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DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR RISK MANAGEMENT OF BIOENGINEERED CROPS
Citation:
Glaser*, J A. DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR RISK MANAGEMENT OF BIOENGINEERED CROPS. Presented at 2003 EPA Science Forum, Washinton, DC, May 05 - 07, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public
Description:
Crops bioengineered to contain toxins derived from Bacillus thuringensis (Bt) are under regulatory scrutiny by USEPA under the FIFRA legislation. The agency has declared these crops to be "in the public good" based on the reduced use of pesticides required for management of these crops. Hence they are environmental assets that are valued for crop protection having significant human health and ecological protection features. From a sustainability perspective, it is important to protect these crops so that society can enjoy long useful lifetimes for these new forms of biotechnology. The major threat to extended lifetimes is the development of resistance toward the crop in pest populations for which the crop protects. Detection and monitoring of resistance development becomes crucial to avoid any premature crop loss due to pest resistance. Research efforts leading to the development of new detection technology and standardization of more established detection technology are important to the ability to sample for resistance at the field level. The crop acreage for Bt corn is about 20 million acres in recent years fir the US. Any realistic attempt to sample such a large area for pest resistance is difficult and probably beyond the cost that can be economically endured for resistance management. A new approach to this problem that uses satellite imagery will be discussed. Simulation models for pest resistance prediction have been used to portray possible lifetime for these crops and to develop management options to lengthen their useful lifetimes. Verification and validation of the predictive strengths of the models are important to the understanding the utility of these models to assist bioengineered crop management. The unification of these diverse concepts into a cohesive whole is presented for Bt corn. The research program designed to achieve these objectives is built from internal EPA research alliances and external USDA supported research.