A. M. Shelton*
Department of Entomology, Cornell/NYSAES, Geneva, NY, United States
M. J. Hossain
Feed the Future South Asia Eggplant Improvement Partnership, Dhaka, Bangladesh
V. Paranjape
Sathguru Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India
A. K. Azad
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh
M. L. Rahman
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh
A. S. M. M. R. Khan
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh
M. Z. H. Prodhan
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh
M. A. Rashid
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh
R. Majumder
Sathguru Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India
M. A. Hossain
Feed the Future South Asia Eggplant Improvement Partnership, Dhaka, Bangladesh
S. S. Hussain
Feed the Future South Asia Eggplant Improvement Partnership, Dhaka, Bangladesh
J. E. Huesing
USAID/BFS USDA/ARS OIRP, Research Division, Office of Agriculture Research & Policy, Washington, DC, United States
L. McCandless
International Programs, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
Bt Eggplant, Project, Bangladesh
Feed the Future South Asia Eggplant Improvement Partnership, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Crop-Soil-Water Management
Approval Process
BARI applied to the National Technical Committee on Crop Biotechnology (NTCCB) to release Bt eggplant. Following the recommendation from NTCCB, the application for release was forwarded to the NTCCB Core Committee followed by the National Committee on BioSafety (NCB). The Bangladesh government granted approval for release of four varieties (BARI Bt brinjal varieties 1, 2, 3, and 4) for “limited cultivation” in the field on 30 October 2013 (three other varieties are pending and two others are uncertain). On 22 January 2014, Bt seedlings of the four lines were distributed to 20 farmers in four districts.
Rapid Adoption
In 2014–15, BARI provided seeds or transplants to its On-farm Research Division (OFRD) to conduct research/demonstration trials on 108 farmer fields in 19 districts. In 2015–16 and 2016–17, demonstration trials were conducted in 250 farmer fields in 25 districts and 512 farmer fields in 36 districts, respectively. In 2017–18, BARI provided seeds to 569 farmers in 40 districts. In addition to distribution by BARI, seeds have also been distributed to farmers through the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) to 6,000 and 7,001 farmers in 2016–17 and 2017–18, respectively, and for sale through the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation to an additional 17,950 farmers in 2018 (Figure 1). With an estimated 150,000 brinjal farmers in Bangladesh, the 2018 adoption translates to an estimated ~17% of brinjal farmers in Bangladesh who are enjoying the benefits of the technology.
Economics and Pesticide Use
A study was conducted by BARI scientists in 35 districts during the 2016–17 cropping season using 505 Bt brinjal farmers and 350 non-Bt brinjal farmers (unpublished). Net returns per hectare were $2,151/ha for Bt brinjal as compared to $357/ha for non-Bt brinjal, a 6-fold difference. This study also indicated that farmers saved 61% of the pesticide cost compared to non- Bt brinjal farmers, experienced no losses due to EFSB, and received higher net returns.
Similar economic benefits were obtained in a two-year experiment by another set of BARI scientists who found that a higher return was obtained from the Bt varieties over non-Bt isolines, irrespective of insecticide spray regime (unpublished). Results indicated that high quality EFSB-free brinjal could be produced without insecticide treatments but that insecticide control of “sucking insects” provided even higher economic returns on the Bt lines.
Strategies for Sustaining the Technology
The economic and environmental benefits of Bt brinjal are clear: enhanced control of a difficult insect pest; reduced use of insecticides and their effects on applicators, consumers, and non-target organisms in the environment; and increased revenue to farmers. Stewardship strategies are needed to sustain these benefits in Bangladesh.
Farmer Training
Farmer training is the lynchpin of sustainable production of this valuable product in Bangladesh. Prior to the first release of Bt brinjal in 2014, farmer training was conducted by BARI, and BARI continues to be the institution responsible for training. Bangladeshi farmers are well versed in growing brinjal, so training is focused on the unique aspects of Bt brinjal—mainly the requirements to plant a refuge of non-Bt brinjal and the need to manage other “sucking insects.”
BARI continues training efforts through hundreds of OFRD farm trails mentioned above in dozens of districts in Bangladesh where brinjal is grown. In addition to BARI, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the Agriculture Information Service (AIS) have more recently become involved in training and distributing information on Bt brinjal. These units have their own facilities and personnel for farmer training. The partnership is in a position to help support their efforts to meet this increased demand for information.
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 03 August 2018 |
Journal