Question

How is Bt cotton made to attain resistance against bollworm?

Answer 1

Specific Bt toxin genes were isolated from bacillus thuringlensis and incorporated into the several crop plants such as cotton. The choice of genes depends upon the crop and the targeted pest, as most Bt toxins are insect group specific.

2. The toxin is coded by a gene name cry. There a number of them, for example, the proteins encoded by the genes cryIAc and cryIIAb control the cotton bollworms, and that of cryIAb controls corn borer.