Transgenic Plants Don't Hurt Beneficial Bugs, Entomologists Find
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - 08:21
in Biology & Nature
Genetically modified (GM) plants that use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), a common soil bacterium, to kill pests won't harm the pests' natural enemies, according to new research by Cornell entomologists. That is welcome news for ecologists and farmers in the debate over GM plants. Much of the debate surrounding the use of GM crops focuses on their effect on organisms that aren't pests.