Originally posted by starcraft
I
Bt only controls a certain type of insect...it doesn't kill any insect that comes into contact with it...get your facts straight.....yeah, do more
googling. I'll use my brain. *giggle*
alternative Source
originally posted at
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Originally posted by Long Lance
Source
Milkweed samples were taken from within and at the edge of the Bt corn field and were used to assess mortality of first instar monarch, D.
plexippus exposed to Bt and non-Bt corn pollen. Within 48 hours, there was 19% mortality in the Bt corn pollen treatment, compared to 0% on non
Bt-corn pollen exposed plants and 3% in the no pollen controls. This second study counters all the spurious arguments that the Losey's study was
a 'worse case scenario' that bears no relevance to field conditions. Besides which, when Losey conducted his experiments he did not spatula Bt
pollen on to the leaves of milkweed, as was reported by industry, he dusted the leaves in accordance with levels observed in the field.
I hope you're aware that we need insects for pollination, randomly killing them will not just exterminate several plant species, it will upset the
balance between insct species while exterminating their natural predators at the same time.
The result should be obvious: no or very few birds, tons of obnoxious insects that don't feed off plants (<-- use your imagination)
it does get better:
Cross pollination with non GM varieties creates Bt-weeds, and the Bt-plants themselves cause major problems as volunteers. Active Bt toxin leaks
from plant roots into the soil where it is not biodegradable and accumulates over time. This will have major impacts on soil health, with knock-on
effects on all other trophic levels of the ecosystem.
..
A total of 15 million acres of Bt corn were planted in the US in 1998, 20% of the total acreage. The leaked toxin enters the soil in an activated form
-- Bt transgenes are truncated to produce active toxin, unlike the precursor-form produced in the bacterium, which has to be cleaved in the
gut of susceptible insect pests. Moreover, the toxin is expressed continuously, and hence exuded for extended periods of time.
nothing to see here, move along
Conclusion: If you want to use GMOs, use a fermenter for ***'s sake.
the point can be illustrated by bollowrm attacks on Bt. cotton in India, see:
www.abovetopsecret.com...
ie. pests do adapt, the rest gets the shaft. no biological controls -> dependance on pesticides. who profits?
www.bt.ucsd.edu...
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a spore forming (flash animation) bacterium that produces crystals protein (cry proteins), which are toxic to many
species of insects.
which insects exactly? a 'soil scientist' should know, after all. combined with your graceful tendency to overlook being proven wrong in most
embarassing ways (CO2 and water when talking about gly
phosphate) i have to conclude that today's corps pay monkeys and then actually get them.
glad to see 'progress' working both ways
[edit on 2008.7.11 by Long Lance]
