Question

Name the specific type of gene that is incorporated in a cotton plant against cotton bollworm infestation.

Answer 1

Hint: The invasive pest that damages the cotton bolls (rounded seed capsule) is called cotton bollworms. It is the disease that grows on cotton plants. The cotton bollworm can be spotted easily in the adult moth stage but it is difficult to see in the eggs and larval stage because of its small size. The size of the adult cotton bollworms is large, cream-colored. The eggs of this lay on the leaves of the cotton plant.

Complete answer:
The transgenic plant which produces an insecticide to bollworm is called the Bt-cotton plant. The production of Bt-cotton occurs with the insertion of the cry gene to the plant genome from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria. Its process will take place with the help of transgenic technology. In the recipient plant toxin is produced in sap by the genetically modified DNA.

The sap will be sucked from the plant when an insect attracts it. The pores will be created in the gut of the insect by the proteins. This will lead to the cell damage and blocks the gut which results in the insect of the death.

In the Cry group of endotoxin, the encoding toxin crystals genes were produced which was created by the Bt cotton. The Cry toxin or crystal protein will be dissolved in the stomach of an insect when it attacks or eats the cotton plant due to a high level of pH. The cadherin-like proteins will be bound together with the dissolved and activated Cry molecules in the cells which have brush border molecules.

The regulation of potassium ions will be lost in the plant due to Cry ion channel formation and this will result in epithelial cells death.

Note: Cry gene is incorporated into the cotton plant and injured it badly. It destroys and damages the whole plant. Bt cotton is the transgenic technology which is used nowadays for curing the cotton plant of cotton bollworms infestation. The toxin produced by the Cry gene will also infect insects when they eat cotton plants which consist of bollworm infestation.