Having isolated a novel crystal toxic gene that tackles pink boll worm which has been threatening sustainability of Bollgard II cotton cultivation in India, the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI), Coimbatore, is set to develop transgenic cotton hybrids and making available commercial seeds by 2030 through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

Factoring in the national priority to develop resistant cotton hybrids to arrest decline in the cotton-growing area and to increase cotton production, a team of ICAR-SBI, after research work for over 15 years, successfully isolated the novel Bacillus thurigiensis crystal toxin genes active against insect pests. One of the novel crystal toxin gene discovered was found promising against pink bollworm resistant to Bollgard II, director of the Institute P. Govindaraj said in a press release.

The Institute, lead scientist B. Singaravelu said, will work further on the high-value flagship technology through PPP.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan initiated the exchange of the MoU between ICAR-SBI and Rasi Seeds at a function in New Delhi on Thursday.