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Development of Bt Cotton For Biosafety In Pakistan
By:
By; Shehzad Ahmad Kang, and Frasat Saeed, Department of
Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture,
Faisalabad, Pakistan.
The botanical name of Upland cotton is Gossypium hersutum
and it belong to family Malvaceae. Amerian cotton is
tetraploid specie and chromosome number is 2n=52The word BT
mean Bacillus thurngenises. This is an Agro bacterium cause
crown gall on cotton plant. BT gene extracted from Agro
bacterium and transfer in cotton plant through genetic
engineering.
This BT gene produces resistance against boll worm pests.
Cotton is an important cash crop for Pakistan known as
“white gold”. It accounts for 8.2 percent of the value added
in agriculture and about 3.2 percent to GDP; around two
thirds of the country’s export earnings from the cotton
made-up and textiles which adds over $2.5 billion to the
national economy; while hundreds of ginning factories and
textile mills in the country heavily depends upon cotton.
Life of several of farmers is dependent on this crop, in
addition to millions of people employed in the entire cotton
value chain, from weaving to textile and garment exports.
Pakistan in the world fourth-largest cotton producer, third
largest exporter of raw cotton and a leading exporter of
yarn in the world our yield per acres ranks 13th in the
world; as a result Pakistan annually imports app. 1.5-2.00
million bales of cotton to meet growing demand from local
textile mills; therefore it has become vital for Pakistan to
increase its yield per acre.
Agricultural biotechnology is playing an important role to
gain better crops and food for bio-safety. So, many farmers
in the world are focusing genetic engineered varieties (GE)
to improve cotton yield. American multinational Monsanto
Company develops genetically engineered first BT cotton
variety, Firstly BT cotton seed named as BT-121 smuggled
from neighbouring country-India and grown in Upper Sindh.
If we seen at the Pakistan problems, there are two major
types of pests which are damaging cotton crops – sucking and
chewing; sucking pests controlled by strong pesticides but
major challenge to control chewing pests i.e. known as
Bollworms – American, Army, Pink and Spotted bollworm are
major causes to decrease cotton crop yield and lint quality.
Another recent disease cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV) spread
in Punjab and Sindh pushed our institutes.
Pakistan also realizes the significance of BT Cotton, and
the top political leadership including the Prime Minister
Shaukat Aziz himself has said that government would allow to
farmers to BT cotton grown openly, which confirms
government’s policy of being open to genetically modified
crops in the near future. Other ministers have also spoken
in favor of adopting the BT Cotton.
But in order to benefit from its true potential, government
and all key stakeholders including farmers, seed companies,
R & D institutes, seed dealers and traders are involved in
commercial activity for Agricultural development. If we
choose to ignore regulatory frameworks that govern the chain
of activity, and international agreements on Biosafety that
Pakistan is signatory to, to make quick bucks or in an
attempt to provide a speedy access of technology to the
farmers, we shall end up losing the benefits from the
technology in the long run by undermining it. We have to
ensure effective, stringent, and transparent enforcement of
Biosafety Rules 2005, Seed Act 1976, and Punjab Cotton
Control Ordinance, to encourage the introduction of
technology through legal means with its complete package of
benefits.
These rules setup legal requirements for import, export,
transport, and handling of biological agents, genetic
engineering organisms or vectors, seeds, crops and foods,
besides setting conditions for the researchers; seeds
developers and companies. Usually it takes two to three
years to do proper assessment for any Biotech crops before
its commercialization.
Recently in Pakistan like Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC), National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic
Engineering (NIBGE), Nuclear Institute of Agriculture and
Biology (NIAB), Agricultural Biotechnology research
institute Faisalabad,Cotton research institute
Faisalabad,Cotton research institute Multan,Centre of
Agricultural Biotechnology and Biochemistry (CABB) UAF and
National center of Excellence in Molecular Biology (NCEMB)
at Punjab University Lahore to cope with such problems;
significant amount of financial resources and manpower have
been committed by the Government of Pakistan for developing
genetically modified (GM) local cotton varieties.
Thus different Pakistani Agricultural research institute
released different BT varieties for Biosafety i.e.
“IR-FH-901”, “IR-NIBGE-2”, “IR-CIM-448” and “IR-CIM-443”;
and recently released NIAB-886 and NIAB-777.These BT cotton
varieties have been tightly screened and evaluated by PAEC
on the bases of their capacity to follow Bio-safety rules.
