|
January 16, 2008
Source:
CropBiotech Update
Bt brinjal is likely to be the
first biotech food crop to be approved and adopted in India in
the near term. Bt brinjal has been under development by Mahyco
in collaboration with public sector institutions in India for
the last 8 years. It has undergone a rigorous science-based
regulatory approval process in India and is currently at an
advanced stage of consideration for deregulation by the Indian
regulatory authorities which approved the experimental seed
production of Bt brinjal hybrids by Mahyco in 2008-2009. Studies
on food and feed safety, including toxicity and allergenicity
tests, have been conducted on rats, rabbits, fish, chickens,
goats and cows; these studies have confirmed that Bt brinjal is
as safe as its non- Bt counterpart. Similarly, environmental
impact assessments to study germination, pollen flow,
invasiveness, aggressiveness and weediness, and effect on
non-target organisms were completed, and it was confirmed that
Bt brinjal behaves in a similar way to its non-Bt counterpart.
Agronomic studies under multi-location research trials (MLRTs)
and large-scale field trials (LSTs) confirmed that insecticide
requirement for Bt brinjal hybrids was on average 80% less than
for the non-Bt counterpart for the control of FSB; this
translated into a 42% reduction in total insecticides used for
control of all insect-pests in Bt brinjal versus the control. As
a result of the effective control of FSB, Bt brinjal's average
marketable yield increased by 100% over its non-Bt counterpart
hybrids, 116% over popular conventional hybrids and 166% over
popular open- pollinated varieties (OPVs) of brinjal.
Thus, to-date the studies submitted to the regulatory
authorities confirm that Bt brinjal offers the opportunity to
simultaneously provide effective control of the most important
pest of brinjal, FSB, decrease insecticides for this important
insect-pest by 80%, and more than double the yield over
conventional hybrids and open-pollinated varieties, thereby
providing significant advantages for farmers and consumers
alike. At the national level it can thus contribute to food
safety, security and sustainability.
The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications' (ISAAA) discusses this crop in the latest Brief 38
on "The Development and Regulation of Bt Brinjal in India
(Eggplant/Aubergine)". Brief 38 is a comprehensive review of all
aspects of the cultivation in India of the important vegetable
brinjal, also known as eggplant or aubergine. The Brief
summarizes the development, status and content of the extensive
regulatory dossier in India for biotech Bt brinjal, which
confers resistance to the most important insect-pest of brinjal,
fruit and shoot borer (FSB).
Pocket K No. 35: Bt Brinjal in
India
Source: ISAAA Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology
According to this "Pocket K" information brief, results of
studies submitted to regulatory authorities in India show that
Bt brinjal (a.k.a. eggplant) offers the opportunity to decrease
insecticide use by as much as 80 percent. The brief says Bt
brinjal also yields significantly more marketable fruit than
conventional hybrids and open-pollinated varieties. The brief
can be viewed online at the link below.
http://www.isaaa.org/kc/inforesources/publications/pocketk/default.html#Pocket_K_No._35.htm
Pocket K No. 38: The
development and regulation of Bt brinjal in India
Source: ISAAA Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology
The International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) released its latest Brief
38 on the development and regulation of biotech brinjal in
India. Brief 38 is a comprehensive review of all aspects of
the cultivation in India of the important vegetable brinjal,
also known as eggplant or aubergine.
This ISAAA Brief 38 is a primer for all interest groups who
desire to: firstly, learn about the cultivation of brinjal
in India and secondly, to learn about the status of
regulatory approval and the attributes of Bt brinjal which
provides an option for significantly decreasing the use of
insecticides to control most important insect-pest of
brinjal, fruit and shoot borer (FSB). Subjects are divided
into four parts: the biology, production and significance of
brinjal as a vegetable crop in India; biotech crop
development and its relevance to India; current efforts to
develop Bt brinjal- the first biotech food crop in India;
and the regulatory framework being applied to Bt brinjal.
For more information or for a copy of Brinjal Brief 38
contact ISAAA South Asia Office at
b.choudhary@cgiar.org
or k.gaur@cgiar.org.
An online version is available at
http://www.isaaa.org/Resources/Publications/briefs/38/default.html
|
|
