A NEW generation of genetically modified crops could be a greater threat to wildlife than expected. The crops are engineered both to be resistant to weedkillers and to produce pest-killing toxins. But it now appears that this combination of might traits cause any weedkiller applied to the crop to persist for up to twice as long in the soil.
Cesare Accinelli and his colleagues at the University of Bologna, Italy, say they are the first to investigate how the two traits interact. The crops are engineered to produce bacterial Bt toxins that kill soil-dwelling pest larvae, such as the European…
