News Links
More Ag News
- Novus acquires Albion Labs
- Economist Sees Momentum for Biodiesel
- GM Supports B20
- Pork Industry Objective Unaffected
- R-CALF USA Proclaims Major Victory
- Unicameral kills beginning farmer bill
- Wheat industry tries to move new varieties along
- On-Line Beef Webinars Coming Up
- Irrigation conference to be held in Kearney, Neb.
- NFU Issues Statement on RFS Rule
- Nation’s Sorghum Producers in Washington
- NFU National Convention Scheduled
- Energy Talks Continue on Capitol Hill
- Estate Tax Rider in Bill
Ag News
Predicting the Environmental Effects of Transgenic Bt Crop Lines
Published Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 06:08 AM
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a biological control bacterium that is effective against a number of key insect crop pests. Crops that contain Bt genes have a built-in defense against these insects, but such crops need to be studied to make sure they don’t pose a risk to non-target organisms.
To test whether the impact of these transgenic crops in the field was predictable from laboratory experiments, scientists from ARS collaborated with researchers at Santa Clara University in California to compare all current laboratory and field studies on non-target effects using meta-analyses. Findings of the ARS study suggest that researchers should be able to more accurately predict from laboratory studies the impact that new experimental lines may have in the field.
Entomologists Jian Duan, Jonathan Lundgren and Steven Naranjo led the study. Duan works at the ARS Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit in Newark, Del. Lundgren is based at the ARS North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Brookings, S.D. Naranjo is the research leader of the ARS Pest Management and Biological Control Research Unit in Maricopa, Ariz.
The study was initiated to test the underlying assumption of biotechnology risk assessment–that laboratory tests can accurately identify potential risks of transgenic insecticidal Bt crops in the field.. The new ARS study demonstrated that carefully controlled laboratory tests can accurately detect toxicological risks that might emerge in the field, thereby reducing the need for more expensive and time-consuming tests.
The study, completed earlier this year, was published in the journal Biology Letters.
ARS is the primary intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ___________________________________________
This is one of the news reports that ARS Information distributes to subscribers on weekdays. Send feedback and questions to the ARS News Service at NewsService@ars.usda.gov.
* You are subscribed to "ARS News" as smhays@nps.ars.usda.gov. * To change the address, please notify the ARS News Service at NewsService@ars.usda.gov. * To unsubscribe, send a blank email to leave-172658-2628.8e065119c74efe3a47aec8796964cf8b@ls.ars.usda.gov. * Other ARS news products are available by e-mail. For details about them or to subscribe, please contact the ARS News Service or visit http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/lists.htm.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). __________________________________________
© 2008 The Nebraska Rural Radio Association. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
- Information:
- Weather
- |
- Markets
- |
- Tours
- |
- Promotions
- |
- Events
- |
- Funeral Notices
- |
- Photos
- © 2008 Rural Radio Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.