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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #170723

Title: TRANSGENIC PLANTS AND BIOSAFETY

Author
item Hellmich Ii, Richard

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2004
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Popularity of transgenic cotton, maize and soybeans in the United States has increased over the past nine years. Growers benefit from an in-the-seed technology that confers tolerance to specific insect pests, herbicides or both. While there are always more questions to address, most information from the past decade suggests transgenic crops are safe and valuable tools for growers. Transgenic plants have been studied for safety more than any agricultural product in recent memory. Safety is established through extensive studies validated by U.S. and international regulatory agencies. These studies demonstrate that the introduced proteins in transgenic maize and soybeans are safe, and the genetic change has not altered the grains nutrition or environmental safety. Other studies have shown that transgenic maize sometimes is safer than conventional corn because insect-protected maize often has fewer molds and mycotoxins (suspected carcinogens) than maize that is damaged by insects. Several field studies show that there are no adverse effects on non-target insects in transgenic cotton compared with conventionally grown cotton. Often transgenic cotton fields have more diverse insect populations because of reduced use of broad-spectrum insecticides. Scientists in the U.S. and Canada conducted a formal risk assessment to determine the impact of transgenic maize pollen on monarch butterfly populations. These studies suggest that pollen from current commercial transgenic hybrids will not affect monarch populations.