Courtesy of Tom Hlavaty
CORN ROOTWORM: Diabrotica virgitera virgitera eats its' way into an interantional agroterrorism flap.

The former director of Yugoslavia's plant inspection service has accused the United States of agroterrorism and economic sabotage, saying the US government deliberately infested Yugoslav farmland with crop-destroying insects. US officials, anxious to keep the bizarre allegations quiet, have called upon two top scientists to help debunk the accusations. One scientist speculates the claims are part of a Yugoslav effort to gain international support to help rebuild the country's derelict inspection services. No Yugoslav officials could be reached for their reactions.

"I wouldn't be surprised if some of this wasn't being brought forth to get some funding for that [inspection] agency," says C. Richard Edwards, a professor of entomology at Purdue University, who has worked with the Yugoslavians on the infestation problem. "They're good scientists, but they have nothing to work with."

NEWSPAPER...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!