Transgenic crops relatively kind to insects

Crops modified to produce insecticides against pests are relatively kind to other insects, an analysis of 42 field experiments suggests. Fields of transgenic cotton and corn contain more non-target insects than those of traditional crops sprayed with insecticides, the study shows. But both have fewer such insects than traditional fields that aren't sprayed at all. The finding eases worries that crops engineered to produce an insecticidal toxin made by the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacterium might kill more insects than intended, thus harming wildlife. The toxin is intended to target specific groups of plant pests, such as corn borers and cotton bollworms. A debate about this effect has run since the first Bt crops were released in 1996. Recent field trials have found that Bt crops have little or no significant impact on non-target species. But lab studies showing that insects fed Bt-producing pollen are smaller and reproduce less have worried sceptics. "This is such a controversial issue," says ecologist Michelle Marvier of Santa Clara University, California. "There's a lot of public fear, in part because there's not a lot of transparency in the testing process.".... "Nature":[ http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070604/full/070604-9.html]

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