Insecticide Research Paper

Insecticides extracted from the bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis, known as Bt, have been commonly used to reduce pest populations and increase crop yields in modern agriculture. This insecticide has been credited for having the least amount of damage on the environment compared to synthetic pesticides. The application of Bt, however, has proven to be inefficient, primarily because the pesticide does not efficiently target underground pests and because the effects of the pesticide does not last for a significant amount of time. So, genetic engineers proposed that in order to increase the efficiency of the application of Bt insecticide on crops, genetically modified crops containing the genetic material from Bacillus Thuringiensis bacteria should be introduced into the market for farmers to grow in order to have the pesticide be efficiently delivered by having the plant produce the insecticide itself. In this manner, the effects of the insecticide would persist for a greater amount of time because the plant would produce the insecticide continuously, while root tunneling pests would also be affected as a result of the direct delivery of the Bt toxins in the roots of the crops. The integration of Bt toxic genes into the plants’ genetic material would also prevent exposure of this insecticide towards non-target insects.

The bacterium in which the genetic material is derived from produces certain toxins that prove to be toxic for several common agricultural pests. These toxins responsible for the insecticidal properties of the bacteria are vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vip), crystal (Cry) and cytolytic (Cyt) toxins. The use of Cry genes, however, is more commonly used when altering the plants’ genetic material, primarily because i...

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...this strategy thoroughly. If the grower does not comply to the strategy of refugia, insect resistance increases dramatically. The second alternative is creating crops that express more than one gene of Bt toxicity. This gives the plant diverse trans-genetic material, which is also known as pyramided genes. The incorporation of pyramided genes rather than only giving the plant one gene discourages the probability of pests developing evolutionary resistance because the insects would then need various simultaneous mutations in order for complete resistance to the plant’s toxins to occur.

The benefits of growing transgenic crops outweigh the negative effects that it poses. These crops have led to increase production and profits to farmers growing these crops, along with a significant decrease in the use of synthetic pesticides that would pose a threat to the environment.