The gene synthesises proteins toxic to the fruit and shoot borer (Leucinodes orbonalis).

The cry1Ac gene’s incorporation into brinjal is said to confer ‘in-built’ resistance to the dreaded insect pest, thereby reducing reliance on pesticides.

Brinjal is a 150-180 days crop that starts giving fruit after 60 days and yields 15 pickings over the entire cycle. Farmers often spray 2-3 times before each picking, adding up to around 50 sprays. The crop is cultivated on about 5.1-lakh hectares across the country, with annual production estimated at 80-85 lakh tonnes.

The large scale trials is likely to take place over two seasons, which means consumers will not get to see the GM brinjal on their plates before 2009. So far, cotton is the only GM crop that has been approved for commercial cultivation since 2002.

Mahyco had sourced the original cry1Ac gene construct from Monsanto, the US-based life sciences major that also has a 26 per cent stake in the former. The transformation process or ‘event’ — fitting the gene constr uct in the right place of the brinjal genome —was achieved at Mahyco’s research centre at Jalna, Maharashtra.

More Stories on : Horticulture/Fruits & Vegetables | Bio-tech & Genetics

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