I am doing a research assignment on Should the production of genetically modified corn to be disease resistant Anthracnose leaf blight in the Midwestern region of North America be banned? and I wanted to make it more specific. What is the most common type of GM corn which is affected by this disease Anthracnose leaf blight?

Expert response from Stephen Moose

Professor of Plant Functional Genomics, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois

Monday, 01/10/2018 11:11

I am not aware of any genetically modified corn resistant to Anthracnose leaf blight. So, nothing to ban. And for the second part, this disease is common throughout the Midwest, but most corn hybrids (whether GM or not) already have some natural genetic resistance bred into them. The combination of genetic resistance, crop rotation, and spraying fungicides means anthracnose is not typically a problem.