Genetically Engineered Cotton

Genetically Engineered Cotton (GE Cotton) is cotton that has had its DNA modified to withstand a specific herbicide (Glyphosate or Glufosinate), to produce a pesticide in every cell of the plant, or both. Varieties of GE cotton that contain both traits are referred to as "stacked." According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2010, 78 percent of all cotton planted in the U.S. was herbicide tolerant, and 73 percent was a variety engineered to produce Bt.

Adoption Rates in the U.S.
Following the 1996 introduction of genetically engineered cotton, its adoption by U.S. farmers grew. The USDA offers data on the percent of cotton in the U.S. that is genetically engineered between 2000 and 2012:
 * 2000: 61%
 * 2001: 69%
 * 2002: 71%
 * 2003: 73%
 * 2004: 76%
 * 2005: 79%
 * 2006: 83%
 * 2007: 87%
 * 2008: 86%
 * 2009: 88%
 * 2010: 93%
 * 2011: 90%
 * 2012: 94%

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Biotechnology
 * Glyphosate
 * Herbicide Tolerant Crops
 * Bt
 * Bt Cotton
 * Genetically Modified Organisms
 * Monsanto
 * Bayer CropScience

External articles

 * "Cultivation of Genetically Modified Cotton a Violation of Safety Act," Sudan Vision, June 17, 2012.
 * David Biello, "GMO Bonus: Genetically Engineered Cotton Benefits Farmers, Predatory Insects," Scientific American, June 15, 2012.
 * Damian Carrington, "GM crops good for environment, study finds," The Guardian, June 13, 2012.
 * Hank Campbell, "What If GM Crops Boost The Local Ecosystem, Including Organic Foods?," Science 2.0, June 13, 2012.
 * Jack Kaskey, "Gene-Modified Cotton Aids Pest-Killing Insects, China Study Says," Bloomberg, June 13, 2012.
 * Yanhui Lu, Kongming Wu, Yuying Jiang, Yuyuan Guo, and Nicolas Desneux, "Widespread adoption of Bt cotton and insecticide decrease promotes biocontrol services," Nature, June 13, 2012.
 * Becky Striepe, "Dirty Cotton: Indian Cotton Farmers Devastated," Crafting a Green World, June 6, 2012.
 * "Producing genetically-modified cotton," Dawn.com, Pakistan, May 22, 2012.
 * Colin Bettles, "Cotton harvest revitalises communities," Stock and Land, Australia, May 21, 2012.
 * K.S. Jayaraman, "India investigates Bt cotton claims, Nature, February 14, 2012.
 * "GM cotton seeds a threat to Indian farmers: Researchers," News One, June 27, 2011.
 * Flint Duxfield, "Concerns raised about health effects of gene used in GM crops," ABC Rural, June 21, 2011.
 * Andy Bloxham, Toxic pesticides from GM food crops found in unborn babies, The Telegraph, May 20, 2011.
 * William Neuman and Andrew Pollack, "Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant Weeds," New York Times, May 3, 2010.