• Cultivated squash is susceptible to a variety of viral diseases
• Ecologists worry there might be certain hidden costs associated with the modified crops.
• The researchers discovered that as the viral infection swept the fields containing both genetically modified and wild crops, the damage from cucumber beetles is greater on the genetically modified plants.
• The modified plants are therefore more susceptible to the fatal bacterial wilt disease.
• When both the bacterial and viral pathogens are present, the beetles tend to avoid the smaller viral infected plants and concentrate on the healthy transgenic plants.
Reflection
I chose this article because it reminded me a lot of what we watched in class today and all through last week. The whole controversy over the Hawaiian papaya was somewhat similar to this because that scientist faced adversity at first but he later overcame in and his genetically modified papayas might have a chance to save the multimillion dollar papaya farms in Hawaii. I think if these guys keep working on fixing there plant they can over come their problems too. You can do anything if you try.
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916153147.htm
Citation: Florida State University. "Single Missing Protein May Result In Down Syndrome And Other Human Chromosomal Birth Defects." ScienceDaily 17 September 2009. 16 May 2010
Picture: http://redgreenandblue.org/files/2008/11/cornfield.jpg
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