The modified crop produced only 70 bushels of grain per acre, compared with 77 bushels from the non-GM one.
The researchers do not know why this is so, but regulations that require the planting of refuges of ordinary cotton along with the modified crop may play a role.
It reports that trials of the modified crop raised yields by up to 23% in China, by up to 24% in Brazil, and by up to 41% in the Philippines.
We present a model of a modified crop and an associated unmodified plant population removed spatially from the modified crop but not completely isolated from it, reflecting standard practices for isolation of field trials.
Determination of the appropriate comparator is very much dependent on the problem that is formulated and may include considerations such as typical crops and cropping conditions in the use environment or genetic background of the modified crop.
A decision by the European Union to bar cultivation of the genetically modified crops would be the first of its kind in the trade bloc, and would intensify the continuing battle over genetically modified corn.
However, presence of these genes in the genetically modified crops may render the crop less acceptable to the consumers.
If the division and violence that has stemmed from the genetically modified crops and abortion debates is any guide, the coming struggle over genetically selected and modified humans could well become a defining conflict for future generations.
Some of the fanciful creatures mentioned in the story actually exist, as, for example, the supercow and the micropig, not to mention many of the genetically modified crops we consume.
But so far, most of the genetically modified crops have provided benefits mainly to farmers, by making it easier for them to control weeds and insects.
The genetically modified crops that have caused much fuss recently are merely well-known organisms with a gene or two changed.
