Super Corn-borers Threaten World Ecological and Economical DisasterThe naturally occurring bacillus thuriengus (Bt) is one of the most useful living organisms known to mankind.
It was found that this bacteria produces a crystal insecticide (Cry toxin) which kills insect larvae.
In 1993, prior to the introduction of GM maize in South Africa, Dr Rami Kfir of the South African Agricultural Research Council (ARC) reported in the Journal of African Zoology 107:543-553 that these useful insecticidal bacteria play an important role in the ecological cycle of all indigenous grasses, sorghum and maize which hosts the African Stalkborer (Busseola fusca).
The larvae of the stalkborer hibernate over winter in the dry stalks of grasses. Dr. Kfir reported a high winter mortality rate of larvae of the stalkborer which he attributed partially to Bt which he had significantly isolated, among other pathogens, on the cadavers of the hibernating stalkborer.
In 1985 Belgium scientists isolated the gene in Bt which produces the Cry toxin. First inserted into tobacco and later into corn, now popularly named Bt GM corn. Scientists have not been able to control the secretion of this insecticide in GM corn.
They were unable to cause the plant to secrete the insecticide strategically at the time when the cornborer larvae is most vunerable. This is an important distinction from the application of biodegradable commercial Bt insecticide by conventional farmers. Furthermore, it differs greatly from the attack on overwintering larvae by naturally occuring live Bt.
In 2005 the first reported cases of Bt resistant corn borer were reported by Senwes (a large Agribusiness in South Africa). They observed that large numbers of cornborer were surviving during the tasseling period.
Finally, 3 seasons later in a 2008 article in the Farmers’ Weekly, Monsanto admitted that stalkborer were now resistant to their Yieldgard maize. Monsanto did nothing to contain the spread of this new super resistant cornborer.
Monsanto merely announced that they were in the process of developing some new technology which would “starve the resistant cornborer” (sic).
Both the economic and ecological importance of the naturally occurring, previously beneficial bacteria Bt, has been effectively neutralised.
Result: a world catastrophe of endemic proportion which could have been prevented.
Clever, clever monkeys.
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