UPSC Prelims 2021 question on Bollgard Bt Cotton

Bollgard I Bt cotton (single-gene technology) is India's first biotech crop technology approved for commercialization in India in 2002, followed by Bollgard II – double-gene technology in mid-2006, by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the Indian regulatory body for biotech crops.

Bollgard cotton provides in-built protection for cotton against destructive American Bollworm Heliothis Armigera infestations, and contains an insecticidal protein from a naturally occurring soil microorganism, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Bollgard II technology contains a superior double-gene technology – Cry1Ac and Cry 2Ab which provides protection against bollworms and Spodoptera caterpillar, leading to better boll retention, maximum yield, lower pesticides costs, and protection against insect resistance.

Both, Bollgard II and Bollgard insect-protected cotton are widely planted around the world as an environmentally friendly way of controlling bollworms.

Hence option (b) is the correct option.