NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Solution: Scientists have introduced B. thuringiensis toxin genes into plants. Such plants are resistant to attack by insect pests.

Detailed explanation-2: -Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops are plants genetically engineered (modified) to contain the endospore (or crystal) toxins of the bacterium, Bt to be resistant to certain insect pests.

Detailed explanation-3: -The protein is very selective, generally not harming insects in other orders (such as beetles, flies, bees and wasps). For this reason, GMOs that have the Bt gene are compatible with biological control programs because they harm insect predators and parasitoids much less than broad-spectrum insecticides.

Detailed explanation-4: -Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, is a common soil bacterium whose genome contains genes for several proteins toxic to insects. For decades, Bt has been sprayed on fields as an organic pesticide; several major pests of corn that are difficult and expensive to control with chemical insecticides are susceptible to Bt.

Detailed explanation-5: -The example of Bt resistance Modern insect resistance is frequently based on one or a few specific Bt genes in GM plants. These Bt genes code for toxins, which normally reside in crystalline inclusion bodies produced during sporulation of the soilborne bacterium B. thuringiensis.