Bt Corn and Insect Resistance: An Economic Assessment of Refuges

Genetically engineered crops offer farmers a new option for controlling pests. The high efficacy of these pesticidal crops, combined with the potential for widespread adoption, has raised concerns that pest resistance may prematurely diminish their value. In response to these concerns, the Environmental Protection Agency requires resistance management plans. Current resistance management plans rely on a highdose refuge strategy. This analysis extends the current framework for evaluating high-dose refuge strategies to include a measure of agricultural productivity and conventional pesticide use. The economic tradeoff relative to agricultural productivity, conventional pesticide use, and pest resistance is assessed when Bt corn is planted to control the European corn borer

Biotechnology and Pest Resistance: An Economic Assessment of Refuges

Biologists now engineer transgenic crop varieties that offer farmers a new tool for effectively managing pests. Concern over pest resistance, however, has prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to require resistance management plans. This paper develops an economic model of pest management with pest resistance to estimate the constant proportion of cropland planted in refuge that maximizes farm income over a fixed planning horizon. Results indicate a clear economic tradeoff between the pest control benefits of a transgenic variety and the resistance management benefits afforded by refuge

Development Exactions

Edited by James E. Frank and Robert M. Rhodes. Washington, D.C.: Planners Press, American Planning Association. 1987. Pp. 198. $29.95

Development Exactions

Edited by James E. Frank and Robert M. Rhodes. Washington, D.C.: Planners Press, American Planning Association. 1987. Pp. 198. $29.95