Sustainable Agriculture Literature Review - Boulder County
Sustainable Agriculture Literature Review - Boulder County
Sustainable Agriculture Literature Review - Boulder County
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Graph 19: Rate of Adoption for Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S 567<br />
Biotechnology in agriculture is a highly debated topic because of transgenic crops, which<br />
were first developed in laboratories around 1983. 568 The most common types of GE crops<br />
are those that contain pest management traits such as herbicide tolerance or insect<br />
resistance. 569 Herbicide tolerant (HT) crops allow farmers to control weeds using<br />
herbicides that would usually destroy the crop. The most common herbicide-tolerant crops<br />
are Roundup Ready® crops that are resistant to glyphosate. Other herbicide resistant<br />
crops include Liberty Link® corn (resistant to glufosinate-ammonium) and BXN cotton<br />
(resistant to bromoxynil). In addition to genetically engineered HT crops, there are<br />
traditionally-bred herbicide-tolerant crops, such as corn that is resistant to imidazolinone<br />
and sethoxydim as well as soybeans that are resistant to sulfonylurea. 570 Insect-resistant<br />
crops contain a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which produces its<br />
own toxins to help protect the plant from insects. Farmers often see higher yields with Bt<br />
crops compared to conventional crops because the trait stays in the plant throughout the<br />
growing season, however, additional insecticides are still needed to manage pests that are<br />
not targeted by the Bt trait. 571 Roundup Ready® and Liberty Link® corn are two varieties of<br />
GE crops grown in <strong>Boulder</strong> <strong>County</strong>. 572<br />
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