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Bt Brinjal

National Consultationson

A primer on concerns,

issues and prospects


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Bt Brinjal

National Consultationson

A primer on concerns,

issues and prospects


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1. Introduction 1

2. Brinjals in India 3

3. Genetically Modified Crops and the Brinjal 5

4. Bt Brinjal: Prospects and Concerns 13

5. Glossary 196. References 20

Contents

Disclaimer: This booklet has been compiled by the Centre for EnvironmentEducation (CEE) as a primer for discussants at the national consultations anddoes not in any way express the views of the Ministry of Environment and Forests,Government of India or of the Centre for Environment Education.


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Introduction

What is Bt Brinjal?Bt Brinjal is a transgenic brinjal created by inserting a genecry1Ac from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into Brinjal.This is said to give the Brinjal plant resistance againstlepidopteran insects like the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot BorerLeucinodes orbonalis and Fruit Borer Helicoverpa armigera.

What is the controversy about?Bt Brinjal has generated much debate in India. The promoterssay that Bt Brinjal will be beneficial to small farmers because itis insect resistant, increases yields, is more cost-effective andwill have minimal environmental impact. On the other hand,concerns about Bt Brinjal relate to its possible adverse impacton human health and bio-safety, livelihoods and biodiversity.

What is the official response to the controversy?

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has astatutory body called the Genetic Engineering ApprovalCommittee (GEAC) which has recommended the environmentalrelease of Bt Brinjal in India based on the recommendations ofthe Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM), astatutory body and two expert committees constituted by theGEAC between 2006 and 2009. However the Minister of State(I/C) for Environment and Forests, responding to strong views

raised both for and against the introduction of the Bt Brinjal, hascalled for public consultations across the country before takinga final decision on this issue.

The Centre for Environment Education, an autonomousorganization engaged in Environmental and SustainabilityEducation, has been entrusted with the task of organizing theseconsultations. 1


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What are the objectives of the nationalconsultations on Bt Brinjal?

The main objectives of the consultation are to

Provide a forum to various stakeholders to express theirviews and concerns related to Bt Brinjal at venues across thecountry;

Provide appropriate inputs to the Minister before a finaldecision is taken.

How are the consultations being structured?

The consultations are planned at seven locations in the country,so that people across the country can be heard. Theseconsultations will be open to all members of the public.Additionally, stakeholder groups representing diverseviewpoints on the issue will be invited to the consultations toensure the widest possible participation in the discussions. Theconsultations will be conducted in the local language of the areain addition to Hindi and English to secure the active participation

of all stakeholders. At least 250 representatives from a range ofgroups such as farmers, scientists, agricultural experts, farmersorganizations, consumer groups, citizens forums, NGOs/CBOs,Government officials, media, seed suppliers, traders, doctors,lawyers and others will be invited to each consultation.Advertisements will be placed in the local media before theevent to ensure that the public is fully informed about the event.

The Minister of State (MoS) MoEF Mr. Jairam Ramesh will chairthe consultations at all locations.

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3

The Brinjal in India

Why is the brinjal important to India?The brinjal Solanum melongena is said to have originated inIndia and is known to have been cultivated for over 4000 years.Second only to the potato in terms of the total quantity produced,the brinjal continues to be an important domestic crop cultivatedacross the country accounting for 9% of total vegetableproduction and covering 8.14% of the land under vegetable

cultivation.There are approximately 2500 varieties ofbrinjal in India of various shapes extendingfrom oval or egg-shaped to long or club-shaped; and colours ranging from white,yellow, green and purple to nearly black.Many popular commercial varieties ofbrinjal available today are derivatives ofolder varieties from India and China. Thebrinjal is low in calories and fats andcontains mostly water, some protein, fibre and carbohydrates. Itis also an excellent source of minerals and vitamins and is rich inwater soluble sugars and amide proteins among other nutrients.

The brinjal is a popular component of the Indian diet across thecountry. It is an important ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine andis of special value in the treatment of diabetes and liverproblems.

