India to screen GM cotton hybrids after pest attacks

Kaveri Seed

05/11/2015 09:44

By Krishna N. Das 
    NEW DELHI, Nov 5 (Reuters) - India will screen genetically 
modified (GM) cotton hybrids on sale in the country to identify 
the varieties that are resistant to whitefly, a pest that 
recently caused extensive damages to crops in two northern 
states, a government official said. 
    The whitefly attack on the Bt cotton variety in Punjab and 
Haryana was the first major infestation since India adopted 
transgenic cotton in 2002. It has stoked worries over the 
vulnerability of the GM seeds that yield nearly all of the 
cotton in the world's top producer.  ID:nL3N1292LI   
    The federal agriculture ministry does not want to take any  
chances as the pest could thrive and affect nearby farms growing 
vegetables, said P.K. Chakrabarty, an assistant director general 
of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. 
    "Out of the 1,128 hybrids, we have asked to see which have 
an inherent tolerance to whitefly," Chakrabarty told Reuters on 
Thursday. "The government will screen the available hybrids and 
then put up a list. That will sensitise private producers to 
select suitable hybrids only." 
    A joint venture of Monsanto  MNSN.NS  with Maharashtra 
Hybrid Seeds Co Pvt Ltd, Kaveri Seeds  KVRI.NS  and Bayer 
Bioscience Pvt Ltd  BAYE.NS  are among companies allowed to sell 
GM cotton hybrids in India. (http://bit.ly/1QfaRRf) 
    Bt cotton was tweaked by scientists at Monsanto  MON.N  to 
produce its own insecticide to kill bollworms. But two years of 
drought in India have encouraged the spread of whitefly against 
which the strain has no resistance. 
    The government now plans to educate farmers to use only 
those hybrids that are less vulnerable to whitefly, Chakrabarty 
said. There is no plan, however, to take any punitive action 
against the seed companies over the pest attacks. 
 
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INSIGHT-Modi bets on GM crops for India's second green 
revolution     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N0VW07W 
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 (Reporting by Krishna N. Das, Editing by Douglas Busvine and 
Himani Sarkar) 
 ((Krishna.Das@thomsonreuters.com; +91-11-4178-1023, 
+91-98711-18314; Reuters Messaging: 
Krishna.Das.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net, https://twitter.com/krishnadas56)) 
 
Keywords: INDIA COTTON/PESTS