Monsanto, Mycogen Seeds/Dow Agrosciences, Novartis Seeds, and Pioneer Hi-Bred submitted a Bt refuge plan to the EPA this week. Under the plan, which could be approved in time for the 2000 season, Corn Belt growers would be required to plant at least 20% of the corn acres to non-Bt corn, and southern growers would have to plant 50% of their corn ground to non-Bt. How these plans would be monitored and enforced was not announced. What is "Bt" corn? The "Bt" gene is a lethal insect gene derived from a fungal disease of certain insects. It has been inserted in to genetically sliced-a diced corn to hinder/kill a couple types of "worms" (really caterpillars) that attack corn roots and stalks by their systemic presence throughout the plant. The alternative pesticides are long moleculed, persistent in our environment and are essentially wide spectrum "biocides". These Bt plants also carry a "terminator gene" that renders the seed incapable of making a next generation of plant - i.e. crossbreeding or worse yet another seed company might get the gene...... European corn consumers don't want any products from the US derived from these "altered" plants: animal feeds, corn sugars, oils, etc. (Soybeans are also starting to have these sorts of suicide and buildt-in insect lethal genes inserted.) The Bt refuge stuff deals with leaving enough susceptible and non-Bt'ed corn in the field such that the worms don't mutate towards resistance to the "Bt" effect. Sort of like resistance to antibiotics that many human infectious "bugs" now carry. The thought is the "moths" (adult form of worms/caterpillars) that survive in the Bt area (resistant) will breed the moths form the "refuge" areas, therefore slowing down "genetic drift" towards resistance. Attack of the killer tomatoes.... Its a brave new world! Keeping track of where these acres are and monitoring/maping their refuge areas - is this a GIS opportunity for MapInfo developers and resellers? MidNight Mapper 4/24/99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
