A new study has found genetically modified corn isn’t living up to its promise of reducing insecticide use. Iowa State University researcher John Obrycki co-authored the report.Obrycki says they discovered the genetically modified seeds do repel corn borers, but most farmers never sprayed their fields for corn borers, which means there’s really no reduction in insecticide use. Is G-M-O corn repelling other harmful insects?Obrycki says bio-engineered corn was designed with the corn borer in mind and there are really no other insects that are a major problem in Midwestern cornfields. Obrycki says a side-by-side comparison found there’s very little difference in yields from genetically modified as opposed to traditional corn varieties.
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