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Biotechnology: A Cleaner Alternative
Organic farmers, as well as conventional farmers, have been treating plants with the natural microorganism Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, since the 1930s. While Bt occurs naturally in the soil, concentrated into a spray it is highly effective in controlling crop pests. For organic farmers, Bt has been an important tool in controlling serious insects, including the European corn borer, which causes over $1 billion in crop damage every year.
Using the unprecedented flexibility provided by biotechnology, the genetic information that makes Bt lethal to the corn borer - but not to humans, animals or other insects - can now be transferred into a corn plant. As a result, the corn plant that was once a food source for the corn borer now controls this devastating corn pest in a way that benefits people, animals and the environment.
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