A ladybug munches on an aphid.FLICKR, CREATIVE COMMONS, ANDERSON MANCINI
Bt cotton is a genetically modified crop that produces an insecticidal protein toxic to the devastating cotton bollworm pest, reducing the need for broad-based sprays that can kill beneficial arthropod predators like ladybirds and spiders. Now, researchers have found evidence that when Bt crops replace insecticide spraying, predator populations bounce back and provide effective biological pest control, for the Bt crops and possibly surrounding fields. The result comes after a 20-year, 2.6 million hectare study in rural China, published today (June 13) in Nature.
“This study is likely to be a landmark in its field because of its extraordinary scope,” said Bruce Tabashnik, an entomologist at the University of Arizona who did not participate in the study, by email. “The study links information about Bt ...