The brinjal is known to be consumed both cooked and raw.Some of the most well-known brinjal dishes in India include thebegun bhaja of Eastern India, the gutti vankaya kura of AndhraPradesh, the katharikai kozhambu of Tamil Nadu, upperiinKerala, vangi bath in Karnataka, wangyacha bharitinMaharashtra, olo, bharatu in Gujarat and baingan jhonga inBihar.

Kingdom : Plantae

Class : Magnoliopsida

Subclass : Asteridae

Order : Solanales

Family : Solanaceae

Genus : Solanum

Species : melongena


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Folk songs in different parts of the country such as Guthivankya kooroyi baava in Andhra Pradesh, Konkani songs in

Maharashtra, Jaina in Karnataka, Bihu folk songs in Assamoften allude to the brinjal.

The role of brinjal in religious rituals is best exemplified by oneof the traditional varieties in Udupi District of Karnataka calledthe Mattu Gulla. This particular variety has been cultivated inthe region for at least 500 years and is used as an offering tothe main deity of the region at the Sode matha temple.

What are the known features of the brinjal crop inIndia?

The brinjal is usually self-pollinated. However, it has beenreported that the extent of cross-pollination can range from 2%to as high as 48%. It is thus classified as a cross-pollinatedcrop. While the biological structure of the anthers favours selfpollination, the stigma projects beyond the anthers, thusproviding ample opportunity for cross-pollination. The genotype,

location, and insect activity further determine the actual rates ofnatural cross-pollination.

Pests affecting the brinjal crop include the brinjal fruit and shootborer, the brinjal stem borer, the mealy bug, lace wing bug, leafhopper, leaf rollers, red spider mite, leaf-eating beetle, jassids,aphids, white fly and root knot nematodes. Amongst these thebrinjal fruit and shoot borer is the greatest threat and can causea major loss in the marketable yield.

The brinjal crop is typically grown in small plots or as inter crop.The major brinjal producing states in India are West Bengal,Orissa, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradeshand Andhra Pradesh.

Depending on the variety and the season, the average yield ofbrinjal varies from 15 to 30 tonnes per hectare. Many of thehybrid varieties have shown a potential yield of upto 50tonnes/ha. The brinjal is generally considered a high value cropyielding high net benefits for the farmer. Studies have shown aninput-output ratio of 1: 2.01. The total area under brinjalcultivation in 2006 according to the National Horticulture Boardwas 0.55 million hectares, with a total production of 9.13 milliontonnes. In 2007-08, India exported 338 tonnes of brinjal worthRs 1.92 crores. The United Kingdom is the largest importer(258.84 tonnes worth Rs 1.38 crores) followed by countries likeSaudi Arabia, France and Germany.4


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5

Genetically Modified Crops

and the Bt Brinjal

What is Genetic Engineering?

It is a technique involving transfer of a selected piece of geneticmaterial capable of performing new functions from oneorganism to another. Genetic Modification (GM), Genetic

Manipulation and Genetic Engineering (GE) all refer to thesame thing. It is also known as recombinant DNA technology.

What are Genetically Modified (GM) crops?

A genetically modified (GM) crop is a plant that has beenaltered by an external process which alters the genetic make-upof the cells. The modification is accomplished by the insertion ofa gene from a different species through genetic engineering.The process of traditional breeding involves finding individual

plants with favourable characteristics and crossing them witheach other. The final plant variety or breed of plant will have thedesired traits inherited from its ancestors along with theassociated genes for those traits.

GM technology is used because it can change the genes of anorganism in a way not possible through traditional breedingtechnology. Consequently only GM can engineer totally newplant varieties with traits that range from the ability to survive

adverse environmental conditions and pest attacks to a longershelf life and enhanced nutritional value.

What is the history of GM crops in India?

In the 1980s, the Indian government took proactive steps tobuild up the country's R&D capacities in biotechnology throughsetting up the Department of Biotechnology [DBT]. Recognizingthe potential risks in the indiscriminate use of modern


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biotechnology in healthcare, agriculture, environment andprocess industries, the Ministry of Environment and Forests

(MoEF), Government of India notified the rules 1989 of theEnvironment Protection Act (EPA) 1986 to regulate productsderived from modern biotechnology.

