Description : | Viral diseases are a serious problem in several crops of agriculture, horticulture, and ornamental importance all over the world; especially in poor economies. Therefore, we have developed GM cotton (Event138NBRI) that attracts whiteflies and kills them. It expresses an insecticidal protein of 38 kDa of plant origin. The GM cotton also produces ß-Caryophyllene and ?-humulin in 2-3-fold higher amount in comparison to a normal cotton. These two molecules act as a signal for whitefly to identify the host plant for colonization. Due to their continuous synthesis and release, GM cotton attracts whitefly from neighbourhood. The insecticidal protein produced in GM cotton affects the physiology of whitefly adversely viz; poor metabolization of food, loss of glucose in excreta, excess feeding and excretion, low ATP, deposition of wax on legs etc. Gluey leaf surface, waxy legs and low biological energy restrict whiteflies from taking a flight and infest alternative plants. This feature makes GM cotton as an excellent trap-cum-death sink for whitefly. The trap function increases with the number of whiteflies feeding on GM cotton. |