Why do organic farming advocates object to transgenic crops using Bt genes while accepting the use of Bt sprays as an acceptable insect control measure?
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that produces proteins (called Cry proteins) toxic to certain insects. Various kinds of the insecticidal Cry proteins, with effectiveness against different groups of insects, are produced by different strains of Bt. Spray formulations of Bt have been used as insecticides for over forty years, and recently the genes that encode certain Bt Cry proteins have been cloned and used to genetically engineer several crop species to produce insect resistant varieties.
Related Questions
- Why do organic farming advocates object to transgenic crops using Bt genes while accepting the use of Bt sprays as an acceptable insect control measure?
- Can antibiotic resistance genes used as markers in transgenic crops be transferred to pathogenic bacteria?
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