The belief that agro-biotechnology tools like GeneticEngineering could help increase agricultural production in acountry where agriculture is the mainstay for the majority of itspopulation has strongly driven government funding andpromotion of Genetic Engineering and GM crops.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) were first put on theglobal market in the early 1990s. Over the past two decades thedevelopment of biotechnology tools like Genetic Engineeringand Marker Assisted Breeding have opened up new possibilitiesin increasing agricultural production. The new techniques forunderstanding and modifying the genetics of living organismshave led to large investments in agro-biotechnology researchand development.

While Bt cotton is the only transgenic crop which is being

commercially cultivated in the country, according to currentlyavailable information, 12 crops (11 of which are food crops) areunder different stages of development.

The focus of GM research in India is to develop crops that canwithstand

(a) Biotic stress: Pest and disease resistance crops andmanagement of weeds

(b) Abiotic stress: Crops tolerant to flood, drought and salinity

(c) Product improvement

How are plants genetically modified?

Genetic modification involving the copying and transfer of genesfrom other organism to a plant is possible because of thepresence of a molecule called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) inevery cell of all the organisms (Figure 1). Genes are discreetsegments of DNA that encode a set of instructions in the cell

and contain all the information concerning the form andfunctions of all living cells that give characteristics to anorganism including plants. The complete set of genes in anyplant is called the plant genome. All the cells in a plant carry anidentical and complete genome, which means every cellcontains at least one copy of every gene, although it may not beactive. By switching different combinations of genes on or off6


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cells develop into different types e.g. leaf, root and flower cellsin plants.

Figure 1: Organization of DNA in the cell

The DNA of all organisms is made up of the same buildingblocks and is encoded in exactly the same way. Therefore, it ispossible to transfer a copy of DNA sequence (or gene) thatcodes a particular characteristic into the cell of a differentorganism such as from bacteria into plants. Once the gene isincorporated into the genome of a plant, the resulting plant isconsidered to be genetically modified and the new characteristiccoded by that gene is inherited by subsequent generations.

Genetic engineering/modification involves artificial transfer ofgenes or gene fragments from one organism to another toproduce novel traits in the recipient living organism. The stepsinvolved in the development of a GM plant are as follows:

a. Identification of a gene(s) giving a desired trait

b. Designing genes for insertion

c. Transfer to plant tissue

d. Selection and regeneration of plants

e. Lab analysis and safety testing

f. Greenhouse and field trials

g. Approval by Government agencies

h. Commercialization

i. Monitoring of efficacy and safety7

Cell: smallest unit of life

Nucleus: brain of the cell

Chromosomes:structure containing thegenetic information

Genes: smaller pieces ofgenetic information

DNA: building block ofthe gene, doublehelix structure


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The first step is to identify a particular characteristic from anyorganism (plant, animal or microorganism) and find out whichgene or genes in the organism are responsible for producingthat characteristic. Once a gene has been isolated, a geneconstruct is prepared consisting of a promoter sequence, atermination sequence and a marker gene for successfulintegration and expression in the plant genome. The next stepis the plant transformation i.e. uptake and establishment ofintroduced DNA. There are two main methods fortransformation of plants i.e. theAgrobacterium mediatedmethod and the gene gun method (Figure 2).

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Gene

identified

and isolated

AAgrobacterium

bacterium mixedwith plant cells gene inserted

into plasmid

gene

replication

gold particlescoated with DNA

Plasmid movesinto plant celland inserts DNAinto plant chromosome

CScreening

for cells withtransgene

cells screenedfor transgene

transformed cellsselected with

selectable marker

transgenic plantregenerated from single

transformed cell

cells shot with gene gun and DNAincorporated into

plant cell chromosome

BGene Gun

Figure 2: Genetic Modification Process


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There are a number of ways through which geneticmodifications of plants are accomplished. Essentially, theprocess has five main steps:

1. Isolation of the genes of interest

2. Insertion of the genes into a transfer vector

3. Transfer of the vector to the organism to be modified

4. Transformation of the cells of the organism

5. Selection of the genetically modified organism (GMO) fromthose that have been successfully modified

Following the gene insertion process, plant tissues are

transferred to a selective medium containing an antibiotic orherbicide, depending on which selectable marker was used.Only plants expressing the selectable marker gene will surviveand it is assumed that these plants will also possess thetransgene of interest. Thus, subsequent steps in the processuse these surviving plants.

