Table of Contents

RISK ASSESSMENT

Bt Crops and Invertebrate Non-target Effects - Revisited
Steven E. Naranjo
The assessment of environmental safety continues to be a key component of transgenic crop technology, and a recent article attempted to review our current knowledge of two issues: effects on non-target invertebrates and changes in insecticide use patterns. This short piece will focus on the former, as it has clearly been the most contentious.

Cultivation of GE Oilseed Rape with Different Herbicide Resistances
Antje Dietz-Pfeilstetter and Peter Zwerger
In a recent paper, we presented the results of a biennial large-scale field experiment with two different GE oilseed rape lines cultivated on adjacent plots to investigate the frequencies of HR gene dispersal, the expression of HR genes in double-resistant plants, and the sensitivity of plants to conventional herbicides.

BUSINESS NEWS

Can GE Crops Benefit Developing Countries? Research methods, findings, and recommendations
Genetically engineered (GE) crops have been a topic of hot debate in recent years, resulting in a plethora of opinions and studies, particularly with regard to their potential impact in the developing world. While the debate can be very polarized at times, a recent report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) finds that, overall, the economic effects on smallholder farmers in developing countries are positive.

http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2009/dec09.pdf

Website: http://www.isb.vt.edu

Published: December 10, 2009