| A 10-year look at genetically modified crops found that they
survive no better than their conventional cousins, easing fears that
superplants could stray from farm fields and crowd out natural species.
The study looked at soybeans, oilseed rape, potatoes, corn and sugar
beets that had been engineered in the laboratory to resist insects or
herbicides. They were planted from seed in 12 habitats around Britain,
ranging from woodlands to coastal areas.
The study found that neither the conventional nor the modified plants
increased in numbers beyond their first plantings, and the modified plants
never lasted significantly longer than the conventional ones.
In fact, all of the genetically engineered corn, oilseed rape and sugar
beet died out within four years. The modified potatoes eventually died
out, too.
Environmentalists have warned against genetically engineered crops,
arguing that they may crowd out natural species, cause health risks in
humans, pass on traits such as herbicide resistance to weeds, and kill
beneficial insects.
The study looked only at whether the genetically engineered plants
would have such a survival advantage that they would take over the
habitats of conventional plants.
The study was financed by a consortium of biotechnology companies,
including Monsanto Co. and Zeneca Ag Products Inc., and was conducted by
Michael J. Crawley and others at Imperial College in England. It was
published in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
``For those members of the public who have feared that all transgenic
crops are going to be terrible invasive weeds, this research shows that
simply is not the case,'' said Norm Ellstrand, professor of genetics at
the University of California at Riverside. ``But for those of us who have
been studying the risks of transgenic plants, it doesn't allay all our
fears.''
Crawley cautioned that more research is needed on other modifications,
such as resistance to drought or pests, that might improve a plant's
chances of survival.
A hot-button topic in Europe, genetically modified crops are widely
used in the United States, accounting for almost three-quarters of the
land planted in cotton, more than half the soybean acreage and one-fifth
of the corn acreage, according to the National Center for Food and
Agricultural Policy.
Tom Nickson, director of Monsanto's ecological technology center, said
that more research is needed but that the study was reassuring in finding
that herbicide resistance and protection against insects do not give
genetically modified plants an advantage in the wild. |