उजाला सिटी न्यूज़
उत्तर प्रदेश
लखनऊ
01/03/2025
Lucknow,Ujala city news. In a ground-breaking development for agriculture, scientists at the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) in Lucknow have announced the creation of the world’s first genetically modified (GM) cotton that is fully resistant to the Pink Bollworm (PBW), a pest that has long plagued cotton farmers in India, Africa, and Asia.
A Global Breakthrough in Pest Resistance
Since the introduction of GM cotton in India in 2002, varieties such as Bollgard® 1 and Bollgard® 2 developed jointly with Monsanto of St. Louis, USA have successfully controlled some bollworm species. However, in due course of time, these varieties have not provided robust control against the Pink Bollworm (PBW), known locally in India as Gulabi Sundi. Over time, the PBW has evolved resistance to the Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab proteins used in these technologies, thus increasing the threat. As a result, the cotton yields have been declining substantially in India.
Addressing this critical gap, CSIR-NBRI’s researchers, led by Chief Scientist Dr. P. K. Singh whose career spans nearly 30 years in crop protection have developed a novel insecticidal gene. This indigenous gene, uniquely effective against PBW, has been successfully tested for PBW resistance as compared to Bollgard® 2 cotton. Rigorous laboratory trials at NBRI have shown that the new GM cotton is highly tolerant to PBW, while also offering protection against other pests such as the cotton leafworm and the fall armyworm.