Bt toxin is expressed in plants to provide resistance to insects; hence used as a bio-pesticide. Select the correct examples of Bt plants:
(A) Bt Cotton
(B) Bt Rice
(C) Bt Peas
(D) Bt Corn
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (D) only
A Bt plant carries a cry gene taken from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. The gene makes a protein that kills certain insects, so the plant protects itself without chemical insecticides.
(A) Bt Cotton — Correct. Bt cotton carries the genes cryIAc and cryIIAb, which control the cotton bollworm.
(B) Bt Rice — Correct. Rice is one of the crops in which the Bt toxin gene has been expressed.
(C) Bt Peas — Incorrect. Pea is not among the Bt crops the book names: cotton, corn, rice, tomato, potato and soyabean.
(D) Bt Corn — Correct. In Bt corn the gene cryIAb protects the plant from the corn borer.
NCERT Extract:
Biotechnological Applications in Agriculture – “… Some of the applications of biotechnology in agriculture that you will study in detail are the production of pest resistant plants, which could decrease the amount of pesticide used. Bt toxin is produced by a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt for short). Bt toxin gene has been cloned from the bacteria and been expressed in plants to provide resistance to insects without the need for insecticides; in effect created a bio-pesticide. Examples are Bt cotton, Bt corn, rice, tomato, potato and soyabean etc.”