The purpose of this article is to provide information on the history, accomplishments, and future direction of the Bt brinjal (eggplant) program in Bangladesh, formerly under the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II, now the South Asia Eggplant Improvement Partnership (SAEIP). The India-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco) developed an eggplant expressing Cry1Ac (EE-1) for control of the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB). In a partnership among Mahyco, USAID, Sathguru Management Consultants and Cornell University EE-1 was provided to the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) who bred it into local varieties. After regulatory approval, four varieties were distributed to 20 farmers who harvested Bt brinjal in 2014. Adoption in subsequent years has increased rapidly so that, in 2018, 27,012 farmers used this technology. This article provides background information on the process leading up to current adoption levels, the level of control of EFSB achieved and the economic benefits of Bt brinjal. Efforts on stewardship, farmer training and communication are discussed. In order to ensure the long-term future of the partnership, we discuss the need to enhance involvement of the private sector in the production and stewardship of Bt eggplant. Bt brinjal is the first genetically engineered crop to be commercially released in Bangladesh, and other GE crops are in the pipeline. Hence, success of the Bt brinjal partnership is likely to affect the future of other GE crops in Bangladesh, as well as other parts of the world where biotechnology is needed for food security and environmental safety.
Eggplant (brinjal) is a popular vegetable that provides an important source of income for small, resource-poor Bangladeshi farmers. The biggest constraint to brinjal production is the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB). This study was conducted in 2019 in five districts in Bangladesh and examined the impacts of using genetically engineered, insect-resistant brinjal (Bt brinjal) on its value and marketing. Based on a survey of Bt and non-Bt farmers, results indicate that Bt brinjal provided an average of 19.6% higher yield and 21.7% higher revenue compared to non-Bt varieties. On a per tonne basis, the revenue benefit of using Bt brinjal was 1.7%, reflecting different levels of acceptability among trade buyers and consumers. Some were prepared to pay higher prices for Bt brinjal compared to non-Bt brinjal because the fruit was less damaged, while others paid a price discount because the Bt brinjal was not available in preferred local varieties. Labor use, expressed in 8-h days, for harvesting, grading, and packaging of Bt brinjal was 14% higher for Bt brinjal, reflecting the increased yields of Bt brinjal. 83.1% of Bt brinjal growers were satisfied with the yields obtained, and 80.6% were satisfied with the quality of fruit. This contrasts with non-Bt brinjal growers where 58.7% were satisfied with their yields and 28% indicated that a large portion of their fruit was infested, not a concern for Bt brinjal. Three-quarters of Bt brinjal growers planned to plant Bt brinjal next season because of the apparent benefits achieved of higher yields, revenue and fruit quality. Many also highlighted the benefits of reduced insecticides. Of the non-Bt growers, 39.6% had not heard of Bt brinjal. However, after hearing more about the impact of the technology, 71.4% of them indicated they planned to grow Bt brinjal next season. These findings suggest there are significant benefits of Bt brinjal and highlight the importance of making the technology available in more varieties that are suitable to local conditions and consumer preferences. Additional studies are warranted to corroborate these findings and explore in more detail the factors influencing decisions made by farmers and consumers regarding Bt brinjal.
Wheat is a staple crop in Nepal and is the third major cereal crop grown across the country. To improve productivity and increase the number of farmers growing wheat, the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), since 1962, has been releasing new wheat varieties with higher productivity and disease resistance. Accurate identification of the varieties grown in farmer's fields is critical for assessing the adoption levels and the impact of new varieties. This understanding can change the landscape of the wheat market and the overall vulnerability of the crop to diseases and abiotic stresses. Current methods of identification that rely on farmer description and morphological traits have been associated with ambiguity. The objective of this study was to determine the varietal adoption of wheat in the seven wheat-growing provinces of Nepal using DNA fingerprinting technology. The study revealed that 'Gautam' and 'Vijay' are the most popular wheat varieties planted in the plain areas of Nepal. The area covered in these varieties during the 2018-2019 wheat season was 20.3 and 19.5% respectively. 'WK1204' was popular and mostly planted in the mountainous areas of Nepal during the October-May cropping season. The decommissioned varieties, including 'Pitic62', 'Kalyansona', 'Siddhartha', 'Vaskar', 'Vinayak', and 'NL 251' are still in use by 8% of wheat farmers across Nepal. Almost 38% of the varieties currently grown were released 20 yr ago. The varietal adoption was determined using molecular markers through fingerprinting, and its implications are discussed in this paper.
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) demand in Bangladesh has increased significantly in recent years, becoming the second major staple cereal after rice (Oryza sativa L.). Domestic production of wheat accounts for only 16% of domestic use. More than 30 wheat varieties have been released in the past 30 yr by the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI). In the last 10 yr alone, nine varieties with improved yield and disease resistance have been released. Bangladesh and the BWMRI lack the regulatory framework and infrastructure to accurately track the rate of adoption of these new releases. To determine the adoption of these varieties across the country, DNA fingerprinting of wheat samples was conducted across the six wheat growing regions in Bangladesh during the 2018–2019 cropping season. A reference library was established to compare and identify the wheat samples collected from farmers’ fields. Wheat grain samples collected from the fields and breeders’ lines were genotyped using Diversity Arrays Technology sequencing (DArTseq)‐based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Of the 1,791 samples collected from farmers’ fields, 68% were identified as varieties released after 2000 and 32% matched with older varieties. Among the varieties grown, BARI Gom 25 represented 29% of the collected samples followed by 23% of BARI Gom 24 and 16% of BARI Gom 26. These three most common varieties were well distributed across the six regions and have broad adoption.
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