The primary strategy for delaying the evolution of pest resistance to transgenic crops that produce insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) entails refuges of plants that do not produce Bt toxins and thus allow survival of susceptible pests. Recent advances include using refuges together with Bt crop 'pyramids' that make two or more Bt toxins effective against the same pest, and ...

Genetically modified (GM) crops with higher yields and better quality are currently being used in the feeds of livestock and fishes. Despite the advantages, there are concerns about GM-feeds including their effect on animal health, performance and safety of the consumers of animal products like milk, meat, egg and fish. Studies are conducted to assess the feeding efficiency of GM-crops in lives...

Much political opportunism, heated rhetoric, and protection of vested interests surround the debate over genetically modified (GM) crops, with extreme claims occurring on all sides. While many of the issues can be addressed by detailed and specific scientific studies, such as those used to assess GM crops for food safety, the ecological implications of release of transgenic crops may be more di...

Agricultural and environmental applications of modern biotechnology have spurred considerable controversy about their environmental risks and potential to alter the environmental impacts of other technologies and practices, such as pesticide use. The range of biotechnology products under development is expanding rapidly, and thus the potential for controversy over the environmental effects of b...

The rice brown planthopper (BPH; Nilaparvata lugens) is a serious pest of rice crops throughout Asia, damaging plants both through its feeding behavior and by acting as a virus vector. Like many homopteran pests of crops, it is primarily a phloem feeder, abstracting sap via specially adapted mouthparts. An artificial diet bioassay system for this pest was developed to allow the effects of poten...

Little is known about the impacts of transgenic plants and micro-organisms on soil biota and processes, despite the large number of field releases of transgenic crops. Recent work has shown that transgenic plants can cause changes in the soil biota (both invertebrates and micro-organisms) associated with these plants. Often the changes are transient but their impact on the soil ecosystem remain...