By Justin Walker
Communications Specialist
Farmers are being urged by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to plant a refuge alongside their biotechnology (Bt) corn crops this season.
Chad Wetzel, a farmer from Tom Bean, Texas, and a member of the NCGA Freedom to Operate Action Team, said that planting a refuge is crucial to the future of the crop.
“Planting a refuge is the single most important thing we can do to keep Bt traits working for years to come,” Wetzel said in an interview with Southwest Farm Press. “If we lose Bt technology as a defense against insects, growing corn will change dramatically.”
According to Monsanto, the refuge area is designed to prevent pests from developing resistance to Bt crops. The Environmental Protection Agency standards require growers to plant either 20 or 50 percent refuge in their fields, depending on the Bt hybrid planted.
Wetzel understands refuges are not ideal for farmers, but they are a necessity in the long term.
“I know all too well that planting a refuge may seem like a non-essential extra step during a busy time of the year,” Wetzel said. “Taking short cuts now will only hurt us long term. We can’t risk losing Bt technology like we’ve lost the effectiveness of some of our herbicide technologies.”
Bt crops were designed in 1996 to overcome liabilities such as toxin sensitivity, incomplete coverage of feeding sites and reduced toxicity against older larvae. The genetically-modified crops contain the naturally-occurring soilborne bacterium Bt, which produces crystal-like proteins that kill insects when digested.
Bt crops are very effective against many pests, including the European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, tobacco budworm, cotton bollworm and the Colorado potato beetle.
For more information on refuge requirements, click here.
To learn more about Take Action and insect resistance management, click here.
Visit www.ncga.com to learn more the association and its 49 affiliated state organizations.