Bt cotton has been genetically engineered to produce an insecticide that kills cotton bollworm. It was introduced to a cotton-producing nation in 2002. The graphs show trends of national cotton yield, % Bt cotton grown, total insecticide use, insecticide use to control bollworms and insecticide use to control another insect pest (hemiptera). a) Explain ONE reason why cotton yield changed between 2002 and 2013.

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Bt cotton has been genetically engineered to produce an insecticide that kills cotton bollworm - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 29 - 2022 - Paper 1

Question 29

Bt cotton has been genetically engineered to produce an insecticide that kills cotton bollworm. It was introduced to a cotton-producing nation in 2002. The graphs s... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:Bt cotton has been genetically engineered to produce an insecticide that kills cotton bollworm - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 29 - 2022 - Paper 1

Step 1

Explain ONE reason why cotton yield changed between 2002 and 2013.

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Answer

The introduction of Bt cotton initially resulted in less insect damage and disease, which contributed to a saving in application of insecticides. As more Bt cotton was planted, the yield of cotton increased significantly due to the effective pest control provided by the genetically modified crop. This reduced the reliance on traditional insecticides, further promoting cotton yield growth as pest-related damage diminished.

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