This paper is relevant to the impact areas in the following areas:
| Crops | Cotton |
| Traits | Insect Res. (BT), Insect Resistance |
| Countries | Kenya |
| Regions | Africa |
| Tags | bollworm |
Cotton production in the country has been characterized by low returns per unit area due to the high cost of pesticides and the low yields. One of the critical constraints in production is pests, the main pest being the African boll worm. It is with this background, that the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) embarked on trials to introduce transgenic cotton. This cotton is derived through genetic modification involving cry1ac and cry2ab2 genes have the potential to improve productivity. Commercial production of transgenic cotton was introduced in 1996 and has been grown in different regions of the world. In Africa, the cotton is commercially grown in South Africa and Burkina Faso. However, in Kenya transgenic cotton is still under Confined Field Trials at research Centers of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. Bollgard II which carries two genes cry1ac and cry2ab2 encoding for 2 toxic proteins, was imported and experiments set up in 2006/2007, repeated in 2007/2008 and in 2008/2009 growing seasons. The cotton varieties were, BGII 06Z604D, Isoline 99M03 and a domestic variety HART 89M, with a control plot for both BGII 06Z604D and HART 89M. Experiments comprised three different treatments (treatment for sucking pest (six sprays) and treatment for all pests (six sprays) and no treatment for any pest) replicated four times. Data were collected on cost of production (labour, and pesticide use) and the yield (boll count and weight of the bolls). Budgetary technique using gross margin was applied to the data. Seasonal data indicated that yields of the Bt varieties were significantly higher than those of the HART 89M. Transgenic cotton requires lesser pesticides relative to HART 89M and ensures that the fruiting structures are not damaged by the bollworms thus resulting in higher productivity. The significant reduction in pesticide use has the potential to reduce environmental poisoning thus preserving the ecosystem. The study therefore recommends further investigation of transgenic cotton in farmer managed trials, which will allow for more accurate estimation across different regions.
Cost benefit analysis of transgenic cotton containing cry1ac and cry2ab2 genes and HART 89M: Evidence from confined field trials in Kenya (held on an external server, and so may require additional authentication details)
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