To obtain whole plants from transgenic tissues such asimmature embryos, they are grown under controlled

environmental conditions in a series of media containingnutrients and hormones by tissue culture. Once whole plantsare generated and they produce seeds, evaluation of theprogeny begins.

To verify whether the inserted gene has been stablyincorporated without detrimental effects to other plant functions,product quality, or the intended agroecosystem, initialevaluation includes attention to activity of the introduced gene,stable inheritance of the gene and unintended effects on plantgrowth, yield, and quality.

The plant is then crossed with improved varieties of the cropbecause only a few varieties of a given crop can be efficientlytransformed, and these generally do not possess all theproducer and consumer qualities required of modern cultivars.The initial cross with the improved variety must be followed byseveral cycles of repeated crosses to the improved parent, aprocess known as backcrossing. The goal is to recover as much

of the improved parent's genome as possible, with the additionof the transgene from the transformed parent. The next step inthe process is multi-location and multi-year evaluation trials ingreenhouse and field environments to test the effects of thetransgene and overall performance. This phase also includesevaluation of environmental effects and food safety.


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How was the Bt Brinjal developed?Bt Brinjal is the first Genetically Modified food crop in India that

has reached the approval stage for commercialization.Bt Brinjalhas been developed by inserting a gene cry1Ac from a soilbacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis through an

Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer. It is a geneticallymodified brinjal developed by the Maharashtra Hybrid SeedCompany Ltd. (Mahyco), a leading Indian seed company. BtBrinjal event EE1 has been developed in a Public PrivatePartnership mode under the aegis of the AgricultureBiotechnology Support Project from Cornell University wherethe Bt technology available with M/s Mahyco has beentransferred (free of cost) to Tamil Nadu Agriculture University,Coimbatore, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad andthe Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi.

Bt brinjal contains three foreign genes which have beeninserted namely:

1. The cry1Ac gene which encodes an insecticidal proteinCry1Ac, is derived from common soil bacterium Bacillus

thuringiensis (Bt) subsp. kurstakito produce the insecticidalprotein. The cry1Ac gene is driven by a viral promoter, thecauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter.

2. The nptII gene for an antibiotic resistance marker, neomycinphosphotransferase-II.

3. The aadgene for another marker 3 (9) O-aminoglycosideadenyl transferase.

It has been indicated that the expression of the cry1Ac geneswould provide an effective built-in control in brinjal for fruit andshoot borer to reduce pests-linked damages.

The Mahyco has developed a new DNA construct, whichcontains a gene sequence, by encoding insecticidal protein inall parts of brinjal plant which will last through its lifetime. Thecry1Ac gene along with two other supporting genes namelynptII and aadgenes are put together in such a way that theywork in tandem to produce insecticidal protein that is toxic to the

targeted insect, in this case the fruit and shoot borer.

How is the Bt Brinjal effective against pests likethe fruit and shoot borer?When fruit and shoot borer larvae feed on Bt brinjal plants, theyingest the Bt protein Cry1Ac along with plant tissue. In theinsect gut which is alkaline with a pH >9.5, the protein is


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solubilized and activated by gut proteases crystallizing into fineneedle-like shards that pierce the insect gut lining making holes

in it. This leads to disruption of digestive processes, paralysisand subsequent death of the fruit and shoot borer larvae.

What is the history of the development of Btbrinjal in India?

Chronology of the development and approval of Bt Brinjal

2000 Transformation and greenhouse breeding forintegration of cry1Ac gene into brinjal hybridsand seed purification.

2001-2002 Preliminary greenhouse evaluation to studygrowth, development and efficacy of Bt brinjal.

2002-2004 Confined field trials to study pollen flow,germination, aggressiveness and weediness;biochemical, toxicity and allergenicity studies

and backcrossing into the regular breedingprogramme.

