>In a study relased by Cornell Univ., 44% of Monarch larvae died after
>being fed milweed leaves dusted with pollen from Bt corn.
>
>The study's results have been criticized because no precise measurements
>were made of the amount of Bt pollen fed to the larvae.
Have the details of the Iowa State University Study, which confirmed the
Cornell study, been released? The original news release was at
>Article is (was?) at http://www.pme.iastate.edu/info/monarch.htm
and the research was to be published this summer sometime.
>Corn pollen is heavy; thus it usually moves less than nine feet.
This is what the Seeds of Texas Seed Exchange Vegetable Seed Saver's
Handbook says about corn.
"Corn, Zea mays
Wind-pollinated corn requires up to a mile for safe isolation in exposed
areas. Exact isolation distances will depend on neighboring growers and
wind patterns, wind-break protection , etc (corn pollen is relatively heavy
and falls to the ground quickly under quiet conditions)....."
So I guess whether BT pollen is a problem for monarch larvae depends on
where the milkweed plants are located relative to the corn and the wind
conditions at the time of pollination. Most of the milkweed I see here in
Iowa is in the road ditches next to the corn fields. More study on monarch
population stability seems in order.
>Item #2 (pages 6-7)
>
>Soil organic matter cannot be increased significantly by addition of
>manure and use of conventional tillage. No-till on the other hand, can
>have dramatic effects on organic matter increases.
>
>Source: USDA NRCS soil Quality Institute Tech Note,
>www.statlab.iastate.edu/survey/SQI/pdf
How does this square with the graphic in Nature's News and Views by David
Tilman showing manure addition as the most effective method of increasing
soil organic matter? See Nature/Vol 396/19NOV1998/ Pg. 211. The
associated article by Drinkwater et al. starts on page 262. See
http://www.nature.com for on line versions of these articles.
Unforturnately, the tillage details for the conventional, reduced tillage,
succession and manure addition test plots are in Agron. J. 81, 150-159
(1989). Mike Miller
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