Genetically modified crops in India: Experiments with Bt Cotton to explore the road ahead

The success of genetically modified crops (GMCs), claimed to hold solution to impending environmental problems, depends on land holdings, agroclimatic and geoclimatic conditions, food preferences and sociocultural factors. The direct and indirect impacts of these crops on human health, ecology and environment have not been evaluated on long-term basis. In India, with rich background of farming, GMCs remain a minor change. Introduction of first GMC, Bt Cotton (BC), showed varied response throughout the country. New GMCs like Bt Brinjal and GM Mustard approved for open-field trials in the country were marred under contentious debate and were never approved for commercial cultivation. The current research article aims to study the ecological implications of only GMC available for experimentation in India, BC. A three-phase study carried out as field survey, glass dome experiments and open-field trials compared the BC and conventional cotton (CC) plants with extensive experimentation of ecological parameters including vegetation diversity, insect diversity, plant morphology and infestation intensity. Results highlighted the better morphological characteristics of BC over CC, while infestation studies showed 40% survival rate of insect pest on BC for which it is genetically modified. High electrical conductivity and low organic matter content in the BC soil samples as compared to CC soil samples were indicative of impact of Bt toxins in soil but need further in-depth soil studies to reach scientifically valid results. The current research article substantiates the environmental concerns raised against GMCs especially BC in the country. Its objective is to trigger more research in this direction, so that the technology of GMCs is utilized for the benefit of humankind.