Insecticidal toxin useless without 'friendly' bacteria accomplices
The toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a popular insecticide used to control pest moths and butterflies, and in some GM pest-proof crops. In a study published in the open...
View ArticleGenetic engineers create smarter toxins to help crops fight resistant pests
One of the most successful strategies in pest control is to endow crop plants with genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short, which code for proteins that kill pests attempting...
View ArticleBigger refuges needed to delay pest resistance to biotech corn
Genetically modified crops that produce insect-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have reduced reliance on insecticide sprays since 1996. These proteins are lethal to some...
View ArticleTrouble on the horizon for GM crops?
(Phys.org) -- Pests are adapting to genetically modified crops in unexpected ways, researchers have discovered. The findings underscore the importance of closely monitoring and countering pest...
View ArticleMulti-toxin biotech crops not silver bullets, scientists warn
(Phys.org) —The popular new strategy of planting genetically engineered crops that make two or more toxins to fend off insect pests rests on assumptions that don't always apply, UA researchers have...
View ArticleEntomologists update definitions to tackle resistance to biotech crops and...
Resistance to pesticides has now been recorded in nearly a thousand pest species, including more than 500 insects, 218 weeds, and 190 fungi that attack plants. The recorded cases of resistance in...
View ArticleTransgenic crops: Multiple toxins not a panacea for pest control
Strategies for delaying insect resistance to transgenic crops rely on assumptions that often are overly optimistic, a new study led by UA scientists shows. Published as an advance online publication by...
View ArticleExperts suggest steps to stop spread of resistant corn rootworms
(Phys.org) -- The discovery that more Western corn rootworms are resistant to the toxin contained in widely planted transgenic corn has sparked a warning that farmers must change tactics or lose a...
View ArticleChinese researchers find Bt cotton controls pests while also promoting good bugs
(Phys.org) -- Because they can modify plants to either produce better fruit or in many other cases ward off disease and pests, researchers genetically alter crop plants to increase yields without...
View ArticleProteins that move DNA around in a bacterium are surprisingly similar to...
In both higher organisms and bacteria, DNA must be segregated when cells divide, ensuring that the requisite share of duplicated DNA goes into each new cell. While previous studies indicated that...
View ArticleCrops that kill pests by shutting off their genes
Plants are among many eukaryotes that can "turn off" one or more of their genes by using a process called RNA interference to block protein translation. Researchers are now weaponizing this by...
View ArticlePest resistance to biotech crops surging
In 2016, farmers worldwide planted more than 240 million acres (98 million hectares) of genetically modified corn, cotton and soybeans that produce insect-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus...
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