Benefits of Bt corn go beyond rootworm resistance
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 11:31
in Biology & Nature
Engineered to produce the bacterial toxin, Bt, "Bt corn" resists attack by corn rootworm, a pest that feeds on roots and can cause annual losses of up to $1 billion. But besides merely protecting against these losses, the Bt trait has also boosted corn yields, in some cases beyond normal expectations. So what makes it so successful?