities.

The study Multi-State Trials of Bt Sweet corn Varieties for Control of the Corn earworm (Lepidoptera:

Noctuidae) analyzed the performance of Bt sweet corn comparing its rate of infestation and marketability to genetically identical varieties that lacked Bt proteins.

In 2010 and 2011 sweet corn trials were conducted in New york Minnesota Maryland Ohio and Georgia locations that differ in climate management practices and pest pressure.

The authors found that for pest management of the corn earworm Bt sweet corn consistently performed better than its non-Bt counterparts even those that were sprayed with conventional insecticides.

Across multiple states and multiple years Bt sweet corn performed better and required fewer sprays to meet market standards said Cornell entomology professor Anthony Shelton.

One of the most spectacular examples occurred in New york plots in 2010: the Bt sweet corn had 99 to 100 percent marketable ears without any sprays

and even with eight conventional insecticide sprays the non-Bt corn had only 18 percent marketable ears.

This wasn't much better than the 6 percent marketable ears produced in the plots that received no sprays at all.

The authors predict that growers could realize increased profits with Bt sweet corn because of lower inputs and higher marketability while simultaneously conserving populations of beneficial insects that keep damaging pests at bay.

The use of Bt vegetables could significantly reduce the use of conventional insecticides and in turn reduce occupational and environmental risks that arise from intensive insecticide use Shelton said.

#African caterpillars resistant to GM maizelike many other transgenic crops Bt maize synthesises its own pesticide:

Notwithstanding the success of these strategies IRD scientists and their South african partners have revealed now that a major pest of maize the moth Busseola fusca has developed an unusual defense mechanism against Bt toxin in South africa.

and should go beyond the simple implementation of refuges for Bt-susceptible moths. Bt maize and resistance developmentgenetically engineered maize is created by introducing a gene into the plant genome that expresses a toxic protein from a bacterium i e.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt. Both the leaves and stems of Bt maize produce this toxin which destroys the gut of any moth larvae eating the plant.

The technique is effective and unlike wide spectrum pesticides it only targets larvae of moths.

However sooner or later insect species may be able to develop a mechanism of resistance against any pesticides.

Bt maize is not fundamentally different in this regard and in order to delay the evolution of resistance in pest populations the concept of maintaining refuges for Bt susceptible moths was developed.

Non-Bt maize fields are protecting Bt maize fieldsthe refuge strategy consists of planting a small proportion of land with non-Bt maize;

the aim being to maintain pockets of insects that remain susceptible to the toxin. In line with other known cases of Bt-resistance resistance in Busseola fusca was expected to involve modification of the cells in the gut wall

which prevents the toxin from binding. Crucially this type of adaptation is inherited recessively: both parents must be resistant to produce fully resistant offspring.

Since the probability of resistant individuals arising in the field is low any resistant insects surviving on Bt maize will mate with one of the many Bt-susceptible individuals originating from the refuge area

and their progeny will not survive in the Bt-maize field. This tactic has been successful especially in North america where the first Bt maize has been planted

since 1995 with resistance yet to develop among lepidopteran pests. The exception to the rulehowever about seven years after Bt maize was introduced to South africa in the late 1990's scientists observed resistant Busseola fusca caterpillars

and more importantly these resistant insects seemed to reproduce and spread rapidly. To explain this phenomenon scientists in South africa together with IRD researchers crossed resistant South african moths with susceptible moths imported from Kenya where Bt maize is commercialized not yet.

The offspring developed perfectly on Bt maize and were as resistant as the South african resistant parents.

Unlike everything known so far this resistance evolved in the field was inherited as a dominant trait.

A likely new resistance mechanismthis result shows for the first time that resistance to Bt maize can be inherited in a dominant rather than recessive way.

Implicationsin South africa most farmers are still cultivating single-toxin Bt maize. In many cases they need to apply at least one pesticide spray which makes planting of Bt varieties less attractive.

As a result of the study the planting of refuges needs to be reconsidered in South africa and a possibility exists that the refuge strategy may totally change in the future.

In the medium term single-toxin Bt maize is being replaced progressively by a stacked variety producing two different toxins

These proteins are produced naturally in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) a bacterium which is applied to crops as a natural insecticide on some organic farms

Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt for short. Bt proteins used for decades in sprays by organic farmers kill some devastating pests

but are considered environmentally friendly and harmless to people. However some scientists feared that widespread use of these proteins in genetically modified crops would spur rapid evolution of resistance in pests.

When Bt crops were introduced first the main question was how quickly would pests adapt and evolve resistance said Tabashnik head of the UA department of entomology who led the study.

Analyzing data from 77 studies of 13 pest species in eight countries on five continents the researchers found well-documented cases of field-evolved resistance to Bt crops in five major pests

Three of the five cases are in the United states where farmers have planted about half of the world's Bt crop acreage.

but in the best cases effectiveness of Bt crops has been sustained more than 15 years. According to the paper both the best and worst outcomes correspond with predictions from evolutionary principles.

The factors we found to favor sustained efficacy of Bt crops are in line with what we would expect based on evolutionary theory said Carriã re explaining that conditions are most favorable

inheritance of resistance is recessive--meaning insects survive on Bt plants only if have two copies of a resistance gene one from each parent

Refuges consist of standard non-Bt plants that pests can eat without ingesting Bt toxins. Computer models showed that refuges should be especially good for delaying resistance

Planting refuges near Bt crops reduces the chances that two resistant insects will mate with each other making it more likely they will breed with a susceptible mate yielding offspring that are killed by the Bt crop.

which evolved resistance rapidly to Bt cotton in India but not in the U s. Tabashnik said.

Same pest same crop same Bt protein but very different outcomes. He explained that in the southwestern U s. scientists from the EPA academia industry

One of the paper's main conclusions is that evaluating two factors can help to gauge the risk of resistance before Bt crops are commercialized.

or this pest will probably evolve resistance quickly to this Bt crop. Two leading experts on Bt crops welcomed publication of the study.

Kongming Wu director of the Institute for Plant Protection at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing said This review paper will be very helpful for understanding insect resistance in agricultural systems

and improving strategies to sustain the effectiveness of Bt crops. Fred Gould professor of entomology at North carolina State university commented:

Although the new report is the most comprehensive evaluation of pest resistance to Bt crops so far Tabashnik emphasized that it represents only the beginning of using systematic data analyses to enhance understanding and management of resistance.

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