Cotton, genetically modified

Bennett, R., U. Kambhampati, S. Morse, Y. Ismael. 2006. Farm level economic performance of genetically modified cotton in Maharashtra, India. Review of Agricultural Economics 28 59-71. 

D. Anthony, Genetically Modified Cottons Costs and Expectations, Paper presented at the technical seminar of the 59" plenary meeting held in Cairns, 5-10 November 2000, International Cotton Advisory Committee, 2000. 

Even though the genetically modified cotton such as Bt cotton has attracted farmers, it has not been much preferred by environmentalists. Although it reduces the use of pesticides and other pollutants, the release of genes may be harmful to the ecosystem and this is objectionable due to the uncertainty of the risk (Jan, 2009). 

Stone, G. (2007). Agricultural deskilling and the spread of genetically modified cotton in Warangal. Current Anthropology, 48, 67-103. 

The recent introduction of genetically modified crops has changed both the agriculture and food industries. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) surveys report that 25% of corn, 61% of cotton and 54% of soybean acreage grown in the USA in 2000 were genetically modified. ... 

It is also to be taken into account that pests, in response to genetically modified crops that bear genetic resistance, may rapidly become adapted, so that new genetically modified crops are needed to maintain high productivity. A gene associated with Bt resistance has been identified in the cotton pest, Heliothis virescens (Gahan 2001). The life span of a genetically modified crop is calculated to be a few years only (Plucknett 1986). 

Genetically modified, insect resistant cotton expressing the Cry 1 Ac protein provides protection against several of the major insect pests in U.S. cotton the pink bollworm, cotton bollworm, and tobacco budworm. Given their strongly resembling appearance. 

The use of genetically modified corn and cotton has increased over 10-fold from 1992 to 1999 and as of 2002, 50 crop species have been evaluated for uses by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the development of transgenic crops, genes isolated from several varieties of the bacterium. Bacillus thuringienses (Bt) are probably the best known and most often cited example of GMO development. 

Cotton has been genetically modified to tolerate herbicides or to resist insect pests. In the US, over three quarters of the cotton crop is GM. In theory, cotton engineered to make its own pesticides should need fewer chemical sprays. However, different insect pests are taking over and the main cotton pests are becoming resistant to the GM cotton, meaning that farmers still have to spray their crops just as often. 

U.S., 90% of soybeans are genetically transformed to be herbicide-resistant 80% of cotton is transformed for resistance to herbicides and, through incorporation of Bacillus thuriengensis, to various insect pests and 50% of field corn is similarly modified for both herbicide and insect resistance [4], None of the crops are used directly for human food, although food use is made of corn and cottonseed oil from genetically modified corn and cotton and the bulk of the transformed soybeans and corn, and cottonseed meal, are fed to animals which enter the human food supply. End-user and consumer nonacceptance of genetically modified foods continues in many quarters. 

Possibly, the largest triumph of biotechnology is in the introduction of transgenic crops, an advance that has revolutionized crop production. The first commercial introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO) occurred in 1996. By 2000, transgenic soybeans, corn, and cotton accounted for more than half the area planted to these crops (Bruening, 2000). 

I 6 Genetically Modified Herbicide Resistant Crops 6.2.4.1 Roundup Ready Cotton... 

The most widely planted genetically modified food crops are soybeans, corn, rapeseed (the source of canola oil), and cotton. The percentages of these crops that were transgenic in 2002 were as follows ... 

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