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Biotech crops help environment
Prairie City (US), Oct 25: As scientists, corporations, farmers and environmentalists debate whether genetically modified plants are healthy for humans, a soil and water conservation group says they help the environment.
Prairie City (US), Oct 25: As scientists, corporations, farmers and environmentalists debate whether genetically modified plants are healthy for humans, a soil and water conservation group says they help the environment.
Biotech crops can reduce the need to plow, resulting in
less erosion of topsoil and less air and water pollution, the
Conservation Technology Information Centre concludes in a
study presented at the world food prize symposium in
Des Moines.
The biotech cotton and soybean crops studied by the centre have a built-in tolerance to herbicides, decreasing the need to plow, said Dan Towery, a natural resources specialist for the center who co-authored the study.
The CTIC study, a compilation of government and industry data, says no-till acres have increased 35 percent since biotech crops were introduced and now total more than 55 million acres.
The CTIC is a nonprofit organisation based in west Lafyette that promotes soil conservation and water quality. It receives funding from public and private sources, including agribusiness, foundations and government agencies. Bureau Report
The biotech cotton and soybean crops studied by the centre have a built-in tolerance to herbicides, decreasing the need to plow, said Dan Towery, a natural resources specialist for the center who co-authored the study.
The CTIC study, a compilation of government and industry data, says no-till acres have increased 35 percent since biotech crops were introduced and now total more than 55 million acres.
The CTIC is a nonprofit organisation based in west Lafyette that promotes soil conservation and water quality. It receives funding from public and private sources, including agribusiness, foundations and government agencies. Bureau Report