Annotated
Bibliography Entry
Reference:
US NCFAP 2002
Title: Plant Biotechnology: Current and Potential
Impact For Improving Pest Management In U.S. Agriculture: An Analysis of 40
Case Studies.
Authors: Gianessi, L.P., Silvers, C.S., Sankula, S. and Carpenter, J.E.
Publisher: National Center for
Food and Agricultural Policy, 1616 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA
Publication details: June 2002. 75p.
Context,
Study
Purpose, Methodology
Selecting
the Case Studies, Categories of Pest Control,
Categories of Adoption Status
Evaluating
the Impact
The 40
Case Studies
Impact of Biotech Crops Adopted and
Planted in 2001
Potential Impact of Biotech Crops
Approved but Not Adopted in 2001
Potential Impact of Biotech Crops Under
Development to Address Current Pest Problems
Potential Impact of Biotech Crops Under
Development to Address Future Pest Problems
Total Impact of Biotech Crops by Status
Total Impact of Biotech Crops by Type
Total Impact of Biotech Crops by State
Comparison
with Other Studies
Key Findings
Conclusion
Executive
Summary Table of Contents and Main Report Table of
Contents
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to USA page
SUMMARY
Context
Advances
in genetics and molecular biology have made it possible to identify traits in
one organism and introduce them into another, regardless of relatedness of the
source and recipient species. In the past decade, certain plant species have
been modified with genetic material from microorganisms, bacteria, fungi,
viruses and unrelated plant species. The resulting transgenic plants express
introduced proteins from the donor species. This is commonly referred to as
plant biotechnology or agricultural biotechnology.
The first
set of widely planted biotechnology crops improves the management of pests
(insects, diseases and weeds). These altered plants are immune to disease,
kill insects and make it possible to spray nonselective herbicides that kill
weeds with no harmto the crop.
The first
biotech crops were introduced in 1996, and planting has expanded every year
since. In the United States, grower acceptance of biotechnology products in
major commodity crops (corn, cotton and soybeans) has been rapid and
widespread. U.S. growers have steadily increased their biotech acreage in
recent years. In 2001, 66 million acres of herbicide tolerant soybeans,
cotton, canola and corn were planted, as were 20 million acres of insect
resistant corn and cotton.
Agricultural
biotechnology, however, is still in its infancy, with only a few crops
impacted by the technology. Researchers are seeking new ways to improve crops
by introducing specific genetic material that will express desirable traits.
Study is ongoing to further the technology’s application. An understanding
of the contributions, both realized and potential, which biotechnology makes
to agriculture is critical to the unfolding public discussion of the
technology.
Study Purpose
Biotechnology
has been widely discussed over the past several years, and there has been
considerable examination of the impact of biotechnology in commodity crops
such as corn, cotton and soybeans in major growing regions. Discussion has
largely focused on the impact of insect and herbicide resistant crops.
However, there has been little discussion about the potential impact of
biotechnology on less widely grown crops, and no evaluation of potential
impact of fungus, virus, bacteria and nematode resistant crops, which are
being developed by various research organizations.
In
February 2001, the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP)
received a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation to estimate the potential
impacts of 10 biotech pest-management cultivars. Supplemental funds provided
by the Council for Biotechnology Information (CBI), Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO), CropLife America (CLA), Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA)
and Monsanto allowed the study to expand, to include 40 cultivars that have
been developed or are being developed to manage agricultural pests in 27
crops.
Methodology
The study
examined 40 specific case studies in which biotech cultivars have been
employed or are in development to address pest-control issues. The report is
limited to cases for which successful transformation has occurred and for
which there are at least preliminary results on performance for pest
management. The case studies are representative of how the biotech cultivars
would be used in agriculture, but the case studies may not represent the
entire impact of the cultivar. For example, alfalfa is grown in nearly every
state, but the case study of biotech alfalfa only examines California, the
leading alfalfa-producing state. The case studies were selected and impact
estimates were calculated using the following six methodological steps:
1.
NCFAP
reviewed scientific journals, data from government and university research
facilities and commodity publications for articles on biotech use in pest
management.
2.
NCFAP
interviewed researchers developing the cultivars to verify research success,
and they were asked to provide summaries of their research.
3.
States in
which biotech cultivars would provide pest-management benefits were
identified. Generally these were the states with the largest acreage or states
where the pest problem was most significant.
4.
NCFAP
analyzed the existing status of pest problems and management practices and
quantified existing pesticide use, crop losses and management costs.
5.
Potential
impacts were analyzed in four categories: changes in production costs, changes
in pesticide use, changes in production or yield and the value of the
production.
6.
A written
case-study analysis was sent to outside reviewers for comment. Reviewers’
comments were incorporated into the case study reports.
