Bollgard II cotton acreage at 84 l ha: Mahyco

Bollgard II cotton has been cultivated in 84 lakh hectares in the country this year, according to Mr R. Barwale, Managing Director of Mahyco India Ltd. This is over 70 per cent of the 118 lakh hectares under cotton this year.

Bollgard II was introduced in the country in 2006 when 50,000 hectares were covered and acreage under Bollgard I then had peaked to 51 lakh hectares, Mr Barwale said at a plenary session at the fifth World Cotton Research Conference on Tuesday.

Bollgard I was introduced in the country in 2002, marking the entry of the first genetically engineered crop. Then, 29,000 hectares were brought under it. Bollgard contains the Bacillus thuringiensis, a gene that controls bollworms in cotton.

Bollgard II is an improved version of Bollgard I and is claimed to provide relief against spodoptera and heliothis pests in cotton.

“Bt cotton has seen the fastest adaptation of technology in India,” said Mr Barwale, adding that adoption of the technology had brought down use of pesticides by 10,391 tonnes.

Production challenges

However, there were challenges in cotton production such as reducing labour costs, finding solution to sucking pests and introducing mechanisation.

On the sidelines, he said that Mahyco was ready with roundup ready flex cotton which will help overcome the problem of weeks.

It has undergone trials at multi-locations but has been asked by the Genetical Engineering Appraisal Committee to repeat it this year.

Mahyco is ready with Bt Okra (lady's finger) and the company was waiting for the Centre to approve the introduction of Bt Brinjal, which has run into opposition from various sources. “First Bt brinjal has to be approved, then we will follow it up with Bt okra,” he said.

The company is in an advanced stage of trials on Bt rice, while experiments on herbicide-tolerant rice and wheat were at formative stages, he said.

Not a panacea

Earlier on Monday, experts at the conference they were worried over the fact that Bt cotton is now accounting for 93 per cent of the total area under cotton.

“Such a dominance could lead to elimination or disappearance of old and traditional varieties,” said Dr C.D. Mayee, Chairman of the National Organising Committee of the conference. “Bt cotton cannot be a panacea for everything,” he said.

The Conference is being held in Asia for the first time. Over 200 delegates from abroad and 600 within the country, mainly scientists, are taking part in the meet that discusses “Technologies for Prosperity.”

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