Asparagine (Asn) is an amino acid which serves as a carrier and storage form of nitrogen. In this chapter, the history, chemical properties and general role of Asn will be examined, followed by an account of the history of asparagine synthetase (AsnS) research in humans, microbes and plants. The...

Farmers planted genetically engineered crops that produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) on a cumulative total of 570 million ha worldwide from 1996 to 2013. These Bt crops kill some key insect pests, yet they are not toxic to most other organisms, including...

The evolution of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize by the African stem borer, Busseola fusca, in South Africa highlighted the importance of the development of appropriate integrated resistance management (IRM) strategies for stem borers in Africa. Landscape heterogeneity is...

Since first being commercialized in 1996, transgenic maize expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins has gained widespread acceptance in the world. In 2013, nearly 50 Mha of Bt maize were planted in 15 countries. In the same year, growers in the USA alone planted c.30 Mha of Bt maize, which...

Throughout this book, several authors have reviewed the pest resistance challenges within the context of the use of genetically modified (GM) crops, the solutions that are necessary to mitigate the evolution of insect pest resistance and the continued need for effective insect resistance management ...

This chapter describes the phytoplasma diseases of rice, maize, sorghum, oat, barley, wheat, sugarcane, forage grasses (Pennisetum purpureum), and other Gramineae (Cynodon dactylon).

From their introduction in 1996-2007, the genetically modified (GM) crops grown with traits for insecticide resistance (GM IR) have been predominantly maize and cotton varieties expressing Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1 toxins for the control of larval stages of relatively few key moth pest species....

Genetically modified (GM) maize and cotton varieties that express insecticidal proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have become an important component in integrated pest management programmes worldwide. A number of other crops producing Bt toxins, or more broad-spectrum insecticidal...

Crops genetically modified to produce crystal (Cry) toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) for insect control can reduce reliance on conventional insecticides. Evolution of resistance to Bt toxins by insect populations is the primary threat to the continued success of this approach. Resistance of...

Genetically modified (GM) maize crops expressing the Cry1Ab toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt maize) have been cultivated in Spain on a commercial scale since 1998, reaching an area of about 75,000 ha (around 21% of total maize-growing area) in 2007. A post-market environmental monitoring plan...