rec.gardens.ecosystems homepage -> archive: MOD$020306.24800@rec.gardens.ecosystems



Subject: Re: Organic sweet corn
From: goodows@infinet.com (Ohiorganic)
Organization: http://groups.google.com/
Date: Wed, 06 Mar 02 19:16:18
Message-ID: <MOD$020306.24800@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$020119.6436@rec.gardens.ecosystems> <MOD$020120.11130@rec.gardens.ecosystems> <MOD$020131.22736@rec.gardens.ecosystems> <MOD$020205.27132@rec.gardens.ecosystems>



"Val Garden" wrote in message news:<MOD$020205.27132@rec.gardens.ecosystems>...
> The way I understand it, the insect WILL NOT develop an immunity to the gmo
> bt coded corn.
>
> Immunity requires survivors, so that the ability to survive the disease,
> etc, would breed into the population.
>
> The gmo bt coded corn affects the critters on a genetic basis...and is 100
> percent effective with no infected critters surviving.
>
> Pretty neat, as long as nothing mutates further!
>
> Val
>


Bt crops can and do have insects resistant to them. It was though
resistancy would take about a decade but the
diamond back moth became resistant within 3 years. There are other
lepodoptera species that are also resistant
to Bt crops (but I don't know about non egineered Bt resistance, if
that is happening yet).

This is why a buffer zomne of 1/3 the crop must be a non Bt variety in
hopes that insects would feed
on the non Bt corn and breed resistancy into their species.
Unfortunately until the EPA made a big
stink about buffer zones in 2000 only about 10% of the farmers growing
Bt crops actually planted one

Despite claims neither Bt nor any other insecticide will kill off 100%
of any insect species so there will
always be resistancy to insecticides.

Lucy Goodman