By Rady Ananda
Food Freedom

Last week, 22 corn entomologists sent a letter to the US Environmental Protection Agency warning that insect resistance to genetically modified corn can be halted by planting non-GMO seed.

Increasing pesticide use or buffer zone size will not solve the growing problem of rootworm resistance to corn genetically modified with the bacterial Bt protein, Cry3Bb1, which we reported on last August.

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By Rady Ananda
Food Freedom

Nature herself may be the best opponent of genetically modified crops and pesticides. Not only plants, but insects are also developing resistance.  The Western rootworm beetle – one of the most serious threats to corn – has developed resistance to Monsanto’s Bt-corn, and entire crops are being lost.

Farmers from several Midwest states began reporting root damage to corn that was specifically engineered with a toxin to kill the rootworm.  Iowa State University entomologist Aaron Gassmann recently confirmed that the beetle, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, has developed resistance to the Bt protein, Cry3Bb1.

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