In rural areas near me, crops used to be rotated every few years in order for natural pest reduction. In many cases I'm not seeing that happen anymore, as farmers plant GMO corn over and over again on the same plots and perhaps not planting the refuges.

What steps are GMO seed companies taking to make sure that farmers are fully informed and not abusing GMO seeds in our environment, causing problem such as pest immunity.

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Monday, 28/10/2013 20:20

Martina Newell-McGloughlin, of the International Biotechnology Program at the University of California, Davis, posted a response that addresses pest reduction. Please see an excerpt from her response below:

“Integrated pest management is an important cornerstone of any cropping system. Biotech provides a much broader, more effective set of tools that can be used with existing systems and has the potential to be rapidly deployed in anticipation of emerging diseases and altered pest pressure. In addition, gene stacking and gene rotation means that there is a potential for multiple layers of protection, which should reduce pressure and ensure greater robustness and longevity in pest- and disease-resistance management. There are also lesser negative effects, such as diminished impact on nontarget insects, and the nontarget effects of insecticides being much greater than for Bt crops.”

You may also want to read this article from Crop Science (C.H. Sneller, “Impact of Transgenic Genotypes and Subdivision on Diversity within Elite North American Soybean Germplasm,” Crop Sci 43 (2003): 409–14).

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