BT Cotton [UPSC Notes]

BT cotton is a genetically modified pest-resistant plant cotton variety, modified by the insertion of one or more genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (common soil bacteria) which produces an insecticide to combat bollworms. In this article, you will learn about the BT cotton important for the IAS exam.

BT Cotton

BT cotton is the only genetically modified (GM) crop that has been approved for commercial cultivation in 2002 by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

• Long-term studies were carried out by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) on the impact of BT cotton which did not show any adverse effect on soil, microflora and animal health. 
• Bacillus thuringiensis produces cry proteins, which are present in BT cotton plants and these proteins are good at killing bollworm and tobacco budworm larvae – two caterpillar pests of cotton. 
• One of the main factors driving the global BT cotton market is the increased demand for a reduction in worker and environmental exposure to chemical pesticides.

BT Ⅰ and BT II

GoI permitted commercial cultivation of first-generation Bt cotton (Bt-Ⅰ cotton in 2002) to prevent insect attacks.

•  The second generation Bt Ⅱ was launched in 2006 by combining two Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) proteins – Cry1Ac + Cry2Ab, with the objective to target the pink bollworm (which is common in India).
• Adoption of Bt cotton rose to 81% in 2007 and 93% in 2011. Bt cotton has become so prevalent that they make up for more than 90% of the cotton fields at present.

Read more about cotton crops in the linked article.

Significance of BT Cotton

 The area, production and productivity of BT cotton have increased significantly since its introduction in India.

• Cotton production rose from 14 million bales in the pre-Bt year of 2001-02 to 39 million bales in 2014-15, an increase of almost 180%.
• The high yield is due to the effective control of bollworms.
• There has been a drastic reduction in the application of chemical insecticides for bollworm control.
• It has led to higher profits for farmers.
• It has resulted in the conservation of biological control agents and other beneficial organisms.

Disadvantages of BT Cotton

• High cost of seeds – the seeds are more expensive than local, non-genetically modified varieties.
• New stock for every season – Seeds cannot be re-used and farmers need to buy new stock for every growing season.
• It was found that pink bollworm, a major cotton pest, has developed resistance to BT cotton in four states in India. This was the world’s first recorded instance of resistance to BT cotton. To combat the situation, Monsanto Corporation created a second-generation cotton seed by combining two BT proteins.

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