Pink Bollworm Threat for Bt Cotton

According to a recent study, the Pink Bollworm in India has grown to become worse than the American bollworm and affecting significantly to cotton farmers.

• This is the fourth story in a series about pink bollworm attacks on Bt cotton in the North Zone, comprising Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Bt Cotton introduction in India:

• Bt cotton was introduced to India in 2002 after its success in the United States and Australia in 1996.
• Before that, the American bollworm had become the biggest threat to cotton crops as it had developed resistance to synthetic pyrethroids, organophosphorus and carbamates (group of insecticides).
• From 1985-2002, it caused heavy economic losses to farmers in all 11 cotton-growing states of India.

Pests getting resistant to Bt Cotton:

• Indian farmers have faced consistent losses of Bt cotton crops due to pink bollworm attacks since the mid-2000s, when scientists found that the insect had become resistant to the genetically modified variety of cotton.
• Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton, or Bollgard-I, was introduced to protect the crop against all three species of bollworms (American, spotted and pink bollworms) as it was encoded with Cry1Ac toxin.
• In 2005, scientists with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute started monitoring if pests were growing resistant to Bt cotton. A year later, Bt cotton was encoded with Cry2Ab gene for improved resistance against the American bollworm.
• But in 2008, researchers found unusual survival of pink bollworm in Amreli district of Gujarat, indicative of the pest’s resistance to Bt cotton. Later, through scientific study, in 2009-10, scientists confirmed pink bollworm’s resistance to Cry1Ac gene in four districts of Gujarat.
• In 2017-18, widespread pink bollworm infestation was reported in Maharashtra and the southern states.
• Then in 2021-22, a pink bollworm outbreak was reported in Punjab and Haryana.
• By 2023, resistant populations of pink bollworm to Bt cotton were established in the North Zone including north Rajasthan districts.
  
  
  

Way Forward:

• In recent years, pink bollworm infestations have posed a significant threat to cotton cultivation in various regions, particularly in India.
• Farmers have faced challenges in managing these pests due to their ability to develop resistance to conventional pesticides.
• To combat the pink bollworm, integrated pest management strategies, including the use of genetically modified Bt cotton varieties and the deployment of sterile insect release programs, have been implemented.
• These efforts aim to reduce the impact of pink bollworm infestations and safeguard cotton production, which is crucial for the textile industry and livelihoods in affected regions.