Bt Corn Case Study - Term Paper - Free College Essays.
It is one of the pioneers in Asia to use GM crops where mainly corn was substituted with GM Insect-protected (Bt) corn which has assisted farmers in controlling invasion of insects on the corn without the use of agricultural pesticides.
Genetically modified corn is purposely altered so that the crop can achieve specific goals for a farmer, the producers of the product, and society in general. It’s the next evolution of what has been practiced for centuries. The goal is to create a better, healthier, and more useful product.
Bt-Corn: What it is and How it Works Ric Bessin, Extension Specialist Entfact-130 Bt-corn is a type of genetically modified organism, termed GMO. A GMO is a plant or animal that has been genetically modified through the addition of a small amount of genetic material from other organisms through molecular techniques.
After the expensive development process, today's concern is that broad-scale planting of Bt corn will render the toxin ineffective over time. Pests can gradually build resistance to any pesticide, and so the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that 20% of Bt field areas be planted to non-Bt corn to avoid such pressures.
By Day 140 using the BT 123 corn with a low infestation I found: 164.0 was the weight in Pot 1, 162.6 in Pot 2, and 168.3 in Pot 3. Whether all corn varieties were effective in controlling the ECB (European Corn Borer), I feel that it handled them well. The weight off the ears of corn explains it all.
A few of the Bt crops include cotton, brinjal, corn, etc. When an insect feeds on the transgenic plants, the toxic cry protein present in the plants crystallizes the digestive system of insects that leads to the death of the organism. However, it has no harmful effects on the human digestive system.
The genetically modified corn is called Bt-corn, because the insect-killing gene in the plant comes from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis. Advantages The farmer no longer has to use insecticide to kill insects, so the surrounding environment is no longer exposed to large amounts of harmful insecticide.