Cotton research institute Faisalabad.released FH-113 and
FH-114,FH-142 BT varieties. These varieties screened and
evaluated by Pakistan Agricultural research council.
Although Pakistani BT cotton varieties good staple length
(22mm-30mm) and fitness, germination of these BT cotton seed
varieties vary from 55 % to 80 %, but mixing or impurities
were less than 2 %.
BT cotton varieties significantly more yielded per acre as
compare to non Bt cotton varieties i.e. up to 40 mound (1
Mound = 40 Kg) of BT cotton per acres but 17-20 mound per
acre to traditional cotton varieties. This translates into
more than 35 percent increase in yield. It is noted that in
BT cotton crops average number of cotton Bolls per plant are
125 while average Boll weight is appro. 1.95 grams including
seeds and number of plants per acre are as recommended by
the department of agriculture. In Pakistan average cotton
grower has 10 acres of land; increase in such small income
per acre would improve his quality of life. Recently, it is
expected that more than 80% cotton area covered by BT
varieties in Pakistan Punjab Cotton belt farmers (
Bahawalpur, Multan, Muzaffer Garh and Karor Pakka;) observed
and evaluated independently its resistance and
susceptibility to different biotic stress, abiotic stress
and yield compared it with non Bt cotton varieties grown in
the same locations. A large number of farmers have visited
these fields, and become aware of the benefits of the
locally developed BT cotton.
Although, the overall attack of “Army boll worm” “American
bollworm” and other bollworms remained low as compared to
previous years but attack of sucking pests like Jassid,
Whitefly, Thrips and other Aphid were high in both BT and
non BT cotton crops. No serious incidence of cotton leaf
curl virus disease was reported in BT cotton varieties. Heat
stress in cotton crop was also recorded in different region,
Army, Pink and Spotted bollworm were active from July to
October but severe attack during September and Army boll
worm remained in the field after spray for limited time
period.
It is also important that newly hatched Helicoverpa Armigera
when eat leaves of the BT cotton plants, they died after few
days; no larvae reached to pupal stage while in non BT it
has developed into pupa. Significant number of spray has
decline in BT cotton varieties; 4 – 5 applications as
compare to non BT cotton crop 6 – 9; most of chemicals
application used to control sucking pests; however in
chewing; pests spray was required to control Army boll worm.
Although BT cotton also play significant control the target
bollworms but partial foliar insecticide sprays are required
to control other bollworms from causing excessive damage in
BT fields.
Right dose of BT toxin “Cry-protein” in very crucial in each
BT seed; if we grow the same BT seed repeatly on same
location; the right dose of BT toxin will be reduced and
cotton plant susceptible to pest. So it will harmful for our
agriculture, may be hazard for health and environment.
Besides the cotton lint; more than 70% of edible oil is
extracted from cottonseed and in addition to that more than
2 million tons of oil seedcake is also produced as a feed
for livestock and poultry.
WTO passed the rule that all the Biotech. Applications in
crops and food being decided on scientific rather than
political grounds for human and animal health Being health
safety studies prove that, BT cotton oil, leaves and feed
has no health hazards and side effects on human, animals and
it safe for environment. These studies created a positive
consciousness and confidence between the international and
Pakistani scientists and people about BT cotton.
Today, all major cotton producing countries are benefiting
from the cultivation of BT Cotton. In the last season Up to
70 percent of BT cotton in USA, 76 percent in China and 80
percent in Australia ,more than 80 percent in Pakistan and
India grown with “single” or “double” BT gene technology. It
is expected that within two years more than half of the
world’s cotton may be grown from genetically modified crops.
BT genotypes are highly dependent on agro climatic
conditions, plant genetics and crop management. In some
areas, certain BT varieties may be show non significant
result, for example under high night temperatures and under
hot dry conditions, bolls may drop off the plants. Therefore
use only those approved BT cotton varieties; which are
screened under your local agro-climatic conditions.
And the scientists have no claimed that BT cotton varieties
increase yield due to presence of genetically modified
organism; however, the increase in yield can be gain by crop
protection from boll worm pests.
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Corresponding author’s email:
shehzadpbg@gmail.com
Courtesy: PAKISSAN Team |
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