Bt Cotton

Reduced production risks and enhanced opportunities to grow Bt cotton

Given that Lepidopteran pest infestations are one of the principal contributors to low and unstable yields, Bt cotton significantly reduces the production risks for cotton farmers, to which they assign very high priority. This is particularly important when international cotton prices are low and when damage from pest infestations can make a difference between a profit and a loss.

Some locations pose restrictions to the use of conventional cotton. These restrictions may be related to unusually heavy pest infestations and/or the presence of insecticide resistant strains making cotton-growing unprofitable. For example, in the Yellow River region of China, cotton production decreased from around 3 million tons in 1991 to 1.4 million tons in 1993, because the bollworm infestation level was so high that it became unprofitable to grow cotton. In 1999, the land that had formerly been precluded from cotton production because of bollworm infestation was replanted to Bt cotton and farm levels of cotton production were restored in the Yellow River region (Pray et al 2002). Similarly, prior to the introduction of Bt cotton in the US in 1996, areas in the southern states of the USA had abandoned growing cotton because of severe problems with pink bollworm (Edge et al 2001). There are similar areas where pest pressures have precluded the commercial production of cotton in other cotton-growing regions of the world (Benedict 1996). Restrictions related to the proximity of bodies of water (lakes, rivers) or leisure areas (parks) and residential areas, where spraying of insecticides would be limited or unacceptable, may also apply. ReJesus et al (1997) confirm that location of cotton field and other factors, including distance from the farm, type of soil, and use of irrigation, impact and constrain the farmer’s decision to plant conventional cotton, which requires multiple sprays. For example, heavy clay soils do not lend themselves for spraying because soils become wet and difficult to traverse. Similarly, if the crop is irrigated, pipes have to be dismantled and reconnected requiring additional labor. Bt cotton requiring none or only a few sprays means that these constraints do not apply or they become less limiting. In summary, Bt cotton provides farmers much more flexibility and is subject to less constraints, and therefore impacts positively on the future economic outlook for the cotton industry, providing more stability as well as decreasing production risk, which is of critical importance to cotton growers worldwide.

Summary topics:

• Agronomic Benefits
• Environmental Benefits
  • Reduction in use of cotton insecticides
  • Less insecticides in aquifers and the environment
  • Farmer exposure to insecticide and health implications
  • Increased populations of beneficial insects
  • Reduced risk for wildlife
  • Reduced fuel and raw material consumption, and pollution
• Social benefits
  • Social implications of saving water by reducing number of insecticide sprays
• Economic benefits
  • China
  • USA
  • India
  • Others
  • Distribution of economic surplus to Bt cotton stakeholders

Related topics:

• The cotton crop
• Global distribution of cotton in developing and industrial countries, by area, production, consumption, imports, and exports
• Number of cotton farmers worldwide and size of farms
• Insect pests of cotton
• Crop losses due to insect pests of cotton and the cost of control
• Global insecticide usage on cotton
• The use of Bt genes in cotton
• Assessment of environmental risk and Insect Resistance Management (IRM) strategies
• Global adoption of Bt cotton
• Bt cotton experience to date
• Summary: Agronomic, Environmental, Social and Economic Benefits
• Future global potential for Bt cotton: opportunities and challenges
• Highlights

Summary Report on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops - [View the 2004 report]

Transgenic Crops - [Click Here]

Extensive Study on Bt Cotton - [Click Here]

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SciDev.Net's dossier on GM crops - [Click here]

Global Status of Approved Genetically Modified Plants -  [Click here]

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