Recently, the approvals for the biosafety research trials (BRL) were revealed in the minutes of the 149th meeting of Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

• Three states have refused to give ‘No-Objection Certificate (NOC)’for the trails.

• GM cotton has been commercially cultivated since the mid-1990s and has gained widespread adoption in many countries, including the United States, India, China, and Brazil.
• The primary aim of genetically engineered cotton is to improve its resistance to pests and diseases, increase its yield, and enhance its tolerance to herbicides.

• Only Haryana has approved biosafety research trials (BRL) of genetically engineered (GE) cotton hybrids out of the four states, in which locations for such trials were chosen.
• While Telangana and Gujarat have refused to give no objection certificates (NOC) for holding the trials in the 2023-24 cropping season.
• Maharashtra has not responded yet.

Why this NOC is important?

Agriculture is a state subject and state governments’ involvement is essential for compliance monitoring. Therefore the NOC system has to be followed.

The GE-Cotton:

• Genetically engineered cotton, also known as genetically modified cotton or GM cotton, refers to cotton plants that have been altered through genetic engineering techniques to exhibit specific traits.
• Genetic engineering involves;
  • The manipulation of an organism’s genetic material, typically by introducing genes from other organisms, to confer desired characteristics.
• The most prominent example of genetically engineered cotton is Bt cotton.

Recent GM-Cotton alterations:

• A German multinational company ‘Bayer AG’is going to introduce the modification in cotton plant which will allow farmers to spray the herbicide ‘glyphosate’.
• The transgenic cotton — Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (BG-II RRF) contains three alien genes;
  • the first two (‘cry1Ac’ and ‘cry2Ab’) being isolated from a soil bacterium,
  • Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt, and coding for proteins toxic to the American bollworm, spotted bollworm and tobacco caterpillar insect pests.
  • The third gene, ‘cp4-epsps’, is sourced from another soil bacterium, Agrobacterium tumafaciens.

Need of GE-Cotton:

• The adoption of genetically engineered cotton has had significant impacts on cotton production globally. It has helped reduce pesticide use, increase crop yields, and improve farmers’ profitability.

Cotton crop:

• It is a Kharif crop that comes from the natural fibres of cotton plants, which are native to tropical and subtropical regions.
• Being renewable and biodegradable, cotton is the most environmentally friendly raw material for the textile industry as compared to its synthetic alternatives.
• Cotton plants have a large growing period which can extend up to 200 days.
• Growing cotton starts between December and March.
• These plants require a relatively high temperature (21-30°C) over a long growing season.
• Cotton is a less water-intensive crop as it is a xerophyte, which can grow in dry, arid environments.

Cotton production in India:

• India is the largest producer of cotton in the world and the third largest exporter.
• It is also the largest consumer of cotton in the world.
• Top Cotton Producing States in India are Gujarat and Maharashtra. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh.
• India is the country to grow all four species of cultivated cotton;
  • arboreum
  • Herbaceum (Asian cotton)
  • barbadense (Egyptian cotton)
  • hirsutum (American Upland cotton).
• hirsutum represents 94% of the hybrid cotton production in India and all the current Bt cotton hybrids are G. hirsutum.
• India is the only country that grows cotton as hybrids and the first to develop hybrid cotton back in 1970.