Bt or not Bt: Is that the question?

摘要

Recent public concerns over the tran- sgenic (genetically modified) plants and nontarget impacts such as those from Bt- toxin expressing corn pollen on the monarch butterfly populations have escalated, de- spite good pest management intentions and good science (1-9). Plant resistance to insect pests has evolved naturally over many mil- lions of years and involves (i) both consti- tutive and inducible phytochemical and morphological mechanisms in plants, (ii) counteradaptations to plant defenses by the herbivores, and (iii) biotic interactions of the multitrophic level communities of insect pathogens, parasites, and predators (10- 13).