Altered pesticide use on transgenic crops and the associated general impact from an environmental perspective

Abstract

The large-scale commercial cultivation of transgenic crops has undergone a steady increase since their introduction 10 years ago. Most of these crops bear introduced traits that are of agronomic importance, such as herbicide or insect resistance. These traits are likely to impact upon the use of pesticides on these crops, as well as the pesticide market as a whole. Organizations like USDA-ERS and NCFAP monitor the changes in crop pest management associated with the adoption of transgenic crops. As part of an IUPAC project on this topic, recent data are reviewed regarding the alterations in pesticide use that have been observed in practice. Most results indicate a decrease in the amounts of active ingredients applied to transgenic crops compared with conventional crops. In addition, a generic environmental indicator -- the environmental impact quotient (EIQ) -- has been applied by these authors and others to estimate the environmental consequences of the altered pesticide use on transgenic crops. The results show that the predicted environmental impact decreases in transgenic crops. With the advent of new types of agronomic trait and crops that have been genetically modified, it is useful to take also their potential environmental impacts into account.

How do "imagined farmers" negotiate actual risks? Biosafety trade-offs in Bt cotton production in Andhra Pradesh, India

“…This new spraying standard of "three to four times per crop" came up again and again in farmer interviews, and appears to be the new operating standard not just in Guntur's villages but those of Warangal district as well. These findings correspond with other research reporting that Bt cotton receives fewer pesticides than its conventional predecessors (Kleter et al 2007(Kleter et al : 1111Stone 2011: 395). The reduction in application of pesticides from an optimum of fifteen sprays (or in excess of this) to an average of three to four sprays also helps limit the impacts of synthetic chemical use in agriculture.…”

Hematotoxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis as Spore-crystal Strains Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac or Cry2Aa in Swiss Albino Mice

“…For significant Kruskal-Wallis results, Mann-Whitney U test was performed to verify differences between the treatments (2-to-2 comparisons). P-values with statistical significance (p<0.05) were only considered when they also presented biological significance, according to the following criteria: (1) group C (negative control) compared to all groups; (2) group CP (positive control) compared to the treatments with the same exposure time or between CP of different exposure times; (3) the same toxins compared in the same exposure time but in different doses (dose-effect) or at 270 mg/ Kg in different exposure times (24 h, 72 h, 7 days); (4) different toxins compared to each other at 270 mg/Kg in the 24 h, 72 h and 7-day exposure; (5) binary combinations compared to single doses of those Cry present in the combinations at 270 mg/Kg, at 24 h of exposure; (6) binary combinations compared to each other. others).…”

“…Among the viable alternatives for the replacement of these synthetic pesticides, entomopathogenic biological agents show potential for use in biological control programs and integrated production, because they leave few human side effects and have low impact on natural enemies and the environment [3,5,6]. In this context, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming bacterium, is the most important biopesticide sold worldwide [7,8], having been used for over 40 years by organic farmers who spray it as a foliar insecticide [7,9].…”

Evaluation of genetically modified sugarcane lines carryingCry1AC gene using molecular marker techniques

“…Since 1996, Bt crops (insect resistant transgenic crops) have been spread worldwide and have been confirmed to control the insect pests, helping decrease the use of chemical insecticides. 4,5 Bt crops are genetically modified (GM) plants that possess a gene coding for insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis Five genetically modified insect resistant sugarcane lines harboring the Bt Cry1AC gene to produce insecticidal proteins were compared with non-transgenic control by using three types of molecular marker techniques namely, rApD, issr and AFLp. These techniques were applied on transgenic and non-transgenic plants to investigate the genetic variations, which may appear in sugarcane clones.…”