Sujatha Sankula’s presentation on biotech crops, as described by Tomy Hillers in his Wednesday Daily article, misses the mark in a variety of ways. Sankula’s claim that genetic engineering has any immediate potential for increasing crop yields is just plain false; yield is controlled by a large number of genes, while current technology only allows for the manipulation of a few at a time.

The statement that biotech crops have reduced pesticide applications, on the other hand, is merely misleading – the glyphosate herbicide applied to Monsanto “Roundup Ready” corn and soybeans is suspected of being strongly disruptive of the soil microbial community, while transgenic Bt technology substitutes insecticide produced in the corn plant itself for external application.

Perhaps the most important flaw in the presentation, however, is the implication that we must turn to genetic engineering to solve our environmental and farm income security problems. A wide variety of cheaper and more practical solutions, from diverse crop rotations to farmer-friendly policy initiatives, already exist. For a closer look at these alternatives, consult the Web site of our own Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, which can be found at www.leopold.iastate.edu.

Fred Iutzi

Graduate student

Sustainable agriculture