Impacts of Bt Brinjal on Economic Benefit of Farmers and Environmental Sustainability in Bangladesh

Abstract

Brinjal or eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is severely attacked by the brinjal shoot and fruit borer (BSFB) insect, which reduces the yield and causes massive loss in brinjal production. This crop plant belongs to the family of Solanaceae, which is one of the common cultivated vegetables throughout the Asia including Bangladesh. This chapter aimed to comprehensively review the knowledge and information of genetically engineered (GE) brinjal called Bt brinjal on economic benefit of growers and environmental sustainability in Bangladesh. As a potential solution to protect eggplant from BSFB, Bangladesh developed and released genetically modified (GM) four Bt brinjal varieties. This transgenic brinjal carries an additional Cry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that provides built-in protection against the devastating BSFB insect. The generated Bt protein is activated in the insect’s alkaline gut and ruptures the gut membrane which is detrimental for the insects, and thus no insecticide spray is required. But, in case of non-Bt brinjal, farmers have to spray insecticides frequently to control that insect but without much success. The residue of applied insecticides is detrimental for the environment and human health. The recent data showed that approximately 17% of total brinjal growers of the country were adopted and directly benefited from this GM technology. By cultivating the Bt brinjal, farmers save approximately USD 115 per hectare as an input cost mainly due to no or less insecticide spray is required for Bt brinjal compared to the non-Bt. By the use of Bt technology, the cost for insecticide use could be reduced up to 61% compared to conventional varieties. Additionally, Bt brinjal farmers receive 30% price premium compared to non-Bt. As a result, Bt brinjal farmers get five times higher returns per hectare than the farmers cultivating non-Bt varieties. It is worth noting that reduced application of insecticide is remarkably beneficial to the environment. No significant negative impacts of Bt brinjal have so far been reported on soil arthropods and other nontarget beneficial organisms. However, the durability of insect resistance by a single Cry1Ac gene and its consequence to the environment are still unclear. Overall, Bt brinjal is a successful GM crop in Bangladesh, which is found profitable for the farmers and good for the environment and human health.