Abstract
Previous field studies have reached no collective consensus on whether Bt corn, the most commonly planted transgenic crop worldwide, has significantly lower aflatoxin levels than non-Bt isolines. Aflatoxin, a mycotoxin contaminating corn and other commodities, causes liver cancer in humans and can pose severe economic losses to farmers. We found that from 2001-2016, a significant inverse correlation existed between Bt corn planting and aflatoxin-related insurance claims in the United States, when controlling for temperature and drought. Estimated benefits of aflatoxin reduction resulting from Bt corn planting are about $120 million to $167 million per year over 16 states on average. These results suggest that Bt corn use is an important strategy in reducing aflatoxin risk, with corresponding economic benefits. If the same principles hold true in other world regions, then Bt corn hybrids adapted to diverse agronomic regions may have a role in reducing aflatoxin in areas prone to high aflatoxin contamination, and where corn is a dietary staple.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Bt corn planting was inversely correlated with aflatoxin-related insurance claims in the United States, controlling for temperature and drought.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse1 - Treatment
- Bt corn plantinge1
- Outcome
- aflatoxin-related insurance claimse1
- Direction
- inverse correlatione1
- Qualifier
- controlling for temperature and droughte1
- Setting
- United Statese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“We found that from 2001-2016, a significant inverse correlation existed between Bt corn planting and aflatoxin-related insurance claims in the United States, when controlling for temperature and drought”
Claim · model-written summary
Benefits of aflatoxin reduction from Bt corn planting are about $120 million to $167 million per year over 16 states.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse2
- Treatment
- Bt corn plantinge2
- Outcome
- benefits of aflatoxin reductione2
- Value
- $120 million to $167 million per yeare2
- Setting
- over 16 statese2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Estimated benefits of aflatoxin reduction resulting from Bt corn planting are about $120 million to $167 million per year over 16 states on average”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt corn use is an important strategy for reducing aflatoxin risk.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse3
- Outcome
- reducing aflatoxin riske3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“These results suggest that Bt corn use is an important strategy in reducing aflatoxin risk, with corresponding economic benefits”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt corn hybrids may help reduce aflatoxin in regions prone to high contamination (hypothesis).
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse4
- Outcome
- reducing aflatoxin in areas prone to high aflatoxin contaminatione4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“If the same principles hold true in other world regions, then Bt corn hybrids adapted to diverse agronomic regions may have a role in reducing aflatoxin in areas prone to high aflatoxin contamination, and where corn is a dietary staple”