Biotech Crops: A River Runs Clean
Council for Biotechnology Information
July 27, 2007
Excerpt…
Farmers now have new tools to help prevent soil erosion and help keep our rivers clean.
A tractor pulling a plow across a field is an enduring image of American agriculture. For generations, farmers have plowed their fields to prepare the soil for planting, and to fight harmful weeds and insects. But plowing can also expose topsoil to erosion. And, as topsoil is blown off by wind or washed away by rain, crops are robbed of nutrients they need.
"As topsoil is blown off by the wind or washed away by the rain, crops are robbed of nutrients they need."
What is more, eroded topsoil can end up in local rivers and streams where it settles to the bottom and clouds the water. Fish, mussels, and other aquatic wildlife and vegetation suffer when water is filled with sediment. Some species of fish have even become endangered from soil runoff because, when sediment is thick, they are unable to lay their eggs. While some river species suffer from the soil runoff, other plants like algae benefit from the fertilizer in the soil so much that they can overwhelm the natural ecosystem.
Over the years, farmers have made great strides in reducing topsoil erosion through the use of windbreaks and waterways, as well as by plowing less frequently. Today, farmers have a new tool to help save topsoil. It is called biotechnology. Some biotech crops are now making it easier and more cost-effective for farmers to adopt one of the best methods for conserving the soil -- reduced plowing.
In fact, farmers have planted biotech crops that fight weeds and insects on millions of acres. These crops have built-in defenses against weeds and insects, so in some cases - like biotech cotton and soybeans - less plowing is required. In fact, some farmers have reduced plowing from as often as eight times a year to one or two times a year, dramatically decreasing soil erosion….
Full article at Council for Biotechnology Information.
