THE CONFUSION ABOUT BT BRINJAL

BYKUTUBUDDIN MOLLA

CSIR JRF

PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY LABORATORY

DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY

UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA

PAST SCENARIO Bengal famine in 1943—around 4 million

people died in hunger of eastern India. Green revolution made India self –sufficient

of food grains by 1978 through the adoption of dwarf high yielding hybrid wheat & rice variety.

It was possible due to the use of genetically improved seeds (wheat- rht gene; rice- sd1 gene)

PRESENT SCENARIO Farmland is decreasing.. Population is increasing in a very high rate. Production is not increasing—stagnant. Several problems came out in recent days.– 1) increased temperature 2) salinity 3) drought 4) biotic stresses Our crop is unable to cope up with these new

stresses because they did not face such before.

That’s why traditional breeding is unsuccessful.

ANOTHER WORLDWIDE FAMINE IS WAITING FOR US.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we need a second green revolution.  The Process by which we can increase the yield of a

particular crop.

For using genes from non rice sources we have to go for genetic engineering..

Even traditional breeding use the technology(genetic engineering) unknowingly.

SO IN PRESENT SCENARIO FOR A SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION WE HAVE TO GO FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY & GENETIC ENGINEERING

BRINJAL CULTIVATION IN INDIA

MAJOR PROBLEMS

FSB DAMAGE

Shoot damage Fruit Damage

50 - 90% of damage is caused by fruit and shoot borer

Fruit borer Damage as identified by the consumer

WHY WE NEED BT BRINJAL ?? No natural resistance in germplasm Limited success with traditional

management strategies Huge use of pesticides results in

development of resistance in insectsHarmful effects on environment, health of

farmer and consumers Bt brinjal has potential to provide

economic and health benefits

Speculation about Bt or Bt-Brinjal

is like……

The unscientific comments about Bt-Brinjal often reminds us of the six blind men and the elephant who guessed the tail as rope, legs as pole, trunk as wall, ear as fan and the trunk as hose

WE SHOULD KNOW THE ACTUAL & TRUE FACT WHICH IS SCIENTIFIC…………….

WHAT IS BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS (BT)

TM

MB

t cotto

n

EM view of a purified inclusion body

EM view of Bt with spores and crystals

Endospore

Crystal

• Soil bacterium; Soil bacterium; ubiquitousubiquitous

• Different strains produce Different strains produce their their

own insecticide proteins. own insecticide proteins.

•The protein is called as cry The protein is called as cry protein for its crystal form.protein for its crystal form.

• Each Each cry cry protein protein selectively selectively

affects insects belonging affects insects belonging to a to a

particular order particular order (eg.,Lepidoptera, (eg.,Lepidoptera,

Coleoptera, Diptera, etc) Coleoptera, Diptera, etc) at at

their very early larval their very early larval stagestage

HISTORY OF SAFE USE AS A SPRAY Since 1938, used extensively as a spray all

over the world to control a variety of lepidopteron pests and also mosquito larvae.

TM

MB

t cotto

n

IN INDIA

IN THAILAND

IN CALIFORNIA IN INDIA

IN AUSTRALIA

GLOBAL MARKET FOR BIOPESTICIDES, 2005-06 - $260M

TM

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t cotto

n

Bt

$159m

Virus

$18m

Fungus

$37m

Nematode

$15m

62%

Other bacteria

$32m

Source: CPL Business Consultants, July 2006

Bt spray dominated with 62%. Used in all countries, including the European Union (16.5%), and by all farmers including organic farmers

HOW BT BRINJAL DEVELOPED?

Bt brinjal is a genetically improved brinjal developed by inserting a cry1Ac gene into brinjal genome

The Cry1Ac protein gives the brinjal plant in-built resistance against lepidopteran insects like Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer

Use of Bt as insecticide not new – farmers using it for over 50 years as a spray

PLR1

Non-Bt Bt

SHOOT DAMAGE

Non Bt Bt

FRUIT DAMAGE

Non bt brinjal Bt brinjal

BtBt-Cotton Approved-Cotton Approved

26 March 2002: A Landmark in India26 March 2002: A Landmark in India

India’s first transgenic crop

Bt Cotton

Bt-cotton area & cotton production in India620 Bt-cotton hybrids & 1 Bt variety have been released so far

New Hybrids

Bt Cotton area lakh ha

India: Raw Cotton Imports and Exports India: Raw Cotton Imports and Exports 1991-1991-20092009

Insecticide usage in India

IRM

Bt Cotton

Bollworm insecticides Rs 600 crores in 2002 Bollworm Insecticides Rs 260 crores in 2008

NET RESULT OF BT COTTON APPROVAL INDIA WAS AN IMPORTER OF COTTON

BEFORE BT COTTON DEVELOPED……………..NOW INDIA IS AN EXPORTER.

INDIA IS NOW THE SECOND LARGEST COTTON PRODUCER IN THE WORLD

THE NET INCOME DERIVED BY BT FARMERS WAS RS.26,406 (US$600.13)/HA WHILE IT WAS RS.9,059 (US$205.88)/HA FOR THE NON-BT FARMERS.

