Scientists from the UA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture worked closely with cotton growers in Arizona to develop and implement
resistance management strategies such as providing «refuges» of standard cotton plants that do not produce Bt proteins and releasing sterile pink bollworm moths.
Yidong Wu, Distinguished Professor in the College of Plant Protection at Nanjing Agricultural University in China, said, «This review provides a timely update on the global status of resistance to Bt crops and unique insights that will help to
improve resistance management strategies for more sustainable use of Bt crops.»
This devastating pest quickly evolved resistance to genetically modified cotton in India, but not in the southwestern United States where a
coordinated resistance management program has been in place since the biotech crop was introduced in 1996.
Nolte said herbicide - resistant weeds are an area where more education of growers is needed to help them better understand what weed control options are available and to continue to promote good weed -
resistance management practices.
This result recently published in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests that insect
resistance management should be more finely tuned to local pests and should go beyond the simple implementation of refuges for Bt - susceptible moths.
GM crops that tolerate herbicides deserve some praise: They help minimize mechanical weed removal, which means less soil erosion, more carbon stored in the soil and fewer carbon emissions from tilling equipment making trips across fields, scientists noted in 2012 in a special issue of Weed Science focused on herbicide -
resistance management.
Resistance Management — In this brand new feature you can truly become the leader of the Resistance, send your captains to various missions and help the cause.»