'GM crops cut gas emissions'

MANILA, Philippines - The increased production of genetically modified (GM) crops worldwide has been significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, an expert from an American university said.                                                              

Dr. Wayne Parrott of the University of Georgia said the planting of GM herbicide-resistant crops does not require the tilling of soil, thus preventing the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and enhances moisture in the soil.

Greenhouse gas emission is also reduced because GM herbicide-resistant crops do not require the use of pesticide sprays, these being resistant to pests.

“This consequently wipes out use of fuel for spraying,” Parrott said. “Prevention of emission of CO2 also comes largely from non-razing of more forest lands for agricultural use.”

Parrott said farmers worldwide have been able to triple the volume of cereal production from 650 million metric tons (MT) in 1950 to 1.9 billion MT in 2000 with the use of GM crops.

“This is without the need for more agricultural land due to higher yield from emerging farm technologies,” he said.

Parrot said farm technology has spared the use of at least one billion hectares of agricultural land. Land use over 50 years remained at 660 million hectares as of the year 2000.

“Since you save on land, you have more land for other uses,” he said.                                                                                      

For instance, the Bacillus thurigiensis corn that is resistant to the pest Asiatic corn borer may yield as much as seven to eight MT per hectare.

London-based PG Economics estimated that decreased pesticide and fuel use lowered carbon dioxide emissions by 17.7 billion kilos. This is also because 17.1 percent of total agricultural land is now used to raise GM crops.

Parrott noted that the genetically modified variant of corn called Roundup Ready is resistant to the herbicide glyphosat, the most widely used in the United States. This enables farmers to obtain a high yield without increased labor cost for weeding.                                                                                                             

 PG Economics estimates that if 14 million farmers did not raise GM crops from 1996 to 2009, 3.8 million hectares more of agricultural land would have been needed to raise soybeans, 5.6 million hectares more for corn, 2.6 million hectares more for cotton and 0.3 million hectares more for canola.