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Selecting
the Case Studies
Only
biotech cultivars to be used in pest management were examined for this report.
The full report including each case study is available on NCFAP’s web site http://www.ncfap.org
Categories of pest
control
The 40
pest-management case studies are classified according to six pest-control
criteria:
• Insect resistance (IR): 11 case studies
•
Herbicide tolerance (HT): 14 case studies
•
Nematode resistance (NR): One case study
•
Bacteria resistance (BR): Three case studies
• Virus
resistance (VR): Nine case studies
•
Fungus resistance (FR): Three case studies
For field
corn and cotton, there are multiple insect resistant cultivars treated as
separate case studies. For example, cultivars that control corn borer or corn
rootworm are treated separately.
Categories of adoption
status
Additionally,
each case study is classified according to its adoption status.
These
categories are:
•
Adopted (A) — Eight case studies estimate the impacts that have occurred as
a result of current (2001) transgenic crop adoption for pest management in the
United States. The case studies approximate the changes in pesticide use, crop
production and costs of production that occurred in 2001 as a result of
adoption compared with what would have occurred had biotech crops not been
adopted.
•
Approved but not adopted (AA) — Four case studies, which involve cultivars
that are registered and available but not yet adopted by growers, calculate
the impacts that would have occurred in 2001 had growers planted them. The
impact estimates quantify foregone benefits in terms of production volume,
production costs and pesticide use impacts that are as yet unrealized.
• Under
development for current pest problems (UDCP) — Twenty-four case studies
quantify the yield, cost-reduction and pesticide-reduction impacts that would
have occurred in 2001 had U.S. growers planted biotech cultivars that are
under development to
address existing pest problems.
• Under
development for future pest problems (UDFP) — Four case studies quantify the
potential impacts of biotech cultivars being developed to manage pest problems
that are expected to occur in the future, such as crop diseases that have not
yet become a major difficulty for U.S. growers. To evaluate their expected
impact, NCFAP calculated what input costs and yield reductions would have been
incurred in 2001 if the pests were present.
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Evaluating
the Impact
Four
aggregate measures were quantified in all case studies:
• Changes
in production costs were calculated by determining which current
practices would be affected, resulting in savings, as well as by projecting an
assumed cost of purchasing the biotech seeds.
• Changes
in crop yield were estimated depending on the effectiveness of the
biotech product
in preventing pest losses compared with the technology it would likely
replace.
• Changes
in crop value similarly were estimated based on the expected yield
changes, plus or minus changes in production costs, leading to an overall net
value.
• Changes
in pesticide use were quantified if the biotech cultivar was likely
to replace current use for the target pest.
The
combined impact of the 40 case studies paints a picture of 2001 that might
have been. Eight cultivars, of course, were adopted and were widely planted in
2001, so their impact reflects what actually occurred. Others were available
but were not planted, and others are being developed to address pest problems
that were present in 2001. These case studies reflect what impact they would
have had in addressing pest problems that existed in 2001. Four case studies
reflect anticipated impacts on pest problems that could affect U.S. growers in
the near future. To calculate their expected impact, it was assumed that the
anticipated pests were present in 2001 and would have to be managed with
technologies that were available. For these cases, NCFAP assumed growers used
traditional control methods for the emerging pest.
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The
40 Cast Studies
Table
1 lists
the 40 case studies included in the report and identifies the type of case
study by biotech trait: insect resistant (IR), herbicide tolerant (HT),
bacteria resistant (BR), fungus resistant (FR), nematode resistant (NR) and
virus resistant (VR). In addition, its adoption status is delineated: adopted
(A), approved but not adopted (AA), under development for current pest
problems (UDCP), and under development for future pest problems (UDFP). The
states that are, or would be, impacted by the biotech cultivars are also
listed. For tracking purposes, each case study has been assigned a reference
number, which is used throughout this executive summary and full report.
Results
The
impact of biotech crops was calculated for each of the four impact categories:
adopted, approved but not adopted, under development for current pest problems
and under development for future pest problems. Each of the 40 cultivars
provides value equal to or greater than the pest-control practice it would
replace. Value was calculated by determining any expected yield change plus or
minus any change in growers’ costs.
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Impact
of biotech crops adopted and planted in 2001
Table
2 displays
impact estimates for the eight case studies where adoption has occurred. Four
of the adopted cultivars resulted in increased yield because they provided
more effective control of pests than the control methods they replaced. The
other four show a decrease in grower costs, which is represented by a minus
sign in the column. When a minus sign is used to indicate reduced costs, the
reduction amount is added to the value of the yield to determine net value.
Likewise, if grower costs increase, the increase is subtracted to determine
net value.
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