Cornell U. Helps Develop GM Eggplant for Asia

An eggplant variety has been genetically modified to contain the natural insecticide from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), to improve its resistance to the fruit and shoot borer. Scientists from Cornell University, in partnership with Sathguru Management Consultants of India, led an international consortium through the first phase of the project. The project is a part of the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSPII), and is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Eggplant is a popular crop in the subtropics and tropics, especially in India and Bangladesh, where it is grown on about 1.5 million acres. Eggplant is sprayed many times during its fruiting stage to kill the larvae that penetrate the fruit. Insecticide spraying will not be effective anymore once the larvae have gotten inside the fruit. Insecticide use is expected to be reduced by 30%, and the yield to double as a result of better insect protection in genetically-modified eggplant.

"Cornell has worked effectively to facilitate a productive partnership between the public and private sectors that will make this technology available to eggplant producers at every economic level," said Ronnie Coffman, international professor of plant breeding and genetics and director of International Programs in Cornell 's College Agricultural Life Sciences CALS. Once all the greenhouse and field testing has been completed, the Bt eggplant will be released to the farmers in Asia by 2009.

For the full report, see press release at: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Sept07/EggplantBt.kr.html