Scientists have developed Bt toxins for the management of Bt resistance in European corn borer and other crop pests.

A slight change in molecular structure introduced by genetic engineering gives crop-protecting proteins called Bt toxins a new edge in overcoming resistance of certain pests, a UA-led team of researchers reports in Nature Biotechnology.

Toxin proteins are genetically engineered into our food because they kill insects by perforating body cell walls, and Professor Rikard Blunck of the University of Montreal's Group for the study of membrane proteins (GÉPROM) has detected the molecular mechanism involved.

The amount of global farmland used to grow genetically modified (GM) crops increased 10% last year, with the United States remaining the largest zone for the biotech produce.

Crop yields from India’s first genetically modified crop may have been overemphasized, as modest rises in crop yields may come at the expense of sustainable farm management.