title: Risk assessment of Bt crops on the non-target plant-associated insects and soil organisms.
abstract: Transgenic plants containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes are being cultivated worldwide to express toxic insecticidal proteins. However, the commercial utilisation of Bt crops greatly highlights biosafety issues worldwide. Therefore, assessing the risks caused by genetically modified crops prior to their commercial cultivation is a critical issue to be addressed. In agricultural biotechnology, the goal of safety assessment is not just to identify the safety of a genetically modified (GM) plant, rather to demonstrate its impact on the ecosystem. Various experimental studies have been made worldwide during the last 20 years to investigate the risks and fears associated with non-target organisms (NTOs). The NTOs include beneficial insects, natural pest controllers, rhizobacteria, growth promoting microbes, pollinators, soil dwellers, aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates, mammals and humans. To highlight all the possible risks associated with different GM events, information has been gathered from a total of 76 articles, regarding non-target plant and soil inhabiting organisms, and summarised in the form of the current review article. No significant harmful impact has been reported in any case study related to approved GM events, although critical risk assessments are still needed before commercialisation of these crops. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors: Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87 West Canal Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
authors: Amina
authors: A
authors: Yaqoob
authors: Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87 West Canal Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
authors: Ahmad Ali
authors: AA
authors: Shahid
authors: Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87 West Canal Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
authors: Tahir Rehman
authors: TR
authors: Samiullah
authors: Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87 West Canal Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
authors: Abdul Qayyum
authors: AQ
authors: Rao
authors: Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87 West Canal Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
authors: Muhammad Azmat Ullah
authors: MA
authors: Khan
authors: Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87 West Canal Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
authors: Sana
authors: S
authors: Tahir
authors: Department of Botany, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors: Safdar Ali
authors: SA
authors: Mirza
authors: Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87 West Canal Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
authors: Tayyab
authors: T
authors: Husnain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007313:Insecta / Q000187:drug effects*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012987:Soil
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Bt crops; biosafety; genetically modified plants; non-target insects; pest control; risk assessment; soil organisms