Each year, the larvae of the pink bollworm cause more than $7 million in damage to the U.S. cotton crop. Now, in the first open-field release of a genetically modified insect, entomologists hope to show that genetically engineered versions of this small moth could help control or even eliminate this major pest. Not only could the project protect the nation's approximately five million hectares of cotton crops, but it could clear the way for the testing of other genetically modified insects as a more effective and environmentally benign alternative to pesticides.

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