Genetically Modified Aubergine (Also Called Brinjal or Solanum melongena )

Aubergine (also called brinjal or eggplant) ( Solanum melongena ), the “king of vegetables,” is vulnerable to many insect and pest attacks at all stages of development and in all tissues. The monophagous brinjal fruit and shoot borer (FSB) ( Leucinodes orbonalis ) and the polyphagous brinjal fruit borer ( Helicoverpa armigera ) are the major pests. Despite the extensive use of chemical pesticides, FSB is difficult to control as the larvae, often hidden in the fruit, do not come into contact with the insecticides. The extensive pesticide use is not only harmful to human health and the environment but is also not sustainable. As an insect management strategy Bt-crops have revolutionized the history of agriculture. Bt-brinjal, with the lepidopteron-specific cry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis tolerant to the fruit and shoot borer, was created by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company Ltd (Mahyco) in Pune, India. Bt-brinjal was subjected to compositional, nutritional, toxicity, allergenicity, feeding evaluation, and agronomic performance testing from 2003 to 2008 by Mahyco and public sector institutions and accredited private testing houses. Although the data of science-based safety studies were approved by regulatory authorities and commercial release was recommended, a moratorium on commercialization was imposed in February, 2010, and remains in place as of this writing. Yet neighboring Bangladesh has approved the commercial release of Bt-brinjal.