By leaving two rows in every 100 unsprayed with pesticides, British crop researchers found that loss of biodiversity of weeds and seeds can be curtailed in transgenic crop fields. This reduction would allow weeds to produce seeds in the unsprayed rows, preserving plant diversity and giving birds and insects a source of food, according to John Pidgeon and his colleagues in a paper published online by Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Pidgeon claims that this method will allow farmers to boost their profits and completely avoid the damage to weed and seed diversity. Genetically- modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) sugar beet, for example, is thought to be worth more extra per hectare than conventional varieties. "If you leave 2% unsprayed, GMHT sugar beet is actually better for the environment [than normal sugar beet]," he says. "It's a win-win: economically and environmentally."

Read the complete news article at http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070416/full/070416-8.html..