Monday June 3, 11:48 am Eastern Time
Associated Press

Chinese researcher says genetically altered cotton will lose effectiveness

BEIJING (AP) --  Rapidly evolving insect populations could render
the  most  widely used type of bioengineered bug-resistant cotton
ineffective in as  little  as  two  years,  a  Chinese  scientist
affiliated with the environmental group Greenpeace warned Monday.  



Xue   Dayuan,   a   researcher   at   the  Nanjing  Institute  of
Environmental Sciences,  based his warning on experiments he said
had  been  done at four state-run Chinese laboratories.  Xue is a
science adviser for Greenpeace, which opposes biotech crops.  

Xue said Chinese researchers found it took about five  years  for
bollworms,  a cotton-munching caterpillar,  to develop resistance
to toxins produced by genetically modified cotton plants.  

The experiments involved "Bt"  cotton,  which has become the most
widely used genetically altered cotton since it was introduced by
U.S.-based Monsanto Co.  (NYSE:MON - News) in 1996.  

Xue  said  five years in a laboratory translates into eight-to-10
years in actual cotton fields.  

"We expect similar bugs to  begin  appearing  in  the  fields  in
two-three years,"  Xue told The Associated Press.  "What's only a
small experiment in scientists'  labs  now  will  become  a  huge
threat to agriculture." 

Chinese  researchers  also  found the use of Bt cotton,  which is
designed to target bollworms,  was leading to larger  populations
of other cotton-eating pests, he said.  Xue said this could cause
unpredictable disruptions to the environment.  

A spokesman for Monsanto,  which began selling Bt cotton in China
four years ago,  said the Chinese findings contradicted  previous
research.  

"Throughout  the  world,  there  has  been no evidence to date of
resistance in the six years  of  this  cotton's  use,"  said  Lee
Quarles, a spokesman at the company's headquarters in St.  Louis.  

Bt cotton is also produced by other companies,  including some in
China.  

It is  genetically  engineered  to  produce  its  own  pesticide,
reducing  the need for chemical pesticides.  In China,  Bt cotton
accounts for more  than  a  third  of  the  nation's  annual  1.5
million-hectare (3.7 million-acre) cotton crop.  

Xue's findings will be issued Tuesday in a report by Greenpeace.  

"Scientists in China have actually found ill effects, unlike what
industry  has  been  saying,"  said  Lo  Sze  Ping,  a Greenpeace
spokesman in China.