How effective and safe is &lt;i&gt;Bt&lt;/i&gt;-maize in South Africa?

Karl J Kunert

doi:10.4102/sajs.v107i9/10.803

Abstract

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) recently released the outcome of the South Africa-Norway bio-safety cooperation project 'Monitoring the environmental impacts of GM maize in South Africa'. This project studied possible impacts of commercial genetically modified (GM) maize (MON810 maize), containing the Cry1Ab protein (Bt-protein), on the South African environment. The report addresses concerns about Bt-technology in GM maize in South Africa, in particular the development of possible resistance of target insects to the Bt-toxin and of unintended effects of GM maize on non-target organisms.

Highlights

One of the key outcomes of the project was the observation of varying levels of the expression of the Bt-toxin that was interpreted as likely to contribute to the development of insect resistance to the Bt-toxin in South Africa
Production inside the plant created the first generation of Bt-crops, which were investigated by the South African–Norwegian project team
When Bt-technology was introduced almost 20 years ago using genetically modified (GM) plants, scientists projected a rapid increase in the resistance level against the Bt-toxin

Summary

Introduction

Production inside the plant created the first generation of Bt-crops, which were investigated by the South African–Norwegian project team. As outlined in a recent report by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), GMOs for African agriculture, these crops might offer benefits.[2,3] relatively little research has been carried out in our country regarding their environmental impact even though the Bt-crops have been grown for several years.

Results

Conclusion