About the Project
| About the Bt Brinjal Project |
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Brinjal, a widely consumed vegetable crop in the tropics, is commonly infested by Brinjal fruit and shoot borer (EFSB), which devastates both plants in the field during development and Brinjal fruits post harvest. The approach so adopted was the application of insect-resistance technology (based on the Cry1Ac protein from Bacillus thuringiensis) in Brinjal and commercializing it in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Like all food crops assailed by pests, Brinjal crops are ravaged by the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer (Leucinodes orbonalis), or EFSB, the most widespread and devastating pest in South and Southeast Asia, with infestation inflicting about a 70% crop loss. The EFSB larvae feed inside the Brinjal shoot and fruits, retarding the vegetative growth of the plant and decreasing the marketability and edibility of the fruit. Countless attempts to crossbreed Brinjal varieties with EFSB-resistant wild varieties have been unsuccessful forcing the farming community to rely heavily on chemical pesticides for pest control. The EFSB population has gradually become resistant to chemical inputs compelling the farmers to resort to illegal methods of combining chemical pesticides, risking human health and the environment to control the insect.
The Collaborative Effort: Technology and its transfer MAHYCO is the first private Indian company to have received the rights under license for the use of the Bt cry1Ac gene technology for insect-pest management from Monsanto Company. This licensed cry gene technology was used by MAHYCO to develop and generate hybrid Brinjal events. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a spore-forming bacterium, produces crystal proteins (called Cry proteins) toxic to many species of insects, including EFSB. With specific mode of action, the lethal Bt protein is ingested by the insect and is activated in the high pH environment of the insect gut. The activated protein perforates the lining of the gut, annihilating the insect. The main advantage of this technology is that it reduces the use of chemical pest control making the technology safe for the environment as well as human consumption. The Bt cry1Ac-gene technology, on a probono basis was sublicensed by MAHYCO to several public institutes in South and Southeast Asia that were participating in a public-private consortium created by the ABSPII initiative to foster development of the EFSB resistant Brinjal and its widespread distribution. The ABSP II played a pivotal role in this venture by funding all the consortium partners for their R&D roles in developing the EFSB-resistant Brinjal.
Partnerships
India The public institutional partners in the consortium comprise of
These were chosen because they have capability and infrastructure for seed development and multiplication for end use distribution.
Philippines The Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos (IPB-UPLB) is the partner, given its proven track record of producing and distributing foundation and certified seed of open-pollinated varieties and hybrids of various economically important crops including vegetables to the resource-constrained farmers and other user communities.
 Bangladesh The primary private sector partner is East-West Seeds, a multinational vegetable seed producer with a leading market position in all major South East and South Asian vegetable seed markets. The main public partner is the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) which has developed numerous Brinjal varieties. TMahyco developed the Bt Brinjal events, which were transferred to the public institutions in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines for backcrossing and propagating regional Brinjal varieties other than hybrids. The technology was sublicensed by MAHYCO on a royalty-free basis to public research institutes in South and South-East Asia; and on commercial royalty-bearing terms to private partner in Bangladesh. To safeguard the licensor’s interests, specific strategies for the stewardship and monitoring of the technology by the licensees was addressed and formulated early in the sublicensing process.
Outreach and Benefit: The first transgenic Bt hybrids developed by MAHYCO are slated to be commercially released in India by the end year 2009 after the fulfillment of all regulatory requirements. The transgenic regional varieties under development by the public-private partnership initiative are expected to be commercialized mid 2009. Most resource-constrained farmers in the developing world cultivate their local regional varieties because of the lower costs involved. By recognizing these agricultural practices, and by providing the public sector with access to Bt technology for use in regional varieties, via a unique public-private partnership, MAHYCO commercializes both, its Bt hybrid Brinjal (sold on a for-profit basis) and through it’s donation, addresses the need to improve crops of vital importance to poor farmers. This public-private partnership also addresses distribution issues: the participating public institutions will be able to deliver high-quality Bt Brinjal seeds that are resistant to EFSB through their own public distribution systems on a cost basis (in other words, without adding profit margins).
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