GM CROPS IN CALIFORNIA

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GM CROPS IN CALIFORNIA

• Large Acreage Cotton
• RON VARGAS, FARM ADVISOR
• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
• COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
• Madera/Merced Counties

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Progression of GM Cotton in San Joaquin Valley

• 1996 Small UCCE Research Studies
• 1997 Small experimental acreage
• 600 RR lt 100 BXN
• 1998 1st commercial plantings
• 1,200 RR 1,000 BXN
• Acreage increased dramatically when SJV One
• Quality law changed
• 85,000 RR 14,000 BXN
• 227,000 RR 68,000 BXN (42,000 RR Bt)
• 235,000 RR 70,000 BXN (some staked gene
  RR/ Bt)
• 173,000 RR 24,000 BXN (3,130 RR/ Bt)
  (351 Bt)

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Transgenic Herbicide Tolerant Cotton

• Allowed grower to effectively control most annual
  and perennial weeds
• Reduce or eliminate hand hoeing and cultivation
• Cost Savings range from 25 - 120/acre
• Explore alternative production systems
• Conservation/reduced tillage
• Ultra narrow row

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Limitations

• BXN broadleaf control only
• tank mix with grass herbicides
• RR small window of application, heavy penalty
  in yield, and some extent quality, for off-label
  applications
• Difficult to control weeds-nutsedge, field
  bindweed, annual morningglory

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Integrated Weed Management System

• These systems can be very useful as another weed
  control option to supplement existing weed
  control programs based upon the use of pre-plant,
  selective over-the-top and layby herbicides.

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Decision to Use Transgenic Herbicide Tolerant
Cottons

• Weed species present (annuals vs. perennials)
• Density and extent of weed population
• Is weed pressure enough to impact yield?
• Is hand weeding or cultivation eliminated?
• Cost of alternative herbicides
• Cost of technology fee
• Are there well suited transgenic varieties with
  favorable agronomic characteristics (yield and
  quality)?

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Weed Resistance Concerns

• If weed control programs are developed which
  solely rely on one type of herbicide there is a
  high probability of developing resistant weed
  species and/or weed shifts.
• Example
• annual ryegrass, marestail
• Growers have reported poor control of
  barnyardgrass and lambsquater

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Resistance Management

• A well balanced long-term weed management
  approach must incorporate resistance management
  strategies
• Crop rotation
• Herbicide rotation
• Control of weed escapes by hand or tillage

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Future Developments

• Enhanced Roundup Ready varieties wider window
  of application
• Liberty link cotton varieties

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Bt and Bollgard Varieties

• Especially suited for pink bollworm and budworm
  not problems in California
• Fewer total pesticide sprays required since fewer
  worms
• Insect resistance and refuge issues

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Concerns

• How to segregate transgenic from conventional
  varieties (starlink corn)
• Transgenic cotton seed as animal feed (studies to
  date of protein and amino acids are equivalent to
  conventional varieties
• Development of super weed genetic shifts in
  weeds resulting in potential to increase weed
  problems

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Concerns contd.

• Impact on non-target organisms (beneficial
  insects and butterflies
• Changes in dominant insect pest with changes in
  spray programs with Bt cotton do pests that
  once were secondary become more damaging with
  reduced pesticide applications?

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Other Large Acreage GM Crops

• Corn, 40-50,000 Acres in 2002
• Rice
• Alfalfa