Illegal Cultivation Of BT Brinjal

Prelims level : Bt Brinjal, GMO Mains level : Science & Technology
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Why in News?

  • The activists representing the Coalition for a GM-Free India (CGFI) have alleged that Bt brinjal is being cultivated illegally in

Highlights:

  • Bacillus Thuringiensis Brinjal, popularly known as Bt brinjal, has been at the centre of controversy in
  • Bt brinjal, a genetically modified strain created by India’s seeds company Mahyco in collaboration with American multinational Monsanto, claims to improve yields and help the agriculture

Side effects of Bt Brinjal:

  • Brinjal is prone to attack from insect pests and diseases, the most serious and destructive of which is the fruit and shoot borer (FSB) Leucinodes
  • It is said be fatal for lungs and
  • Food safety and possible effects on organisms other than the pest insect (non-target organisms).

Genetically Modified Organisms:

  • Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural
  • The technology is called “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”.
  • It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another and also between non-related
  • GM crops are aimed at providing increased level of crop protection by introducing resistance against plant diseases caused by insects, viruses and from
  • The resistance against insects in GM crops is achieved by incorporating into the food plant the gene for toxin production, which is currently used as a conventional insecticide in agriculture and is considered safe for human
  • Virus resistance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from certain viruses which cause disease in plants. Virus resistance makes plants less susceptible to diseases caused by such viruses, resulting in higher crop
  • Herbicide tolerance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from a bacterium conveying resistance to some In situations where weed pressure is high, the
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