Welfare effects of new fire blight control methods on the U.S. apple industry

Fire blight;Genetically Modified (GM);Technology;Apple

Busdieker, Nichole L. ; Nogueira ; Lia

关键词: Fire blight;    Genetically Modified (GM);    Technology;    Apple;   

Others  :  https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/26131/Busdieker_Nichole.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

美国|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

Technology development for production methods of new varieties and for disease controlhas been widely explored throughout agriculture including the apple industry. Recent progresshas been made to fight against apple fire blight, which cost the Michigan apple industry nearly$42 million in the 2000 fire blight outbreak. Researchers are currently working to control fireblight through development of a microencapsulated chemical and bio-control agents as well asgenetically modified (GM) varieties based on current fire blight resistant varieties. This thesis uses dynamic simulations to evaluate the impact of those new technologies on consumption andproduction as well as world trade. Through development of a dynamic temporal and spatial partial equilibrium model, I am able to evaluate the welfare impact to the apple industry. This thesis shows the overwhelming benefits of GM technology over other methods such as microencapsulation of chemicals and biological agents where the cost-reduction benefits of thetechnology outweigh the yield-increase benefits. If no hesitation by producers and consumers towards GM crops existed, technology would be readily adopted and society would benefit overall. In the choice between GM and the bio-control technologies of this study, GMtechnology is adopted with minimal market adjustments.