2004 RCGM approves conducting multi-locationresearch trials of seven Bt brinjal hybrids

2005 Through a MoU under the aegis ofAgribiotechnology Support Programme II(ABSP II) of USAID Mahyco shares thetechnology with TNAU, DAU and IIVR to

develop open pollinated varities of Bt Brinjal.Back crossing and integration of EE1 into 4varities of TNAU, Coimbatore and 6 varities ofUAS, Dharwad is done.

2004-05 Biosafety data on the effects of Bt brinjal on soilmicro-flora, efficacy against fruit-shoot borer,pollen flow , germination, aggressiveness andweediness; toxicity and allergenicity studies,chemical composition etc submitted to theReview Committee on Genetic Modification(RCGM). RCGM recommends large scale trialsto the GEAC.

2006 - Mahyco submits bio-safety data to GeneticEngineering Approval Committee (GEAC) andseeks permission for large scale trials.


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- GEAC posts the biosafety data on Bt brinjalon GEAC website

- GEAC constitutes a sub committee to lookinto the concerns raised by civil society.

- Supreme Court stops ongoing field trials ofGM crops due to a PIL filed by civil societyrepresentatives.

2007 - The subcommittee [expert committee 1]submits its report, recommends that 7 morestudies on bio-safety be repeated for

reconfirmation of data generated duringconfined multi-location trials but gives a greensignal for large scale trials.

- Supreme Court lifts ban on GM crop field trialssubject to conditions such as isolationdistance etc.

- GEAC approves large scale trial.

- As per GEAC direction, Indian Institute of

Vegetable Research [IIVR] takes up theresponsibility of large scale trails of Mahyco'sBt Brinjal trials at 10 research institutionsacross the country in 2007 and 11 in 2008 .

2009 January- IIVR submits the results of the largescale trails. Due to concerns raised by severalstakeholders including some national andinternational experts, GEAC constitutes a 2ndsub-committee [Expert committee 2 or EC2] to

look into adequacy of biosafety data generatedas well as the concerns raised by all stakeholders.

2009 Oct.14th The Subcommittee submits its report based onwhich GEAC approves the environmentalrelease of Bt Brinjal containing the event EE1.

2009 Oct.15th Responding to strong views expressed both forand against the release of the Bt Brinjal, the

Minister of State for Environment and Forests(I/C) (to whom the GEAC reports) announces anationwide consultation in January andFebruary of 2010 pending a final decision onthis issue.


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Bt Brinjal Prospects and ConcernsWhat are some of the arguments for and againstthe release of Bt brinjal in India?

The development of Bt brinjal and the regulation process so farhave caused a raging debate in the country on the relevanceand need for a Bt brinjal. This debate has revolved and evolvedaround issues of its safety to human health, environment,

farmers' seed rights, consumer choice etc. Industry promotersas well as public and private sector scientists consider Bt Brinjala breakthrough in agricultural research and development inIndia. On the other hand opponents including scientists, civilsociety groups, farmers unions and even some political partiesargue that the risks far exceed the benefits.

Pest Management and Environmental Impacts

Arguments made in

favour of Bt brinjal

Arguments made against

Bt brinjal

l Brinjal cultivation involvesusage of huge amounts ofpesticide. 60% of plantprotection cost is for controllingfruit and shoot borer.

l Small and marginal farmers use25-80 sprays of pesticides inBrinjal cultivation.

l In spite of the extensive use ofchemical pesticides, the pest isdifficult to control by theapplication of pesticides as the

l Effective non-pesticide pestmanagement and IntegratedPest Management exists and isbeing practised by farmers.

l The question of internal

destruction of pests isdangerous to the health of theconsumer. The integrated pestmanagement systems, incombination with good farmingpractices, are the only healthysolution to good crops. Ahealthy farm ecosystem is the


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larvae are often hidden in thefruit and do not come in contactwith the insecticides. Further

the application of pesticides hasto be critically timed by farmersin such a way so as to kill thelarvae before they bore intoshoots and fruits.

l None of the botanical pesticidesare expected to perform wellsince the pest hides itself fromthe sprays while staying inside

fruits/shoot. Further, botanicalpesticides have limited efficacyagainst these pests.

