Biotechnology in

Crop Protection:
Transgenic Crops

Y. Andi Trisyono
Department of Crop Protection
Faculty of Agriculture, GMU
May 10, 2022
Why crop protection? Why transgenic crops?
The adoption of transgenic crops world wide
Major transgenic crops for crop protection
Indonesian experience with the Bt transgenic
cotton
 CROP
PROTECTION
Scientists: 25-30% world wide
Trisyono et al.
(2019). JPTI, in press

UGJ
Dua Hama Utama Jagung:
UGJ (umumnya menyerang tanaman
muda) and Penggerek batang jagung Asia
[PBJA] (menyerang batang)

PBJA PBJA

Photo credit: Y. Andi Trisyono

Corn ear worm
in USA
THE FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGE
World Population (B)
Transition Nations
Developed Nations
9
Developing Nations
8

1981 1999 2015 2030

3 BILLION MORE PEOPLE BY 2030

Source: Glick 2010
 Overall impact on U.S. agriculture of
biotechnology-derived crops

Parameter 2001 2003

Planted acreage (million acres) 80 106

Yield increase (billion pounds) 3.79 5.34
Cost reduction (billion dollars) 1.2 1.5
Pesticide reduction (million pounds) 45.7 46.4

Source: Sankula and Blumenthal 2004

Transgenic Crops
• Not the silver bullet to solve all the
problems in crop protection and crop
production.
• May contribute in reducing yield loss,
increasing the farmers’ benefit, and
minimizing the risks of pesticides
 Adoption of
Transgenic Crops
(Rashmi 2012)
5/8/2022 12
Cultivating Countries
29 countries grew biotech crops in 2019

(Courtesy of Abigail Simmons, Ph.D.; 2021) Helping Farmers Grow

13
 Worldwide Adoption

(Courtesy of Abigail Simmons, Ph.D.; 2021)

14 Helping Farmers Grow
GM Crop in Indonesia

• Drought tolerance of sugarcane: planted

• Bt transgenic corns: in the pipeline
• Late blight-resistant potato, Bt transgenic rice: in the
process of registration
5/8/2022 16
 Adoption of Different
Transgenic Maize in the USA
No. Trait 2007 (%) 2008 (%)
Single 37 22
Double 35 30
Triple 28 48
Farmers prefer transgenic crops with more traits
Source: James (2008)
 Adoption of Biotechnology
Key Points

• 29 countries cultivated GM crops in 2019

• 44 additional countries import GM crops for
food/feed.
• The most common GM crops are row crops such
as soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola.
• GM specialty crops include brinjal, pineapple,
squash, sugarcane, and papaya.

(Courtesy of Abigail Simmons, Ph.D.; 2021)

18 Helping Farmers Grow
Major Transgenic Crops
 Based on
traits

5/8/2022 20
 Based on crops

5/8/2022 21
 Adoption in U.S.

• The majority
of soybeans,
cotton, and
corn grown
in the U.S. is
GM

22 (Courtesy of Abigail Simmons, Ph.D.; 2021) Helping Farmers Grow

 Insect Resistance

Testing of “Bt” cotton for resistance to

bollworms

(Photos by ? )
 Herbicide
tolerance

✓ current: soybean, corn,

canola, cotton, alfalfa
✓ coming: sugarbeet (on
hold), lettuce, strawberry,
wheat (on hold), Turf grass

(Photos by ? )
 Resistance to Fungal
Disease
Transgenic Wild-type

Sunflower
White mold
resistance

Control and transgenic tomato plants that express an oxalate oxidase

gene construct two days after inoculation with the phytopathogenic
fungus Sclerotinia which causes stem-rot diseases in a wide variety of
economically important plants.
(Photos by ? )
 Viral Resistance

Coat protein based

protection from
Papaya Ringspot
Virus

(Photos by ? )
WHY Bacillus thuringiensis?
Long history of safe use
Specificity
Variety of toxins
Learning from the past:
Indonesia
The transgenic cotton expressing Cry1Ac from
Bacillus thuringiensis
The target insect pest: Helicoverpa armigera
Additional target insect pest: Earias vitella
 Response of the Bt
transgenic cotton to the
NON target insect pest
(Empoasca fabae)
 The Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac is not
INTENDED and effective against larvae of
Spodoptera litura (non-targeted insect pest)
 TAKE HOME MESSAGES

Transgenic crops provide a new tool

to combat pests, and the adoption of
this technology must be inline with
the principles of Integrated Pest
Management (IPM).