What was the impact of Bt cotton varieties on cotton production in Punjab.
Answers
ANSWER :
The impact of Bt cotton varieties on cotton production in Punjab was that about 99% of the area under cotton is covered under Bt cotton hybrids and the yield of lint has remarkably improved to about 5 quintals per acre and use of insecticides has also decreased.
In Punjab, in 2006 ,Bt cotton was first introduced.
Bt cottons hybrids remain safe from any damage by the bollworms because when ever a bollworm feeds on flower bud or flower or boll of a Bt cotton plant, the poisonous protein damages the digestive system of the insect and kills it.
The poisonous substance produced in Bt plant is a crystalline protein, endotoxin.
This protein is highly poisonous to the bollworms and insect pests of cotton.‘Bt’ is derived from the name of a soil bacterium ‘Bacillus thuringiensis’.
Some Bt cotton hybrids are Bollguard-I hybrids had only one Bt gene and Bollguard-II hybrids such as RCH 650 BG II and NCS 855 BG II had two Bt genes . These By cotton hybrids protect the crop from all four types of bollworms. They are as follows : American bollworm, pink bollworm, spotted bollworm and tobacco caterpillar.
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Explanation:
Because of their extensive forward and backward linkages, the cotton-textile sectors have important implications for national economic performance and poverty reduction (Cororaton and Orden, 2008). In 2006, 4% of the cultivated area in Punjab was estimated to be under BT cotton cultivation (Rao, 2006).