Influence of Bt-plants on soil biota and pleiotropic effect of Delta d-endotoxin-encoding genes

The critical review of experimental conclusions stating environmental safety of transgenic plants reveals that the methods and test materials employed in some studies were inadequate to the goals pursued. A large-scale application of transgenic Bt-plants may result in long-lasting negative impact on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Russian journal of plant physiology 2008-11, Vol.55 (6), p.738-747
Main Author: Viktorov, A G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crops
Decomposition
Genetic engineering
Genomes
Herbivores
Homoptera
Lepidoptera
Reviews
Soil
Transgenic plants
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Summary:The critical review of experimental conclusions stating environmental safety of transgenic plants reveals that the methods and test materials employed in some studies were inadequate to the goals pursued. A large-scale application of transgenic Bt-plants may result in long-lasting negative impact on the environment. First, the cultivation of these plants leads to accumulation of Bt-toxins in soil. Second, the decomposition of transgenic plants takes significantly longer time compared to that of isogenic lines. Third, the biological activity of soils under transgenic crops is lower than in the control plots. The transfer of Delta *d-endotoxin-encoding genes to the genome of agricultural crops affects simultaneously several entirely different traits of genetically modified plants, thus exerting pleiotropic effects. This gives rise to a paradoxical situation: the genetically engineered crops selected on the trait of resistance to herbivorous insects of the order Lepidoptera become more attractive for herbivores from the other order, Homoptera.
ISSN:1021-4437
DOI:10.1134/S1021443708060022