(Phys.org) —The popular new strategy of planting genetically engineered crops that make two or more toxins to fend off insect pests rests on assumptions that don't always apply, UA researchers have discovered. ...

Biology - Ecology

Mar 29, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 22 |

Genetically modified Bt cotton plants contain a poison that protects them from their most significant enemies. As a result, these plants rely less on their own defence system. This benefits other pests, such as aphids. These ...

Biology - Ecology

Mar 13, 2013 5 / 5 (4) 0

A new discovery promises to allow expanded use of a mainstay biological pest control method, which avoids the health, environmental and pest-resistance concerns of traditional insecticides, scientists are reporting. The advance ...

Biology - Ecology

Feb 13, 2013 not rated yet 0

Aggregations of the red and black colored firebugs are ubiquitous under linden trees in Central Europe, where the bugs can reach astounding population densities. While these insects have no impact on humans, ...

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Jan 09, 2013 not rated yet 0 |

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers have made significant progress in finding genetic resistance to two key cotton pests—the root-knot nematode and the reniform nematode.

Biology - Biotechnology

Jul 27, 2012 not rated yet 0

(Phys.org) -- Pests are adapting to genetically modified crops in unexpected ways, researchers have discovered. The findings underscore the importance of closely monitoring and countering pest resistance to ...

Biology - Ecology

Jun 20, 2012 4 / 5 (4) 1 |

(Phys.org) -- Because they can modify plants to either produce better fruit or in many other cases ward off disease and pests, researchers genetically alter crop plants to increase yields without adding additional ...

Biology - Ecology

Jun 14, 2012 2.4 / 5 (5) 4 |

Toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria (Bt toxins) are used in organic and conventional farming to manage pest insects. Sprayed as pesticides or produced in genetically modified plants, Bt toxins, us ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Oct 19, 2011 5 / 5 (3) 0 |

One of the most successful strategies in pest control is to endow crop plants with genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short, which code for proteins that kill pests attempting to eat ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Oct 09, 2011 4 / 5 (3) 20 |

A new, open-access article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management provides a brief summary of the various species of thrips present in U.S. cotton, their plant host range and injury to cotton, a general description of thr ...

Biology - Other

Sep 09, 2011 not rated yet 0

Using pests as part of an insect birth control program helps to get rid of them, UA researchers find. A new approach that combines the planting of pest-resistant cotton and releasing large numbers of sterile ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Nov 07, 2010 4.8 / 5 (4) 1 |

(PhysOrg.com) -- Cotton growers will be better able to keep an eye out for two common pests because of a comprehensive survey by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at College Station, Texas.

Biology - Ecology

Dec 01, 2009 not rated yet 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Texas are staying up late to search for beneficial insects that feed on crops pest eggs at night.

Biology - Ecology

Oct 07, 2009 not rated yet 0

Cis-OPDA (12-oxophytodienoic acid) is a highly reactive plant hormone which simultaneously serves as a precursor molecule of the metabolic "master switch" jasmonic acid. Both signal herbivory in leaves and ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Sep 14, 2009 5 / 5 (2) 0