The Concepts and Development of BT Crops.pptx

ppt

1. The Concepts and Development of BT Crops

2. What are Bt Crops? Bt crops are transgenic crops that are genetically engineered from the DNA of bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.” Bt Crops are transgenic crops that produce the same toxin as the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis in the plant cell, thereby, protecting the crops from pests. The bacterium secretes specific proteins known as “cry proteins” that are toxic to insects. A few of the Bt crops include cotton, brinjal, corn, etc.

3. Bacillus thuringiensis Bacillus thuringiensis is a gram-positive, spore-forming bacteria which is mainly found in the soil. As stated above, it produces proteins that are toxic to insects. Organic farmers use this bacterium in a solution and spray it on the plants to protect them from pests. The practice of using Bacillus thuringiensis began in the year 1996 with small quantities of genes from the bacterium. This facilitated the production of cry proteins in plant cells that helped to kill pests. Pests like European and southwestern corn borer, tobacco and cotton budworm, pink bollworm and Colorado potato beetle largely destroyed the crop yields.

4. Bt Cotton Bt Brinjal Bt Corn Bt Potato Example of BT Crops

5. Bt Cotton The Bt cotton variety is genetically transformed with the Bt gene to protect the plants from bollworm, a major pest of cotton. The worms present on the leaves of Bt cotton become lethargic and sleepy and thus, cause less damage to the plants. When the worms consume the plant, the toxic proteins produced by the crops are ingested, thereby, killing them.

6. Bt brinjal is also produced by genetic transformation of a crystal protein gene  cry 1 Ac  from the bacterium  Bacillus thuringiensis.  Bt brinjal was developed to provide resistance against lepidopteron insects. The proteins produced by Bt genes bind to the receptors present on the insect’s membrane, resulting in the formation of pores on the membranes. This disrupts the digestive process and leads to the death of the insect. Bt Brinjal

7. Bt -Corn Bt -corn is a type of genetically modified organism, termed GMO. A GMO is a plant or animal that has been genetically modified through the addition of a small amount of genetic material from other organisms through molecular techniques.

8. Bt corn is a genetically modified organism, which means a small amount of genetic material from a different, naturally occurring organism was added to its genetic makeup. The modified gene can control a pest or a group of pests, thus preventing potentially significant yield losses. One of the most common pests Bt corn protects against is the European corn borer.

9. Resources List the resources you used for your research: Source #1 Source #2 Source #3 Flavr Savr Tomato

10.  Flavr Savr Tomato (also known as CGN-89564-2) is a genetically modified tomato with slow ripening and improved shelf life,produced by Calgene Company, California(1992).  It is the first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption. FLAVR SAVR TOMATO

11. Fruit softening is promoted by an enzyme Polygalactouronase (PG).  It degrades pectin  In the transgenic Flvr Savr Tomato,the gene that synthesizes Polygalactouronase is blocked and thus prevented it from softening, while still allowing the tomato to retain its natural colour and flavour .

12.  The transgenic variety ripens normally but experiences less pectin breakdown and, therefore, has increased thickness and consistency that benefits all stages of harvesting and processing.

13. Advantages of Bt Crops Following are the major advantages of Bt crops: It helps in improving the crop yield, thereby, raising the farmer’s income. This results in increased farm production. They help in controlling soil pollution as the use of synthetic pesticides is reduced. Bt crops help in protecting beneficial insects. It can easily feed an increasing population due to increased yields in a short time. It leads to the production of disease-free crops owing to the reduction of pesticides. It leads to more productivity in a small area of land.

14. Disadvantages of Bt Crops Bt crops have a few disadvantages as well: Bt crops are costlier than naturally grown crops. It can disrupt the natural process of gene flow. The pests might become resistant to the toxins produced by these crops and the crop production might decline.ke a timeline of the important historical event or list historical contributions made by people of Asian Pacific heritage.

15. Bt has no toxic impact in higher animals (HUMAN) because of….. • Acidic stomach • Very low pH (∽1.5 in humans) • Absence of required receptors Bt is safe to non-target organisms- HUMAN