Bt Brinjal

Brinjal is an important vegetable crop of India. It is a good source of vitamin and minerals, especially iron. The area under brinjal cultivation is estimated at 0.55 million hectares with a total production of 8.2 million tonnes. A total of 1.4 million small, marginal and resource-poor farmers grow brinjal. Brinjal is very susceptible to an insect pest namely Brinjal Shoot and Fruit Borer (BSFB). BSFB causes significant losses of upto 60 to 70%. Because of the cryptic nature of the pest the insecticide applications become ineffective. Levels of pesticides and their residues are very high in the fruits, which is a matter of serious concern to human health. There is an urgent need to reduce the dependence on pesticides by using safer alternatives to manage insect pests. Using biotechnological tools NRCPB has developed transgenic brinjal with a Bt gene (cry1Fa1), which is very effective against BSFB.