This paper is relevant to the impact areas in the following areas:
| Crops | Cotton |
| Traits | Insect Res. (BT), Insect Resistance |
| Countries | India |
| Regions | Asia |
| Tags | Apis mellifera |
Transgenic cotton, expressing insecticidal Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes, is among the dominating bee forage crops in India. In North-western states, it provides nectar and pollen during July to September months, when other flowering crops are scanty. Towards assessing the biosafety of the transgenic cotton for honey bees, the expression of Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab proteins in pollen was evaluated. The mean detection of Cry1Ac protein in transgenic BG (Bollgard) cotton cultivar (PAU Bt1) and BG II cultivars (RCH 773, NCS 855, Ankur 3028 and LHH 144) was 65.99 ± 4.66 ng/g (range 61.18 – 72.93 ng/g). The mean detection of Cry2Ab protein in BGII cultivars was 266.43 ± 21.45 ng/g (range 244.77 – 292.71 ng/g). Development of Apis mellifera L. colonies in the vicinity of transgenic (BG & BGII) and non-transgenic cotton was statistically at par with each other. This implies that level of Cry 1Ac and Cry 2Ab proteins in pollen of transgenic cotton did not have adverse effects on A. mellifera colonies
Assessment of Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab proteins in pollen of various transgenic cotton cultivars and effect on Apis mellifera L. colonies’ development (held on an external server, and so may require additional authentication details)
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