Bt Toxin & Pest-Resistant Crops — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2025Some 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.
NTA tests your understanding of how Bt toxin, produced by Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria, is cloned into crop plants to create natural pest resistance without synthetic pesticides. Students commonly confuse Bt toxin with pesticides themselves, or forget that the toxin gene is *inserted* into plants, not just applied externally. Key point: Bt crops express the Bt toxin gene internally, killing specific insect pests when they feed on the plant, while being harmless to humans and non-target organisms. Remember the examples (Bt cotton, corn, rice, tomato, potato, soybean) and that this is a successful biotechnology application reducing chemical pesticide use in agriculture.
This paragraph was tested 2 times in NEET.
An important objective of biotechnology in agriculture is to:
Bt cotton variety that was developed by the introduction of toxin gene of Bacillus thuringiensis is resistant to:
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