NET GAIN IN BT COTTON CULTIVATION IS Rs. 4000 CRORES IN INDIA

ABOUT SAFETY OF BT BRINJAL

The controversy began Questioned the safety of Bt

IngestionIngestion (occurs while feeding plant tissues)(occurs while feeding plant tissues)

SolubilizationSolubilization (Alkalinity)(Alkalinity)

ActivationActivation (pH >9.5) (pH >9.5)

BindingBinding (Specific receptor)(Specific receptor)

InsertionInsertion (Damage gut (Damage gut

wall)wall)

Pore formationPore formation

Cell lysesCell lyses

D e D e

a t ha t h

Selective action of Selective action of Bt Bt in insectsin insects

HOW CRY PROTEINS ACT IN THE INSECT GUT

 

Fig. 3 Taken from de Maagd RA (2001) Trends in Genetics 17(4), 193-199

DETAILS MODE OF ACTION OF BT PROTEIN

BT HAS NO TOXIC IMPACT IN HIGHER ANIMALS (HUMAN) BECAUSE OF…..

Acidic stomach

Very low pH (∽1.5 in humans)

Absence of required receptors

Bt is safe to non-target organisms-HUMAN

NATIONAL REGULATORY SYSTEMS IN INDIA

Ministry of Environment and forests (MoEF)

Department of Biotechnology (DBT)

There are six competent authorities to handle various issues viz.,

Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RDAC) Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC) State Biotechnology Coordination Committee (SBCC) District Level Committee (DLC)

WHAT ARE THE SAFETY CONCERNS?

Toxicity Allergenicity Out-crossing / Gene flow Effects on non-target organisms Environmental impact

Pest resistanceAll safety issues were addressed before regulatory approval was given

SAFETY TO NON-TARGET ORGANISMS

Feed safety studies were conducted using high dose of Bt-cotton seed-meal / protein on:

FishFish BirdsBirds Mammals - Mammals - goats, buffaloes, cows, rabbits

Honey beesHoney bees EarthwormsEarthworms Biological control agentsBiological control agents (Lacewing, Ladybird beetles etc)(Lacewing, Ladybird beetles etc)

Results revealed no ill effects & Bt is safe !

DOES IT AFFECT BIODIVERSITY??

Any new gene incorporation in a genome increases its genetic diversity.

In nature, every evolution of a new species is due to some gene incorporation through cross pollination..

The idea that Bt brinjal will destroy biodiversity is nonsensical. In fact, since brinjal has no natural resistance (to pests), the introduction of Bt brinjal will help increase genetic diversity.

IS IT A THREAT TO OTHER VARIETIES THROUGH CROSS POLLINATION??

Gene transfer is not an easy phenomenon. It has to be fixed in population through selection pressure. Also, there is no horizontal transfer of the gene — it will not transfer to animals; there is only vertical transfer — from one generation to the next within the same species.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BT-BRINJAL.?

Benefits to consumers and society: 1) Consumers will have a choice to buy non-infested,

undamaged and good quality brinjal fruits.

2) High levels of pesticide residues are present in a large number of vegetables that we eat daily. Bt brinjal will offer consumers fruits with almost no or significantly reduced level of pesticide residues, well within the prescribed MRL.

3) It is expected that Bt brinjal may improve marketable yield manifold resulting in availability of more brinjal in the market at affordable price. Krishna and Qaim (2007) predicted a 15% decrease in market price of brinjal at maximum technology adoption.

4) The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) showed that Bt brinjal would help stabilize the market price (IIHR, 2008).

BENEFITS TO FARMERSFarmers are expected to benefit at

multiple levels. Some of these include:

1) Considerable reduction in cost of production by saving on cost of insecticides and lower labor cost as a result of reduced spraying.

2) Manifold increase in yield per unit area by saving fruits from damage caused by FSB.

3) Significant improvement in marketable fruits thereby increasing income per unit area.

4) Reduction in direct exposure to insecticides leading to lesser health problems.

BENEFITS TO ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

1) Reduction in pesticide residues in soil and water in brinjal fields.

2) Lesser pollution of air and local environment due to decreased use of insecticides.

3) Protection of naturally occurring predators and parasitoids and other beneficial organisms due to reduced use of insecticides.

4) Reduction in soil and ground-water contamination.

5) Safeguarding soil microflora and invertebrates from damage caused by unintended and excessive use of insecticides. 

Protesting is their ROTI,, KAPRA aur MAKAN..

That’s why every morning they arise question on a new issue…………….

NOW SOME PEOPLE HAS CHOOSEN A NEW PROFESSION------------ PROTESTING

STRANGE!!

The opponents seem to suggest that Bt-Brinjal kills

everything else except FSB – the target pests!!.....

like the blind people..

SMT . PRATIBHA DEBISINGH PATIL, THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA

“Efforts towards sustainable agriculture can be greatly augmented with the help of space technology and biotechnology advances”

DR. MANMOHAN SINGH, THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

“We need to use the potential of biotechnology to meet the requirements of hungry people”.

MR. P. CHIDAMBARAM, THE UNION HOME MINISTER

“Bt cotton has made India a cotton exporting country. We thought of ourselves as exporters of wheat and rice, but today we import wheat. No country as large as India can survive on imports for its food needs,”….”….”The success achieved in cotton must be used to make the country self sufficient in rice, wheat, pulse and oil seed production”.

The scientists & students should come together and speak in one voice.

Defend the technology – defeat opponents

Silence is not gold. Silencing is!

THANK YOU

HAVE A NICE DAY