Biotech Updates

Effects of Important Abiotic Factors on the Degradation of Cry1Ab in Soil

May 13, 2011

Many studies have assessed the ecological effects of Bt corn on the environment, but only a few have investigated its effect on soil ecosystems. Thus, Yuanjiao Feng and his team from South China Agricultural University, investigated the effects of abiotic factors such as temperature, water content, and pH on the degradation in soil of Cry1Ab protein from Bt corn straw.

They found out that in all treatments, the protein was degraded in a similar manner. The degradation was fastest during the early stage and started to slow down at the middle until the terminal stage. The degradation dynamics of Cry1Ab under various environmental conditions can be estimated by shift-log model. Water content and pH had no effect on the degradation process, but higher degradation rate was observed at higher temperature.

Complete paper published in Soil Biology and Biochemistry journal is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.04.011.