Abstract
Abstract The success of genetically modified crops (GMCs), claimed to hold solution to impending environmental problems, depends on land holdings, agroclimatic and geoclimatic conditions, food preferences and sociocultural factors. The direct and indirect impacts of these crops on human health, ecology and environment have not been evaluated on long-term basis. In India, with rich background of farming, GMCs remain a minor change. Introduction of first GMC, Bt Cotton (BC), showed varied response throughout the country. New GMCs like Bt Brinjal and GM Mustard approved for open-field trials in the country were marred under contentious debate and were never approved for commercial cultivation. The current research article aims to study the ecological implications of only GMC available for experimentation in India, BC. A three-phase study carried out as field survey, glass dome experiments and open-field trials compared the BC and conventional cotton (CC) plants with extensive experimentation of ecological parameters including vegetation diversity, insect diversity, plant morphology and infestation intensity. Results highlighted the better morphological characteristics of BC over CC, while infestation studies showed 40% survival rate of insect pest on BC for which it is genetically modified. High electrical conductivity and low organic matter content in the BC soil samples as compared to CC soil samples were indicative of impact of Bt toxins in soil but need further in-depth soil studies to reach scientifically valid results. The current research article substantiates the environmental concerns raised against GMCs especially BC in the country. Its objective is to trigger more research in this direction, so that the technology of GMCs is utilized for the benefit of humankind.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Bt cotton had better morphological characteristics than conventional cotton.
- Taxon
- cotton
Gossypium hirsutumt0 - Treatment
- BCe1
- Outcome
- morphological characteristicse1
- Direction
- bettere1
- Comparator
- CCe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Experiments with Bt Cotton to explore the road ahead”
e1“Results highlighted the better morphological characteristics of BC over CC”
Claim · model-written summary
The survival rate of an insect pest on Bt cotton was 40%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Interactor
- insect peste2pest
- Outcome
- survival rate of insect peste2
- Value
- 40%e2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Experiments with Bt Cotton to explore the road ahead”
e2“infestation studies showed 40% survival rate of insect pest on BC for which it is genetically modified”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil under Bt cotton had higher electrical conductivity than soil under conventional cotton.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- BCe3
- Outcome
- electrical conductivitye3
- Direction
- Highe3
- Comparator
- CC soil samplese3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Experiments with Bt Cotton to explore the road ahead”
e3“High electrical conductivity and low organic matter content in the BC soil samples as compared to CC soil samples”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil under Bt cotton had lower organic matter content than soil under conventional cotton.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- BCe3
- Outcome
- organic matter contente3
- Direction
- lowe3
- Comparator
- CC soil samplese3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Experiments with Bt Cotton to explore the road ahead”
e3“High electrical conductivity and low organic matter content in the BC soil samples as compared to CC soil samples”
The same questions in other papers
transgenic · molecular: metabolites · Gossypium hirsutum (cotton)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 24 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
23 papers more in this group
See all 27 papers →transgenic · soil: chemistry · Gossypium hirsutum (cotton)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- no effect
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.