Over the past 16 years, vast plantings of transgenic crops producing insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have helped to control several major insect pests1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and reduce the need for insecticide sprays1, 5, 6.
Because broad-spectrum insecticides kill arthropod natural enemies that provide biological control of pests, the decrease in use of insecticide sprays associated with Bt crops could enhance biocontrol services7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
…Full Text: www.nature.com/nature/journal/v487/n7407/full/nature11153.html#/contrib-auth
Tags: China, ladybirds, lacewings, spiders, aphid pests, insecticide sprays, predators, maize, peanut, soybean, agricultural landscapes
Source
Nature, 2013-01-03.
Supplier
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)
French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA)
Institute of Plant Protection China
National Agro-Technical Extension and Service Center
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests
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