Two of the most common ways to minimize pests in crop fields are spraying insecticides and the use of Bt-toxin plants. Bt-toxin plants are plants that contain genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (hence the “Bt”). The genes from Bt, when inserted in a plant, produce a toxin that kills insects that attempt to prey on the innocent plant. However, it turns out that the Bt-toxin only kills specific kinds of insects, whereas most insecticides have a wider range of effectiveness.

In the study performed by Agricultural Research Service, non-target insects were shown to be killed in much greater numbers on plants treated with insecticides, whereas the death toll for the non-target insects was much lower on crops with just the Bt-toxin.

The Bt-toxin does affect non-target insects, but not in such a drastic fashion. And so the question is raised as to whether farmers should use Bt-crops or insecticides. To that end, there is a very simplified answer that only takes in account this particular subject matter: If you want to kill off non-target insects in large amounts, use insecticide. If you don’t want to kill the innocent, then use Bt-crops.

News Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081129151957.htm

Scientific Article: http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1603%2F0046-225X(2005)034[1178%3AFSAANE]2.0.CO%3B2&ct=1

Discussion Question: Would you choose to use insecticides even though they kill non-target insects?