RR-Flex Cotton - No Ecological Risk

A comparative assessment between Roundup Ready Flex cotton (MON 88913) and a conventional counterpart was conducted in 14 field sites in the US. The study was done to determine if RR Flex cotton, a second-generation GM product that provides increased tolerance to glyphosate, is no more likely to pose a plant pest risk than its conventional counterpart.

Data on plant growth and development, plant structure, and boll, seed, and fiber characteristics were used by researchers from Texas A&M University and the Monsanto Co. in a stepwise tiered decision process. The researchers wrote in their paper that compared to the conventional cotton, the transgenic “did not exhibit any significant adverse growth and development differences that would result in increased weed potential”.

The complete paper published in Crop Science, can be accessed by subscribers at http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/full/47/1/268