tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post4263618899471409669..comments2023-08-25T05:18:29.312-06:00Comments on Madville Times: Catangui Research Shows Monsanto Corn Helps Spread Pestscaheidelbergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03261598066395322681noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-37726268723569470992010-09-10T08:00:04.261-06:002010-09-10T08:00:04.261-06:00Cory, so far, after 5 years of blogging, there are...Cory, so far, after 5 years of blogging, there are only a handful of anonymous SD bloggers whose identity I'll probably never know, but should they quit posting, I would sorely miss.<br /><br />Denature is one of them.Bill Fleminghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08319507693205848772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-80644577996832472032010-09-10T07:54:21.281-06:002010-09-10T07:54:21.281-06:00Did denature appear through the hyperlink at this ...Did denature appear through the hyperlink at <a href="http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/app/blogs/outdoors/?p=3393" rel="nofollow">this post</a>? If so, good to see you here.larry kurtzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06855417104900624838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-91062879806954988842010-09-10T07:10:40.417-06:002010-09-10T07:10:40.417-06:00["denature" -- can you provide a name wi...["denature" -- can you provide a name with the comment? I appreciate your intelligent contribution; I'd just like to keep all participants "nymous".]caheidelbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03261598066395322681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-43765196559121789392010-09-10T02:05:31.292-06:002010-09-10T02:05:31.292-06:00Your caveats aside, I'm not a fan of the '...Your caveats aside, I'm not a fan of the 'could it be approach' in this post. It comes across as more of a Pat Robertson or Pat Powers strategy.<br /><br />Catangui's paper you cite isn't particularly anti-Monsanto. The paper notes that cutworm susceptibility applied to only a subset of the Bt corn lines. Others were effective against cutworm. The paper also tacitly accepts that other factors could be involved in cutworm emergence. These include seed treatments, milder winters, reduced foliar insecticide use, and increased use of no-till systems. That multiple factors are involved is supported by 2002 being the high year for cutworms in traps in South Dakota (SD has highest proportion of transgenics on its farmland). Increases in Iowa have continued since 2002 and they have moved East.<br /><br />The paper also references two of Catangui's previous publications that showed the effectiveness of Bt corn in South Dakota. He also doesn't appear anti-corporate. His aphid spraying report was financially supported by Dow, FMC, and Syngenta.<br /><br />If you examine the PloS one article you cite, it is indicated that the only discovered possible reason for increased aphids is due to higher nutritional content in the Bt corn (tastier corn = more aphids). This causes more honeydew. More honeydew=more wasps. These wasps are better able to control caterpillar pests that eat the corn. Not much of a hardy indictment of Bt corn. Realistically the alternative to Bt corn is more chemical pesticides that are less discriminating in toxic effects. <br /><br />I would note that this study is not necessarily supported by a meta-analysis of the literature. <br /><br />http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002118<br /><br />As an aside, Bt proteins have potential (it's still early) for treatment of parasitic roundworm infections in humans.<br />http://www.biofortified.org/2010/03/what-if-bt-saved-human-lives/denaturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-70874829330719471662010-09-09T10:43:26.998-06:002010-09-09T10:43:26.998-06:00Any MSM on this, Cory? Woster is going forward on ...Any MSM on this, Cory? Woster is <a href="http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/app/blogs/outdoors/?p=3393" rel="nofollow">going forward</a> on environmental reporting.larry kurtzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06855417104900624838noreply@blogger.com