Genetically engineered maize that produces the insecticide Bt is less prone
to mould. Gary Munkvold of Iowa State University says caterpillars killed by Bt
maize spread the spores of moulds and promote infection by wounding plants.
Fusarium mould produces toxins called fumonisins, which poison cows and pigs
and may be human carcinogens, while Aspergillus produces toxic
aflatoxin. Munkvold reports that some Bt maize carries less than a tenth as much
fumonisin and less than a quarter as much aflatoxin as non-Bt strains.
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