Biotech Updates

Endophytic Fungi Associated with Bt and Non-Bt Cotton

June 24, 2011

Bt cotton, a genetically modified crop, expresses Cry1Ac protein from Bacillus thuringiensis, which could affect the plants capability to host fungal endophytes. Thus, Paula Danielle de Souza Vieira of the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, together with other scientists, evaluated the diversity of fungal endophytes in leaves, stems, and roots of Bt cotton and its isoline. At different plant stages, possible non-target effects of Bt cotton to the fungal endophyte communities were investigated.

There were 17 different genera of fungal endophytes isolated from the plants, with Phomopsis archeri as the dominant species in leaves and stems and Phoma destructiva in root. No significant differences were observed between the fungal endophytes in Bt and non-Bt cotton plants. However, there were variations in diversity and composition of the fungal community across different plant stages.

Read the abstract at http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a938604555.