RAV (related to ABI3/VP1) protein containing an AP2 domain in the N-terminal region and a B3 domain in the C-terminal region, which belongs to AP2 transcription factor family, is unique in higher plants. In this study, a gene (GhRAV1) encoding a RAV protein of 357 amino acids was identified in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Transient expression analysis of the eGFP:GhRAV1 fusion genes in tobacco ...

Background: In consideration for the increasing widespread use of genetically modified (GM) crops, one of the important issues for assessment is the effect of GM crops on soil microbial communities Objectives: In this study, T2 chitinase-transgenic cotton (line #57) and its non-transgenic line were investigated for bacterial and fungal dynamics...

Pollen tube pathway mediated transformation is most favorable genotype-independent approach and has been widely used for the production of transgenic crops all over the world. We used this technique to transform Zheda B, an upland cotton, by two different vectors i.e. pCAMBIA1301 with hpt gene for hygromycin resistance and pCAMBIA 2301 having nptII gene for kanamycin resistance. A preliminary e...

Cotton plants engineered for resistance to the herbicides, glyphosate or glufosinate have made a considerable impact on the production of the crop worldwide. In this work, embryogenic cell cultures derived from Gossypium hirsutum L. cv Coker 312 hypocotyl callus were transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens with the rice cytochrome P450 gene, CYP81A6 (bel). In rice, bel has been shown to confe...

As the demands for nanotechnology and nanoparticle (NP) applications in agriculture increase, the ecological risk has drawn more attention because of the unpredictable results of interactions between NPs and transgenic crops. In this study, we investigated the effects of various concentrations of Fe2O3 NPs on Bt-transgenic cotton in comparison with conventional cotton for 10 days. Each treatmen...

More than 50 countries around the globe cultivate cotton on a large scale. It is a major cash crop of Pakistan and is considered "white gold" because it is highly important to the economy of Pakistan. In addition to its importance, cotton cultivation faces several problems, such as insect pests, weeds, and viruses. In the past, insects have been controlled by insecticides, but this method cause...

Transgenic crops producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins kill some key insect pests, but evolution of resistance by pests can reduce their efficacy. The predominant strategy for delaying pest resistance to Bt crops requires refuges of non-Bt host plants to promote survival of susceptible pests. To delay pest resistance to transgenic cotton producing Bt toxin Cry1Ac, farmers in the United S...

Poplar-cotton agro-ecosystems are the main agricultural planting modes of cotton fields in China. With increasing acres devoted to transgenic insect-resistant poplar and transgenic insect-resistant cotton, studies examining the effects of transgenic plants on target and non-target insects become increasingly important. We systematically surveyed populations of both target pests and non-target i...

Insect pest complex, cotton leaf curl disease and weeds pose major threat to crop production worldwide, including Pakistan. To address these problems, in the present study a triple gene construct harboring Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, and EPSPS cassettes has been developed for plant specifically in cotton transformation against lepidopteron insect-pests and weeds. Nicotiana benthamiana (tobacco) was used as...

Field studies were performed during 2005 and 2006 to determine bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), larval behavior on conventional non-transgenic cotton plants (Coker 312), and on transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) plants expressing the Vip3A protein or a combination of Vip3A + Cry 1Ab proteins (VipCot). Plants representing each of the...