News
2018-04-15 | permalink
Two pests targeted by GM Bt toxins hybridise to form global mega-pest
Cotton bollworm and corn earworm have outsmarted GM Bt and chemical insecticides and have now joined forces
The cotton bollworm and corn earworm are two pests targeted by the Bt toxins engineered into GM Bt insecticidal crops. Both pests have in past years become resistant to these GM Bt toxins. Now a new study has found that the two pests have hybridised, meaning that attempts to kill them with GM or chemical toxins are increasingly likely to fail.
Neither the new study (see abstract, item 3 below) nor press articles about it (items 1-2) talk about GM Bt crops as offering any kind of solution to this problem. The study simply mentions GM Bt crops as a former pest control tactic that has since been made redundant by resistant pests.
GMWatch: Two pests targeted by GM Bt toxins hybridise to form global mega-pest
