Abstract
Political, economic, social and biological forces have altered agricultural practices in the last several decades. One result has been the development of transgenic maize and cotton varieties expressing insecticidal proteins from the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which have become important components in IPM programs globally. In 2007, Bt maize and Bt cotton were grown in 13 and 9 countries, respectively. Bt plants have provided simultaneous opportunities and challenges to managing insect pest complexes, but overall their use has resulted in strong economic and environmental benefits. Their adoption rate has been dramatic. In only the 12th year after their introduction, they were grown on 42.1 million hectares in 2007. Thus, Bt plants have turned what was once a minor foliar insecticide (Bt) into a major control strategy. Other Bt commodities are expected to be registered in the near future. Additionally, new insecticide molecules are being developed for expression in plants and plant genes are being altered to affect biochemical pathways that elicit insect resistance. However, adoption of Bt plants should be viewed within the larger context of food systems, cultures, human values, politics and the roles and responsibilities of science in the modern world. Such a context helps explain the variable adoption rates of Bt plants on a global basis and helps provide insights for the future deployment of insect-resistant plants.
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Shelton, A.M., Romeis, J., Kennedy, G.G. (2008). IPM and Insect-Protected Transgenic Plants: Thoughts for the Future. In: Romeis, J., Shelton, A.M., Kennedy, G.G. (eds) Integration of Insect-Resistant Genetically Modified Crops within IPM Programs. Progress in Biological Control, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8373-0_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8373-0_14
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