Scarrier to me than Bt in Corn

[Daniel & Monica Glaeske]

Barb Beck wrote:
> 
> They have introduced the gene from Bt into aspen up here in the
> great white north.  Turn that loose in our boreal forest and it will
> really cause havoc.  It would be an "exotic" able to outcompete our native
> trees because of the ability to ward off attach by catepillars.
> 
> At least if people desire the problem with corn can quickely be stopped
> but eradicating exotic aspen in the boreal forest would be another matter.
> 
> Barb Beck
> Barb.Beck at ualberta.ca
> Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Yeah, several years ago I was involved in a project to transfer the Bt
gene into spruce for replanting in deforested areas.  I had real
problems concentrating on my work -- my supervisor, IIRC, told me that
that was a problem for the <next> generation of plant biotechnologists.
Of course, by the time this forest matured, the spruce budworm may have
developed resistance to Bt and obliterated nearly the entire boreal
forest.   

I almost got fired.  

Daniel