Bt cotton influencing enzymatic activities under varied soils

Impact of Bt Cotton on Punjab Soils

One of the least understood areas in the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified crops is their impact on soil and plant-associated microbial communities. In a review of literature, Dunfield and Germida (2004) found that transgenic plants and plant litter can influence the composition of the plant-associated microbial communities. Their review also points to such effects having be...

Bt COTTON IN INDIA

Fitness of Bt‐resistant cabbage loopers on Bt cotton plants

Development of resistance to the insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in insects is the major threat to the continued success of transgenic Bt crops in agriculture. The fitness of Bt-resistant insects on Bt and non-Bt plants is a key parameter that determines the development of Bt resistance in insect populations. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the fitness of Bt-resi...

The Halo Effect: Suppression of Pink Bollworm on Non-Bt Cotton by Bt Cotton in China

In some previously reported cases, transgenic crops producing insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have suppressed insect pests not only in fields planted with such crops, but also regionally on host plants that do not produce Bt toxins. Here we used 16 years of field data to determine if Bt cotton caused this "halo effect" against pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) in s...

Hybridizing transgenic Bt cotton with non-Bt cotton counters resistance in pink bollworm.

Extensive cultivation of crops genetically engineered to produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has suppressed some major pests, reduced insecticide sprays, enhanced pest control by natural enemies, and increased grower profits. However, these benefits are being eroded by evolution of resistance in pests. We report a strategy for combating resistance by cro...