Bt Eggplant is the best solution to looming crisis on pests -- expert
Margust Dela Cerna | August 19, 2024
Eggplant is the most widely cultivated vegetable in the Philippines, but it faces a major threat from pests, especially the Eggplant Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB). Records show that each year, 50-70% of eggplant harvests are lost or damaged due to FSB, forcing farmers to rely heavily on pesticides, which can account for up to 40% of production costs.
Dr. Merle Palacpac, chief of the National Plant Quarantine Services of the Bureau of Plant Industry, shared that the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Agriculture and Food Science has already developed a solution to this problem — a genetically modified (GMO) variety known as Bt Eggplant. This variety is resistant to FSB and has passed various safety assessments. However, local farmers were dealt with a major blow when the Court of Appeals ordered a moratorium on commercial and scientific propagation, calling for additional safety research.
Prior to the moratorium, Bt Eggplant has been granted multiple biosafety permits by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry, indicating it is fit for commercial cultivation. It has also been successfully grown in Bangladesh since 2014. Nutritionally, Bt Eggplant is identical to traditional eggplant and, because it is resistant to FSB, requires fewer pesticides, reducing the residue on the fruit.
The resistance in Bt Eggplant comes from inserting insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, a method also used for Bt Corn, which has been safely used in the Philippines for over 20 years. According to Dr. Palacpac, these proteins are toxic to pests like FSB but are safe for humans and mammals, as the proteins cannot be activated in the human digestive system.
Dr. Merle Palacpac, chief of the National Plant Quarantine Services of the Bureau of Plant Industry, shared that the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Agriculture and Food Science has already developed a solution to this problem — a genetically modified (GMO) variety known as Bt Eggplant. This variety is resistant to FSB and has passed various safety assessments. However, local farmers were dealt with a major blow when the Court of Appeals ordered a moratorium on commercial and scientific propagation, calling for additional safety research.
Prior to the moratorium, Bt Eggplant has been granted multiple biosafety permits by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry, indicating it is fit for commercial cultivation. It has also been successfully grown in Bangladesh since 2014. Nutritionally, Bt Eggplant is identical to traditional eggplant and, because it is resistant to FSB, requires fewer pesticides, reducing the residue on the fruit.
The resistance in Bt Eggplant comes from inserting insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, a method also used for Bt Corn, which has been safely used in the Philippines for over 20 years. According to Dr. Palacpac, these proteins are toxic to pests like FSB but are safe for humans and mammals, as the proteins cannot be activated in the human digestive system.