l Genetic improvement byconventional plant breeding hasnot been successful due to thelack of resistance to fruit andshoot borer in brinjalgermplasm.

l Bt brinjal would reduce thepesticide usage in cultivation by80%.

l No difference has been noticedwith respect to susceptibility tovarious pests and diseases byvirtue of presence of cry1Acgene in Bt brinjal.

key to pest management. Thisincludes selection of goodseeds, appropriate irrigation

system and improving soilquality.

l The experiences with a fewother GM crops released inIndia and other parts of theworld, especially Bt cotton,shows that over a period of timethe total pesticide usage in GMcrops has gone up due to

increased secondary pestattacks and in some cases dueto tolerance developed by thetarget pest. The Nagpur casestudy of the pest attack on Btcotton plants shows that Btdoes not have a foolproofmechanism to remove pestthreat.

l Controlling pests with singletoxic molecules either producedin factory or plant cell is anunscientific way of managingpests. Pests should bemanaged, not killed.

l The studies on non-target pestsat best were inadequate andinaccurate. The studies havebeen focused on a limitednumber of insects and for only alimited period of time.

l The studies were also done witha surrogate protein and not withthe modified Cry1Ac used in Btbrinjal.

l As Bt brinjal is created to

produce the Cry1Ac toxin inevery cell, the 'pesticides' haveactually moved from exterior tothe interior of brinjal, and thiscannot be removed by washingas in the case of the usual


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Biodiversity

l There is no threat to wild brinjalgermplasm as brinjalS. melongena, the cultivatedvariety, does not cross naturallywith any of the wild relatives toproduce fertile offspring.

l Bt brinjal does not exhibit anydifferent agronomic ormorphological traits comparedto non-Bt brinjal that may give ita competitive advantage overother species in the ecosystem.

Human Health and Biosafety

l Bt brinjal has been found to besafe for human consumptionand safe for the environment.

l Human health concerns due topesticide use can be reducedwith this transgenic brinjal andits in-built resistance to pests.

l Rigorous bio-safety tests havebeen done as required by theIndian regulatory system. Thisincludes acute toxicity tests inlaboratory rats, sub-chronic oraltoxicity studies, allergenicitystudies on rats and rabbits andfeeding studies in fish, chicken,goats, and milking cows.

l No significant difference wasnoted between Bt brinjal andnon-Bt brinjal in bio-safety tests

pesticide at present.

l The studies on soil microflora

were for a very short period.The impact of the break downproducts of the protein Cry1Acon soil micro flora has not beenconducted.

l India is a centre of origin anddiversity of brinjal which has

been cultivated here for over4000 years. There are about2000 varieties grown acrossIndia.

l The transgene transfer to localand hybrid varieties of brinjalwill effectively destroy ourbrinjal diversity. As a generalrule GM crops should not be

cultivated in the center of originas it could lead to the loss oforiginal varieties by transgeniccross pollination.

l Inadequacy of tests:No thirdparty or independent tests havebeen conducted so far on the Btimpact on human health.

l The longest study has been a90 day sub-chronic test on ahealthy adult rat. This does notaddress the possible healthimpact on humans of Bt brinjalas brinjal is a regularly eatenvegetable.

l Significant chronic toxicitystudies includingcarcinogenicity studies have notbeen conducted.

l Brinjal itself has an inherentproperty of allergenecity whichmay be enhanced further in the


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like acute oral toxicity, sub-chronic oral toxicity in rats,allergenecity of protein to rats,

germination, weediness andaggressiveness tests, soilmicro-biota studies etc.

l It has been reported that 90-110days of age (mating age) of ratsis considered equivalent to 21-25 years age of humans hencethe 90 day study can beconsidered adequate.

l Promoters say that tests havebeen done by a third party andapproved by different levels ofthe regulatory system.

l The Cry1Ac endo-toxin is aprotein which breaks downwhen cooked. It is active only inan alkaline medium and since

humans consume brinjal onlywhen cooked it will not interferewith digestion. Additionally asthe stomach is acidic thedigestive process will not beaffected by the introduction ofthe Cry1Ac toxin. The toxinbreaks down into commonamino acids in the digestivesystem, which are part of thenormal diet and are neithertoxic nor allergic. The Cry1Acendo-toxin would only damagethe fruit and shoot borer gutwhich is alkaline.

l For consumer choice there is aneed for a clear labeling andliability regime which will ensure

a foolproof mechanism fordifferentiation betweenvarieties.

