Genetically-engineered crops and their effects on varietal diversity: a case of Bt eggplant in India

Deepthi Kolady and William Lesser ()

Agriculture and Human Values, 2012, vol. 29, issue 1, 3-15

Abstract: Building on the evidence from the impact of hybrid technology on varietal diversity loss, this paper explores ex ante the possible effects of introduction of Bt eggplant on on-farm varietal diversity of eggplant. The public–private partnership involved in the development and introduction of Bt eggplant provides a great opportunity to develop locally-adapted Bt open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) instead of having a limited number of generic hybrid varieties. The study shows that introduction of multiple Bt OPVs by public institutions will reduce the rate of replacement of OPVs by hybrids and thus help in conserving varietal diversity. However, the cost of developing multiple Bt OPVs is high; hence policy makers need to look at alternative measures to maintain the varietal diversity of crops such as eggplant in its centers of diversity. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Keywords: Bt transgenic crops; Genetically engineered crops; Public–private partnership; Varietal diversity; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1007/s10460-011-9320-3

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