Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project
2005 Impact statement- Coffman, William R
abstract
Through the efforts of the project partners of the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Projectn in India, the fruit- and shoot-borer resistant eggplant became the first food crop to pass through successful field trials and biosafety and food safety validation. This product is expected to be the first transgenic food crop to be commercialized in India.
submitted by
- Coffman, William R | Director of International Prog
issue being addressed
The fruit and shoot borer reduces the production of eggplant, grown on more than a million acres in India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines, by more than 50 percent even though pesticide is applied more than 80 times during the course of the growing season, polluting the environment and endangering human health.
response
Transgenic varieties of eggplant resistant to fruit and shoot borer have been field tested and undergone biosafety and food safety validation in India.
impact assessment
The Government of India and other concerned parties have been sensitized to the potential for enhanced production of eggplant with reduced pesticide use. Conditions have been met for large scale field testing in 2006.
funding source description
- Other Federal non-USDA (e.g., NSF, NIH, DOA, DOD)
- Government of India
key personnel
- Usha Barwale
- Vijay Raghavan
- Desiree Hautea
- Frank Shotkoski
- K.V. Raman
department, unit, division
- Institute for Genomic Diversity (IGD) | research institute
- Plant Breeding and Genetics (PB&G) | Cornell department
mission focus
- extension/outreach | project type
- research | project type
submitted as part of CALS annual faculty reporting, February 2006