Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) chickpea: India’s most wanted genetically modified (GM) pulse crop

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is grown widely in India because the seeds are rich source of protein for the vegetarian population of country. However, chickpea cultivation is declining over the period of time due to heavy incidences of pests and diseases. Helicoverpa armigera is a major pest in the field and nonavailability of resistant varieties lead to heavy losses of yield per year. Crop management practices such as application of bio-pesticides, insecticides and integrated pest management are less effective to control this devastating pest. Breeding for development of resistant lines is restricted by lack of resistant sources within the gene pool. Therefore, application of gene technology for chickpea improvement appears to be appropriate approach for development of Helicoverpa resistant lines. Genetic transformation of chickpea using various versions of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal genes have been carried out and found to confer resistance to pod borers in the laboratory bioassays. The most preferred genetically modified (GM) chickpea for field release is pyramided lines having two or more Bt genes with diverse mode of action for effective management of Helicoverpa. Here we discuss about the rationale for generation of Bt chickpea to enhance production.Keywords: Chickpea, Bacillus thuringiensis, genetically modified (GM) pulse crop.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(39), pp. 5709-571

Activity of defense related enzymes and gene expression in pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) due to feeding of Helicoverpa armigera larvae

The biochemical and molecular basis of the defense in a mild tolerant (ICPL-332) and susceptible (ICPL-87) cultivars of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) due to Helicoverpa. armigera infestation was studied. We found that feeding by the larvae generated H2O2 in a localized manner and activity was observed upto 12 h (hrs) of with a sharp decline within 24 h. Similarly, PPO activity was also detected till 12 h of treatment, which decreased after 24 h of feeding by larvae. The activity of trypsin inhibitor was detected in all the treatments when assayed at 12 and 24 h after larval feeding. The expression of defense genes like the Pre-hevein-like protein PR-4 precursor (PR-4), protease inhibitor/seed storage/LTP family protein (Ltp) were significantly up-regulated in ICPL-332 upon infestation after 12 h as compared to ICPL-87, whereas the endo 1, 4 -β-glucanase (Kor-1) gene was expressed in both the cultivars after 24 h of infestation. Both the cultivars varied with respect to the induction of defense-related genes during larval feeding, both the PR-4 and Ltp genes appeared to be important for defense against H. armigera in pigeon pea. Thus, the present study revealed an insight of herbivore-induced biochemical and molecular changes in pigeon pea

Bruchid egg induced transcript dynamics in developing seeds of black gram (<i>Vigna mungo</i>) - Fig 1

<p>ROS accumulation in: A. Control pods of the mild tolerant plant. B. Oviposited pods of the mild tolerant plant after 7 days.</p