Abstract
Genetically modified (GM) crops have now been part of the agricultural landscape for 17 years and have become important tools in crop production and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in many countries. There has been considerable research addressing many associated issues including environmental and food safety, as well as economic and social impacts. In particular, extensive laboratory and field research has been generated relative to the assessment of non-target effect in transgenic Bt crops that produce the insecticidal proteins of a ubiquitous bacterium, Bacillus thuringeinsis. This body of evidence and the quantitative and qualitative syntheses of the data through meta-analysis and other compilations generally indicate a lack of direct impacts of Bt crops on non-target macro-invertebrates. The data also clearly show that Bt crops are much safer to non-target organisms than the alternative use of traditional insecticides for control of the pests targeted by the Bt proteins. Some indirect effects on arthropod natural enemies associated with reduced abundance or quality of Bt target herbivores have been shown, but the ramifications of these effects are unclear. As one tactic in the IPM toolbox, Bt crops have contributed to large reductions in insecticide use. While reduced insecticide use may be involved in precipitating new pest problems in Bt crops it also has broadened opportunities for deployment of another IPM tactic, biological control.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Brookes G, Barfoot P (2012) GM crops: global socio-economic and environmental impacts 1996–2010. PG Economics Ltd., Dorchester, 187 pp
Chandler S, Dunwell JM (2008) Gene flow, risk assessment and the environmental release of transgenic plants. Crit Rev Plant Sci 27:25–49
Duan JJ, Lundgren JG, Naranjo SE, Marvier M (2010) Extrapolating non-target risk of Bt crops from laboratory to field. Biol Lett 6:74–77
Icoz I, Stotzky G (2008) Fate and effects of insect-resistant Bt crops in soil ecosystems. Soil Biol Biochem 40:559–586
Lövei GL, Andow DA, Arpaia S (2009) Transgenic insecticidal crops and natural enemies: a detailed review of laboratory studies. Environ Entomol 38:293–306
Marvier M, McCreedy C, Regetz J, Kareiva P (2007) A meta-analysis of effects of Bt cotton and maize on nontarget invertebrates. Science 316:1475–1477
Naranjo SE (2009) Impacts of Bt crops on non-target organisms and insecticide use patterns. CAB reviews: perspectives in agriculture, veterinary science, nutrition and natural resources 4, No. 011. doi:10.1079/PAVSNNR20094011
Romeis J, Bartsch D, Bigler F, Candolfi MP, Gielkens MMC, Hartley SE, Hellmich RL, Huesing JE, Jepson PC, Layton R, Quemada H, Raybould A, Rose RI, Schiemann J, Sears MK, Shelton AM, Sweet J, Vaituzis Z, Wolt JD (2008) Assessment of risk of insect-resistant transgenic crops to nontarget arthropods. Nat Biotechnol 26:203–208
Romeis J, McLean M, Shelton A (2013) When bad science makes good headlines: Bt maize and regulatory bans. Nat Biotechnol 31:386–387
Shelton AM, Naranjo SE, Romeis J, Hellmich RL, Wolt JD, Federici BA, Albajes R, Bigler F, Burgess EPJ, Dively GP, Gatehouse AMR, Malone LA, Roush R, Sears M, Sehnal F, Ferry N, Bell HA (2009) Appropriate analytical methods are necessary to assess nontarget effects of insecticidal proteins in Gm crops through meta-analysis (Response to Andow et al. 2009). Environ Entomol 38:1533–1538
Acknowledgements
I thank J. Romeis and R. Hellmich for their reviews of my manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Naranjo, S.E. (2014). Effects of GM Crops on Non-target Organisms. In: Ricroch, A., Chopra, S., Fleischer, S. (eds) Plant Biotechnology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06892-3_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06892-3_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-06891-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-06892-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)