The impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on the poor in developing countries is still the subject of controversy. While previous studies have examined direct productivity effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton and other GM crops, little is known about wider socioeconomic outcomes. We use a microeconomic modelling approach and comprehensive survey data from India to analyse welfare a...

Data from a farm survey and choice experiment are used to value the benefits of Bt cotton in Pakistan. Unlike previous research on the economic impacts of Bt, which mostly concentrated on financial benefits in terms of gross margins, we also quantify and monetize positive externalities associated with technology adoption. Due to lower chemical pesticide use on Bt cotton plots, there are signifi...

The ladybird beetle, Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), is a common and abundant predator in many cropping systems. Its larvae and adults are predaceous, feeding on aphids, thrips, lepidopteran larvae and plant tissues, such as pollen. Therefore, this species is exposed to insecticidal proteins expressed in insect-resistant, genetically engineered cotton expressing Cry proteins derived from Bacill...

Genetically modified, insect-resistant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton is cultivated extensively in Pakistan. Past studies, however, have raised concerns about the prevalence of Bt cotton varieties possessing weak or nonperforming insect-resistance traits conferred by the cry gene. We examine this issue using data drawn from a representative sample of cotton-growing households that were surv...

In India, the area under transgenic crop cultivation has witnessed a phenomenal growth from 1.3 million hectares in 2005 to 3.8 million hectares in 2006, which is an increase of about 300 % in a year period (James 2006). Till March 2005, a total of 20 Bt-transgenic cotton hybrids have been released for commercial cultivation in northern, western and southern regions of India (Sharma et al. 2006...

The present paper deals with study of In-vitro cytotoxicity effect of isolated gossypol from Bt and Non-Bt cotton seeds on HeLa cell lines. Gossypol is a polyphenolic binaphthyl diadehyde natural yellow colored pigment. It is not only resistance substance for cotton plant’s self – defense system against insect pests and possibly some diseases but also an important phytochemical compound of imme...

BACKGROUND Uncertainty persists over the environmental effects of genetically-engineered crops that produce the insecticidal Cry proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). We performed meta-analyses on a modified public database to synthesize current knowledge about the effects of Bt cotton, maize and potato on the abundance and interactions of arthropod non-target functional guilds. METHODOLOG...

Dry seeds of four cotton varieties were irradiated with 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25 kR doses of gamma irradiation from Co source of gamma irradiation in 2012 at Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), 60 Tarnab, Peshawar, Pakistan. Three highly potential cotton varieties i.e. Gomal-93, Bt-131 and Bt-CIM-602 with irradiation of 15, 20 and 25 kR, respectively selected for the second year (May...

Similar Cry proteins are expressed in both Bt corn, Zea mays L., and cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), commercial production systems. At least one generation of corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), completes development on field corn in the Mid-South before dispersing across the landscape into other crop hosts like cotton. A concern is that Bt corn hybrids may result in selection for H. zea p...

Laboratory studies were conducted to investigate tritrophic transfer of insecticidal Cry proteins from transgenic cotton to an herbivore and its predator, and to examine effects of these proteins on the predator's development, survival, and reproduction. Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produced in Bollgard-II (BG-II, Event 15985) cotton plants were acqu...