China cotton crops

Zn crops and trees such as rice, maize, sorghum, wheat, cotton, rape, apple, pearl, peach trees, soybean, some crops in legume family North China Plain, North West China Turkey, India, Irag, Mexico, and Pakistan South/Western Australia... 

In China, the results are dramatic an 80% reduction in pesticide use on small farms planted with GE insect-resistant cotton (Huang et al. 2005 see box 5.3). Similarly, the USDA Economic Research Service reports that pesticide use on corn, soybeans, and cotton declined by about 2.5 million pounds in the United States since the introduction of GE crops in 1996 (Fernandez-Cornejo and Caswell 2006). These results support the notion that GE may radically reduce the negative impacts of farming practices on the environment and spare more land for wildlife (figure 8.1). 

The adoption of Bt crops, especially Bt cotton, has resulted in significant reductions in chemical pesticide applications [64, 126, 127]. Pray et al. [126] estimated a reduction in pesticide use of 78000 tons of formulated pesticide in 2001 in China. Reduced pesticide exposure may benefit farmer health, especially in countries where pesticides are applied under conditions that are not always optimal with respect to worker protection. Such positive effects on farmer health have been reported for both Bt rice and Bt cotton in China [128, 129]. 

Over the last 60 years, global cotton production has quadrupled from 7 million tonnes in 1950/51 to 27 million tonnes in 2006/07 (WWF Report, 2012). Global cotton production in 2013/14 is estimated as 116.7 million bales and reported as 5% lower than the previous year s production. China, the largest producer of cotton, has been estimated to produce 32 million bales, which is 9% lower than the previous year. The farmers in eastern China have started to adopt attractive and alternative cropping methods such as organic cotton, which provides a lower yield. Therefore, as compared to last year, cotton production in China has declined. Currently, the harvested area for cotton cultivation is around 5.1 million hectares, from which the expected yield is 1380 kg/hectare, which is 4% lower than the previous year (Johnson et al., 2014). 

Applications include food, feed, and renewable resources, with over 15 crops modified for 1 or more of some 47 phenotypic traits commercialized since 2000, most with attributes related to input and yield performance. In 2006,102 million ha were cultivated with GM crops, and in 2007, there were 114 million ha in 22 countries. Seven countries dominate the global market, namely, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, China, and South Africa. Among the products are soy bean, maize, cotton, rape, cucurbit (squash), tomato, papaya. 

The top three growers of fiber crops in the world are China, India, and the United States. Cotton makes up the largest share in aU three countries. In the United States, more than half of all cotton goes into clothing production, which is led by jeans. 

According to Wu [23], the germination effieiency of eight kinds of crops (wheat, com, peanuts, cotton, nutmeg, tomato, watermelon and beet) improved by 15% when the seeds sufficient for 1 p (6.7 a) are eoated by 25 to 125 g of SAP. In Hepei Provinee (China), the weight of dried com 72 days after germination increased 45 to 118% over the referenee area [9]. 

Wu, K., W. Li, H. Feng, and Y. Guo. 2002. Seasonal abundance of the mirids, Lygus lucorum and Adelphocoris spp. (Hemiptera Miridae) on Bt cotton in northern China. Crop Protect. 21 997-1002. 

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