Genetically modified Cotton gets a nod for environment release by GEAC

After the clearance for GM-Mustard crops for field trials, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is going to recommend an ‘environmental release’ of genetically modified (GM) cotton. 

• Nearly two decades ago, a genetically modified type of cotton, known as Bt cotton, was introduced to India to reduce farmers’ insecticide use.
• Using advanced statistical methods, Professor Ian Plewis from the University of Manchester investigates the effect of Bt cotton on farmers’ expenditure on insecticides, cotton yield, and profits, across Indian states.
• The findings of the research show that the effects of Bt cotton on farmers’ yield vary across Indian states, but most states show a decrease in insecticide use since the introduction of Bt cotton.
• A reduction in insecticide use may be beneficial for farmers’ health and the environment by reducing pollutants.

Recent GM-Cotton alterations:

• A German multinational company ‘Bayer AG’ is going to introduce the modification in cotton plant which will allow farmers to spray the herbicide ‘glyphosate’.
• The transgenic cotton — Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (BG-II RRF) contains three alien genes;
  • the first two (‘cry1Ac’ and ‘cry2Ab’) being isolated from a soil bacterium,
  • Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt, and coding for proteins toxic to the American bollworm, spotted bollworm and tobacco caterpillar insect pests.
  • The third gene, ‘cp4-epsps’, is sourced from another soil bacterium, Agrobacterium tumafaciens.
• Significance:
  • Its incorporation into cotton makes the crop “tolerant” to glyphosate.
  • This herbicide cannot be applied on normal cotton, as the chemical does not distinguish between the crops and weeds.