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Environmental Impact from the Use of Bt Toxin

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Microorganisms in Environmental Management

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Abstract

Use of chemical pesticides was one of the key factors in the success of the green revolution. The wide spread and unregulated use of chemical pesticides however, has led to harmful effects on both agricultural land and humans. Compared to chemical pesticides, the potential benefits such as specificity, biodegradability and safety, associated with biopesticides had projected them as a viable alternative to chemical pesticides. The Cry toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are the most popular and widely used biopesticide covering more than 90% of the biopesticide market. Their use has afforded positive economic benefits to the producers and has also led to a huge reduction in the use of chemical pesticides. Recombinant DNA technology has also allowed us to develop transgenic Bt crops. However, the problems associated with the use of cry proteins remain to be fully addressed, understood and tackled. The effect on non-target insects and the resulting imbalance in the natural food chains, development of resistance in the target insects and adverse health effects including allergy and immunogenicity are the key phenomena which need immediate attention. This chapter will attempt to bring out the various problems associated with the use of Bt toxin; with respect to effect on the target as well as non-target insects, and what is known about its impact on human health and other associated issues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre, Faculty of Science, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara, 390 002, Gujarat, India

    Sandeep B. Gaudana & Tamishraha Bagchi

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  1. Sandeep B. Gaudana
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  2. Tamishraha Bagchi
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Correspondence to Tamishraha Bagchi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fac. Inter-Disciplinary &, Applied Sciences, University of Delhi, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi, 110021, India

    T. Satyanarayana

  2. , Department of Biotechnology and Bioinfor, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, 462026, India

    Bhavdish Narain Johri

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Gaudana, S.B., Bagchi, T. (2012). Environmental Impact from the Use of Bt Toxin. In: Satyanarayana, T., Johri, B. (eds) Microorganisms in Environmental Management. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2229-3_20

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