Field Visit to the Elite Egyptian Bt Cotton Varieties Organized

The Cotton Research Institute of Egypt, in collaboration with the Biotechnology Information Center of Egypt (EBIC), arranged a field visit to the Bt cotton trial in Sakha experimental station in Delta. Participants included members of the National Biosafety Committee, cotton breeders, entomologists and representatives from the private sector. Prof. Monir Gad, director of the Cotton Research Institute, explained that the “project started in 2000 by cross breeding the Giza selected elite varieties of cotton with the BollGard II variety harboring the Bt genes”. The cross breeding selection has lead to the development of Egyptian cotton varieties with Bt genes. “We are currently testing the morphology of selected plants and comparing it to the Egyptian parent's characters, and analyzing their ability to resist cotton leaf worm and bollworms”, added Prof. Gad.  

Institutions involved in the evaluation of the new Bt Giza varieties are the Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI), the Cotton Research Institute, and the Plant Protection Institute. Dr. Hassan Dahey from the Plant Protection Institute explained that "the new Bt cotton varieties show from 95 to 100% protection against cotton leaf worm infestation while it is almost 100% protection toward the bollworms".   There are three field trials of the new Giza Bt varieties in Egypt this season, in a total of 8.5 Feddan (8.9 acres). The field trials have been designed and are carried out under the supervision of the National Biosafety Committee.  

For more information please contact Prof. Monir Gad at: mounirgad@hotmail.com or Dr. Ismail AbdelHamid, EBIC director, at: ismail@egypt-bic.com.