Q. Cultivation of $Bt$ cotton has been much in the news. The prefix $Bt$ means
A) ‘Barium-treated’ cotton seeds
B) ‘Bigger thread’ variety of cotton with better tensile strength
C) Produced by ‘biotechnology’ using restriction enzymes and ligases
D) Carrying an endotoxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis
Explanation
In Bt cotton, Bt means carrying an endotoxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis. Specific Bt toxin gene were isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis and incorporated into the several crop plants such as cotton, corn. The choice of genes depends upon the crop and the targeted pest as most Bt toxins are insect group specific. The toxin is coded by a gene named cry
Reviewed by Dr. Abubacker
Physics Educator & NEET/JEE Specialist
Ph.D. in Physics with 19+ years of teaching experience.