Several issues developing around Bt crops [chickpea, pigeonpea, sorghum] at ICRISAT. Considerable difficulties with achieving high expression and lack of clear understanding of deployment or management needs. This is particularly significant in an environment where Bt cotton is already grown and likely to be very extensively grown before any further Bt crops are deployed. ICRISAT committed to providing technology and varieties at no cost to producers, but has limited capacity to really engage with producers.

Delivered a seminar on “Bt cotton in Integrated Pest Management” and stressed the issues of coordinated use of Bt genes across crops.