Farmers falling back on chemical pesticides as GMO seeds falter

RT ^ | July 10, 2013

[opentalk]

Though biotech companies like Monsanto spent many millions creating and inserting genes that would make corn plants poisonous to the corn rootworm but harmless to other creatures, the pest has begun to develop an immunity.

Though the use of chemical pesticides has always been a source of contention, the advent of corn hybrid plants by biotech companies like Monsanto allowed farmers to cut back on their use. These new hybrids had been specifically designed using genes from a bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which provided a formidable defense against corn rootworm.

Throughout parts of the midwest, however, farmers are now discovering rootworms that are immune to the genetically modified corn. In parts of Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska, where rootworm has made a comeback, farmers have now returned to using chemical pesticides.

… Some 15 years later, most of the corn, soybeans and cotton cultivated in the US stems from these Roundup Ready seeds. While the genetically modified crops were meant to be resistant to application of the weed-killing Roundup herbicide, farmers are now increasingly having to deal with Roundup-resistant "superweeds."

It is now estimated that in the period from 1996, when the GMO crops were introduced, to 2011, an additional 404 million pounds of chemical pesticides were applied to US fields, amounting to a 7 per cent increase overall.

[Ghost of SVR4]

How do organic farmers deal with pests?

Shot in the dark, but probably a neem oil extract. Some of the newer neem extracts can be fed to the plants to ward off critters that "bite" plants.

[factoryrat]

Law of unintended consequences claims yet another victim. Now monsanto has patents on plants that are prone to disease and pests. Sounds like an awesome business plan there. Of course, that may have been the plan all along.

[PAR35]

There is a space to give the author credit when an article is posted. The poster here chose to not do so. And per your post to me, he also chose to not credit the original source. Based on your info, looks like someone should hit the abuse button.

[PAR35]

Oh. I see now. Russia Today. Host of Julian Assange’s series.