Bt variety.

l When pesticides were first

introduced and promoted, theywere said to be harmless tohuman health. However, toughlessons have been learnt sincethen about the actual effects ofpesticides. Genetic Engineeringwill have huge and as yetunknown implications forhuman health

l Brinjal in India is often eatenlightly cooked.

l In traditional medicine brinjal isused in its raw form. In its rawform the Cry1Ac toxin in the Btbrinjal is active and extremelydangerous.

l The human digestive system is

mildly acidic only in thestomach, where the foodresides briefly before it passesto the duodenum. The mediumthen changes from mildly acidicto alkaline to aid the working ofthe digestive enzymes oftryptase, amylase and lipase.The rest of the humanalimentary canal remains

alkaline till the end. Hence if theCry1Ac toxin is active inalkaline medium, there will be ahigh absorption of the toxin intothe human system leading tohigh toxicity in the human body.

l While India at present lacks alabeling and liability regime,there are also concerns that it

will not help even if we have alabeling law in place as only aminiscule quantity of Brinjal or,for that matter, any vegetable ispacked and sold.

l Studies on the accumulation orwash-out time span on this


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specific endo-toxin in Bt. brinjalhave not been done. Historicallythe absorption and

accumulation of the endo-toxinscan be carcinogenic to humans.

l The existing assessments havecompletely overlooked theimpact of Bt brinjal on theIndian systems of medicine.Given that brinjal and relatedplants are used in Ayurveda,Siddha and so on this is a

significant lapse. It is not clear,therefore, whether the entry ofBt brinjal could make Indiansystems of medicine/practicesineffective or even toxic, withregard to use of brinjal.

l In Ayurveda around 14 varietiesof the brinjal are being used formedicinal preparations. Eachone differs in its medicinalproperties. Any intrusion in thebasic nature will alter the Rasa(Taste), Guna (Property),Veerya (Potency), Vipaka (EndTaste) and Prabhava(Synergetic Property) of thedrug. These properties arecoded for each drug and

according to these codes thephysicians are able to select aparticular drug for a specificailment. Transgenic changeswould alter these properties andcreate a new plant withunknown coding.

l While doing agronomic studiesBt brinjal has not beencompared with best agriculturalpractices like non- pesticidemanagement or integrated pestmanagement practices beingsuccessfully undertaken in the

l Bt brinjal increases marketable

yields thus resulting in higherincomes for farmers.

l During trials, average shoot andfruit damage in Bt brinjalhybrids was found to be lessthan in non-Bt brinjal hybridcounterparts.

Livelihoods and Economic Considerations


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l Farmers will be able to continueto save and re-use their seedsfor the hybrids varieties.

l Farmers practising organicfarming can do so by followingestablished agronomicpractices such as maintainingisolation distance, differences inflowering time etc. forpreventing cross-contaminationand ensuring identitypreservation for organic

produce. As the rates of cross-pollination from one field to theother are quite low, and thefrequency of such occurrencedecreases with increasingdistance from pollen source.Presently, the percentage oforganic brinjalgrowers/exporters is negligible

in the total production of brinjalin the country.

l The pricing of the seeds will bebased on a cost-recoverymodel, making it affordable forall farmers, whether the seedcomes from the private sectoror the public sector.

l Mahyco, the developer of the

technology, says they haveshared it with three Indianpublic sector researchinstitutions, Indian Institute ofVegetable Research, TamilNadu Agricultural Universityand Dharwad AgriculturalUniversity, to create OpenPollinated Varieties (OPVs)

which would help the small andmarginal farmers benefit fromthe technology at a low price.

country.

l Majority of the farmers in India

are small and marginal farmers,so the possibility for maintainingisolation distances is inexistent.

