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Chennai, Feb 24: Cotton production in India is expected to reach global levels in productivity, thanks to the genetically modified ‘Bollgard’ Bt cotton seeds introduced by Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) Ltd. In 2007, more than half the acreage of cotton in the country planted Bt cotton and the yield crossed 310 lakh bales. More area is expected to be covered by Bt cotton in 2008.
However, an article the February issue of Nature Biotechnology by Bruce Tabashnik of the University of Arizona, has claimed that cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea) has developed resistance to the Cry1Ac protein in Bollgard (Bt) cotton in the US .
This report has sent shock waves among Indian farmers, seed companies, and researchers, though farmers who have been planting Bt cotton since its introduction in 2002 in Tamil Nadu have reported that there had not been any let up in the power of Bollgard in controlling the bollworms even in 2007. National agricultural research agencies, monitoring the performance of Bollagard Bt cotton, also have not reported about signs of development of `resistance’ by the pests.
Allaying fears about the bollworms developing resistance to `Bollgard’, Mahyco Monsanto officials said, the key target pest of Bt cotton in India differed in its Bt susceptibility from the US pest.
They also said, “The ‘Bollgard II’, cotton, introduced in 2006 in India, contains two Bt genes and is far superior to the single-gene Bt cotton products.”
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