Lab Assignment

Dependent and Independent Variables Lab

|Corn Variety |Level of ECB Infestation |Growing Pot 1 Yield |Growing Pot 2 Yield |Growing Pot 3 Yield |Average Yield |
|Golden Crop non BT |Low |177.9 |171.2 |170.6 |173.2 |
|Bt 123 |Low |164.0 |162.6 |168.3 |165.0 |
|Superharvest non BT |High |125.5 |129.0 |130.0 |128.1 |
|Bt 123 |High |155.1 |163.0 |163.9 |161.0 |
|Bt 456 |None |190.0 |183.2 |184.8 |186.0 |
|Golden Crop non BT |None |181.6 |182.8 |189.8 |185.0 |

Question #1: Describe the effects of the ECB infestations you used. Were all corn varieties equally effective at controlling the ECB? How do you know?

Question #2: If there was no ECB infestation in a certain year, would a farmer gain or lose financially by planting BT corn? Explain why.

Question #3: What might happen if BT corn affects non-target organisms such as beneficial insects or harmless insects?

Question #4: What might happen if ECB became resistant to BT? Control failure may occur thus reaching infestation levels, and growers could permanently lose BT corn and BT insecticides as valuable management tools.

Question #5: Discuss possible benefits and drawbacks of a transgenic organism such as BT corn? Possible benefits are savings in resources devoted to