Ithaca, New York
September 29, 2008
A
new book, co-edited by Anthony Shelton,
Cornell University
professor of entomology, follows the legacy of Rachel Carson's
groundbreaking "Silent Spring" -- the book credited with
starting the environmental movement.
"Integration of Insect-Resistant Genetically Modified Crops
Within IPM Programs," released in July, informs the debate
about using genetically modified (GM) or transgenic crops to
control pests. Published by Springer, the book explains how
insect-resistant GM crops are an important component of
integrated pest management (IPM) for sustainable farming
practices.
"The positive impact of insect-resistant GM crops has been
largely lost in the public discussion on biotechnology in
agriculture," Shelton says. "For example, in the last 11 years,
the deployment of insect-resistant GM cotton reduced the use of
traditional insecticides by 23 percent, reduced environmental
impact by 25 percent and provided an economic benefit to the
agricultural community of $9.6 billion. This positive impact has
been far reaching in developed and developing countries and is
the reason the area planted with these crops continues to rise
by double-digit growth rates annually."
IPM is a concept that developed in response to "Silent Spring"
-- published in 1962 to highlight the harmful effects of some
pesticides. IPM uses the most sustainable and environmentally
friendly approaches available to control pests. Its tools
include monitoring pest populations, breeding plants to
withstand pest attack, judiciously spraying less harmful
pesticides and using natural predators to control pests.
The book describes the development, adoption, and economic and
environmental impacts of insect-resistant GM crops worldwide.
Insect-resistant GM crops were first commercialized in 1996 and
have since been grown on almost 500 million acres. In 2007,
insect-resistant GM corn and cotton plants were grown in 22
countries on 104 million acres.
The book includes comprehensive reviews on cotton and corn, the
only commercialized insect-resistant GM crops, as well as crops
under development, including rice in China, and eggplant,
cabbage and cauliflower in India.
Chapters cover recent research showing that GM crops resistant
to insect pests do not harm the pests' natural enemies. Other
chapters discuss the economic and social impact of biotechnology
crops on farmers worldwide, the influence of regulatory systems,
and cultural and social pressures that affect the adoption of
insect-resistant GM crops.
"This comprehensive book provides valuable information and
analysis by many of the world's leading experts involved with
integrating transgenic insect-resistant crops into IPM," wrote
Norman Borlaug, the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the
father of the green revolution, in endorsing the book and
stressing that "The products of biotechnology will be essential
for moving agriculture forward to help meet the food and fiber
needs of the growing world population."
The books other co-editors are Swiss entomologist Jörg Romeis
and George Kennedy, who received his Ph.D. from Cornell and is a
professor of entomology at North Carolina State University.
The book's release coincided with the 23rd International
Congress of Entomology in Durban, South Africa and formed the
basis for a major symposium at the congress.
Integration of Insect-Resistant Genetically Modified Crops
within IPM Programs
Series: Progress in Biological Control , Vol. 5
Romeis, Jörg; Shelton, Anthony M.; Kennedy, George (Eds.)
2008, XVIII, 446 p., Softcover
ISBN: 978-1-4020-8459-1
Testimonials (from Spinger Science) |
"The products of biotechnology will be essential for
moving agriculture forward to help meet the food and
fiber needs of the growing world population. Biotech
crops (GM crops) offer tremendous advances in our
ability to manage agricultural pests safely and
effectively, and have been rapidly adopted by
farmers worldwide. Until recently, plant breeders
have been unable to develop crops that are highly
resistant to many of our most serious insect pests,
but this changed when plants expressing proteins
from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were
developed. Bt crops fit in well with the concept and
practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and
are becoming the cornerstone for IPM in the world's
most important crops. This comprehensive book
provides valuable information and analysis by many
of the world's leading experts involved with
integrating transgenic insect-resistant crops into
IPM."
(Dr. Norman E. Borlaug - Nobel Peace Prize Laureate,
1970)
"Using transgenic plants for pest management
requires the best of science to retain both the
public's trust and the durability of the technology.
This comprehensive book contains the best scientific
knowledge to date about transgenic insecticidal
plants and the importance of their use within an IPM
context. Transgenes, especially those from Bacillus
thuringiensis, are increasingly used to protect the
world's most important crops (cotton, maize, potato
and rice) from insect damage. However the durability
of their effectiveness is under pressure from insect
evolution, and should thus be protected by
appropriate IPM practices. This book has collected
the wisdom and experience of many of the leading
experts on this extremely important aspect of food
and fiber security and will serve as an important
guide to the future of IPM in transgenic crop
management for students, regulators, and a wide
array of scientists in developed and developing
countries."
(Dr. Thomas Lumpkin, former Director General, AVRDC
- The World Vegetable Center and new Director
General of CIMMYT.) |
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