1st Bt picking: high yield with strings attached

Has it given a higher yield as claimed by the company?
Though final figures will only be available by the year end, the first few pickings have shown an increase of 20-30 per cent in yield as compared to other hybrids.

Take T. Ravi in Deshaipalli village in Warangal district, the cotton belt which has seen the first ‘‘flush’’ (the first cotton bolls). This is the same area where cotton crop was a failure last year and was in the headlines because of farmer suicides.

Ravi has sown Bt cotton in one acre of his two-acre farm — Mech 162. For the first time before Diwali, the crops have started yielding results— he has already got 3.5 quintals and is expecting at least 15. Last year, the same patch had yielded 9 quintals from a hybrid.

Is it effective against preventing bollworm attack and has it reduced consumption of insecticide?
Initially, the three Bt hybrids showed ‘‘bollworm infestation’’ intimidating the farmers. The MMB says that one spray is needed if 20 out of 20 plants chosen as random samples show bollworm. However, the pesticide consumption has definitely fallen. ‘‘Last year, I had sown my fields eight times, this time I only had to do it thrice,’’ said Arun Hindole from Dodli Bhingari village in Nagpur district.

Is the price acceptable to the farmers?
The farmers unanimously agree that the cost of Rs 1,600 for 450 gm is high even when the best hybrid is available for Rs 300. Though he still makes a profit because of increased yield and saving in pesticide sprays, small farmers do not have this amount at the time of buying seeds.

Who have still not switched to Bt and why?
An estimated 1 lakh hectares of Bt—a tenth of the total cotton produce—has been sown as that was all the company could come up with last year. Most did not buy it because of the prohibitive prices.

Are reports of wilting from some parts of the country serious?
The wilting, especially in some areas in Maharashtra and Gujarat, was studied by the Central Institute for Cotton Research in Nagpur. It said that the prolonged dry spell followed by heavy rain is the cause of this wilt. ‘‘It has nothing to do with the Bt gene but is a universal phenomenon,’’ says an institute spokesman.

Is Bt cotton more water and fertiliser intensive?
Yes, it requires more maintenance than normal crops. To make the plants work better, a farmer has to do ‘‘scouting’’ twice a week which means he has to choose a sample of 20 plants and monitor it for bollworm larvae and if they reach a certain number, he has to spray. ‘‘We have so much work in our farms that it is not possible to do this regularly. We spray as a precaution,’’ said Lad Simbiah, a farmer from Laxmipuram district in Warangal.

Are farmers following the ‘‘refuge system’’ as prescribed by the GEAC to ensure that pests do not develop resistance in future?
The bad news is that though farmers have planted five rows of non-Bt as refuge in a field as directed by the company but they don’t quite understand its logic. More so since it cuts profits. ‘‘This year I planted it, next year I may not plant it because it is a complete waste,’’ says J Venkatesh from Aller village in Warangal.

‘‘Refuge’’ was made mandatory by the GEAC for two reasons: one, it would help in hosting some bollworm so that it does not get resistant to Bt and two, it would help spread the pollen, if at all, to other cotton plants in the neighbouring areas.

Will the technology sustain for some time or will it exhaust itself because of indiscriminate use?
The farmers are used to leaving the crops till March next year due to lack of irrigation. This means that the plants could show a low level of ‘‘expression of Bt protein’’ making them less deadly for the bollworm. Ideally, the plant has a cycle of 180 days and is supposed to be removed after that.

‘‘Scientifically, it is important for pest control, soil quality and this habit needs to be changed by the farmers to make the Bt work at its optimum,’’ said M K Sharma, MD, MMB.