l There is no guarantee that theprices will actually go down. Onthe contrary increased inputcosts could increase the priceof Bt brinjal. The Bt cottonexample shows that the seed

cost increases substantially withGM crops thereby increasingthe input costs.

l Organic farmers would be atrisk as there would be nomechanism by whichcontamination by the transgenecould be stopped. This wouldlead them to lose their

certification and markets. Thisis evident from the examplesfrom what happened in the caseof Bt cotton.

l While Mahyco shared thetruncated gene cry1Acconstruct they developed withthe public sector researchinstitutions, there are conditions

in the MoU stopping theseinstitutions from developingtheir own hybrids or having afree hand in marketing of theOPVs.

l None of the public sectorproducts would reach themarket for another two years asthey are yet to complete their

trials. By then Mahyco, whohave their GM brinjal hybridsready, would completelydominate the markets. Thus thetechnology sharing is just aTrojan horse to get their product


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Glossary

Gene: A segment of DNA that either codes for the synthesis of

a specific protein or has a specific regulatory function.

Genetic engineering: A technique involving transfer of aselected piece of genetic material from one organism to anothercapable of performing new functions.

Genetic marker: A sequence of DNA with a known location ona chromosome and is known to be associated with a particulargene or trait. They are also used as a reference point formapping other genes.

Genetic modification (GM): Any process that alters thegenetic material of living organism. This includes duplicating,deleting, silencing or inserting one or more new genes oraltering the activities of an existing gene. It can be performed onmicrobes, plants or animals (humans included).

Genetically modified organism (GMO): An organism (plant,animal, bacteria, or virus) that has had its genetic material

altered, through genetic engineering to perform a new functionor produce a new substance.

Genome: An organism's complete set of genes is calledgenome. It contains all of the genetic information or hereditarycharacteristics possessed by an organism.

Proteins: Proteins are chemical substances which mediate theform and function of cells and organisms either by forming part

of definite structures or by acting as biological catalysts in lifeprocesses. Proteins are chains of different amino acids, and theorder of amino acids and length of the chain are unique for eachkind of protein.

Vector: It is used as a vehicle for transfer of foreign genes toget introduced into and become a part of the host cell, e.g. abacteriophage, plasmid, or other agent that transfers genetic

material from one cell to another.


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References

Biotechnology Online Glossary.

http://www.biotechnologyonline.gov.au/topitems/glossary.htmlAccessed on 7 January 2010,

Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (2006). Briefing Paper on BtBrinjal. Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Secunderabad.Available at: www.csa-india.org/downloads/GE/bt_brinjal_briefing_paper.pdf

Information on GM crops/foods and related issues in India.Accessed http://www.indiagminfo.org on 7 January 2010

Kapoor, L., D (1990). Handbook of ayurvedic medicinal plants.CRC Press LCC, Florida, USA. p 304 306.

Kavitha, K and G. V. Ramanjaneyulu (2008). GeneticEngineering in Indian Agriculture: An Introductory Handbook(For private circulation only). Centre for Sustainable Agriculture,Secunderabad.

Report of the Expert Committee (EC-II) on Bt Brinjal Event EE-1.: (2009) Developed by: M/s Maharashtra Hybrid SeedsCompany Ltd. (Mahyco), Mumbai, University of AgriculturalSciences (UAS), Dharwad and Tamil Nadu AgriculturalUniversity (TNAU), Coimbatore. Genetic Engineering ApprovalCommittee, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Governmentof India, New Delhi

Available at: http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/Report%20on%20Bt%20brinjal.pdf

Sadashivappa, P and M. Qaim, (2009). Bt Cotton in India:Development of Benefits and the Role of Government SeedPrice Interventions. AgBioForum, 12(2): 172-183.

Shukla, V and L.B. Naik (1993). Agro-techniques ofsolanaceous vegetables, In Advances in Horticulture', Vol. 5,Vegetable Crops, Part 1 (edited by K. L. Chadha and G.Kalloo). Malhotra Publishing House, New Delhi, p. 365 (sic).

Series of Crop Specific Biology Documents, Biology of Brinjal.

http://dbtbiosafety.nic.in/guidelines/brinjal.pdf Accessed on 7thJanuary 2010,


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