> But IS yield actually indirectly increased?  What's missing is any example where the yield actually increased in the GE crop over the same non-GE crop.

Hawaiian papayas:

Papaya ringspot virus was first detected in the 1940s and began affecting crop yields by the 1950s. By the late 1990s, papaya ringspot virus had affected every papaya producing region, resulting in production dropping by over 50% between 1993 and 2006.  

Transgenic papaya varieties that are resistant to PRSV entered production in 1998 and resuscitated the industry.  Within two years of production approval, GM papaya accounted for over half of all the papaya production. Ten years later, GM papaya accounted for over 90% of papaya production.  

Pieces of the ringspot virus have been genetically inserted into the genetic makeup of the papaya to render it immune to that virus. The resulting papaya became known as the “SunUp.” Subsequent crosses with the “Kapoho” resulted in the “Rainbow,” a modified cultivar resistant to the papaya ringspot virus that is the most prevalent fruit on the market today.  

As of 2011, the Rainbow transgenic papaya has been approved for export to Japan.

various sources

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