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Old 23-08-2003, 01:02 AM
Brian Sandle
 
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Default Byssinosis from GM cotton?

Thomas Mueller wrote:
Excerpt from Brian Sandle :


Recent news has stated how Monsanto are embarassed by this: many GM crop
fields are now plagued by weeds resistant to Roundup herbicide. That means
extra doses of Roundup and other herbicides are being applied. Does any
of it stay in the cotton lint, and on to the spun thread?


If the lint of Bt cotton does not contain Bt I wonder if insects will
adapt to eating mainly the lint, thereby escaping too much toxin. Does a
wood borer get energy from cellulose?


Heavy use of Roundup for weed control in connection with Roundup-ready GM crops
whose seeds are produced by Monsanto leads to the weeds evolving resistance to
Roundup, just as insects have evolved resistance to insecticides.


As well as the fields getting filled with plants like nettles which
already had resistance.

As Gordon showed us:

http://www.couger.com/farm. He said the weeds are nettles and will
go down with the first dose of Roundup. But I have recently posted
`weeds' thread, that anettles are not so susceptible to Roundup. A
mix with pursuit is needed.

So maybe the Roundup had already applied.

Gordon said the yellow colour of those plants was younger age,
compared to his ones.

Or maybe Or maybe Roundup (glyphosate) causes some yellowing, in
Roundup Ready plants, even if not as much as Zeneca's sulfosinate

http://www.weeds.iastate.edu/weednews/monsantoad.jp

thanks Torsten.


I don't know about wood borers specifically, but many herbivorous animals
digest and get energy from cellulose, which is a carbohydrate. Herbivorous
animals can thus live on a diet that would leave humans far short of energy and
protein. I presume wood borers would get energy from cellulose, since wood is
apparently a nutritious food for them.



So we give the boll worm the option of developing resistance
biochemcially or learning to avoid too much of the part of the plant
which contains the Bt. In the latter case don't we see attempts by
biotech to put Bt in the cellulose?