The mid-january 1999 "California Farmer" has an article entitled "A
Welcome Goodbye." It is about efforts by the Arizona cotton industry to
carry out a pink bollworm eradication program before its "too late" because
of the emergence of Bt-resistance.
The article contains the first clear admission that a major cotton
pest is developing resistance. While no control failures were observed in
crop year 1998, Univ. of Arizona scientists selected populations from a
variety of fields, brought them to the lab, and tested them for
susceptibility. Bruce Tabashnik was involved in setting up the screening
program, so it was not an amateur effort. The direct quote is --
"From laboratory studies, we have found strong evidence that field
populations of pink bollworm in Arizona contain a small percentage of
individuals that have substantially reduced susceptibility to the Bt toxin
expressed in cotton," Tim Dennehy, leader of the Extension Arthropod
Resistance Management Lab at U of A's Dept of Entom.
Another member of the team assessing the emergence of resistance
states: "Our findings are reinforcing the point that it isn't a matter of if
pink bollworm develops resistance to transgenic Bt cotton, but when
resistance will become a problem in the field," Yves Carriere.
So, the plan in Arizona is to eradicate pinkie by getting everyone
to plant Bt-cotton and layering over it aggressive treatment with
biopesticides, pheromones, sterile males. This program certainly deserves
careful monitoring. It also heightens the urgency of another policy issue
-- how fast can/will regulators react to stop further plantings of
Bt-transgenics once resistance is "confirmed." If reg. action against
Bt-transgenics follows a FIFRA-like process, it will take at least five
years -- long enough to render the effort meaningless, since resistance will
be widespread and stable before the first round of administrative hearings
are even begun. There must be a new mechanism to raise the costs very high
of not acting; maybe the forthcoming Bt litigation can get a court to force
the companies to post a large performance bond.
chuck
Charles Benbrook 208-263-5236 (voice)
Benbrook Consulting Services 208-263-7342 (fax)
5085 Upper Pack River Road benbrook@hillnet.com [e-mail]
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 http://www.pmac.net
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