Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) entered into agreement for developing indigenous BT Cotton.
In order to develop indigenous Bt cotton, TNAU has already developed a potent Bt gene and using this, cotton events resistant to the boll worms were generated, a University release said today.
TNAU in collaboration with CICR, Nagpur will further work on the development of indigenous Bt cotton, it said.
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With the advent of recombinant DNA and genetic transformation technology, it was possible to introduce a specific gene from a soil bacterium into cotton plant, which expressed a BT protein and has insecticidal activity against the boll worms, it said.
The MoU was signed by Dr C R Anandakumar, Acting vice-chancellor, TNAU and N Gopalakrishnan, Principal scientist, CICR Regional Station, Coimbatore, in the presence Dr. S. Ayyappan, Director General, Indian Council for Agriculture Research, Delhi and Prof K. Ramasamy, Member, State Planning Commission, Tamil Nadu.