This report updates the 2005 publication entitled “Biotechnology-Derived Crops Planted in 2005 – Impacts on US Agriculture” and confirms that the trends toward adoption, reduction in chemical active ingredients applied and economic benefits to farmers continued in 2006. Biotechnology-derived crops have, in fact, started their second decade of being planted in the US and have resulted in even greater impacts for US agriculture in 2006. The report that is the subject of this summary, evaluated in detail the reasons for the increases in plantings of biotechnology-derived crops in terms of incentives to farmers using essentially two criterions: economic benefits related to cultivation and improved yields; and reductions in active chemical ingredients applied to the acres in biotechnology-derived crops.
US growers planted eight biotechnology-derived crops in 2006 – alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soybean, squash and sweet corn. Planted acreage was mainly concentrated in 13 different applications – herbicide-resistant alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, and soybean; virus-resistant squash and papaya; three applications of insect-resistant corn; two applications of insect-resistant cotton; and insect-resistant sweet corn. Planted acreage of biotechnology-derived varieties expanded for most crops in 2006, and economic benefits were increased by both the increased acres and generally higher crop prices, which made the increased yields worth more.