Western countries know them as eggplants, but the people of India know them as brinjal. Wiki explains the western name came from the popular variety of brinjal that produced berries resembling goose eggs. Being a close relative of the tobacco plant, the fruit has more nicotine than any other food crop.
Govt says no to Bt brinjal for now explains Environment and Forests minister, Jairam Ramesh, made the decision based upon the lack of consensus among scientists. He said that there was no urgency to approve the genetically modified vegetable.
India puts on hold first GM food crop on safety grounds adds that scientists had voiced approval, but the public was against Bt brinjal. The plant has undergone field trials since 2008. Wiki tells that Bt brinjal has the gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis inserted into its DNA. It is considered a transgenic modification because the DNA was transferred across species.
This bacterium is a natural pesticide, which grows in the soil. Because of its ability to repel insects, it has been introduced into tobacco, corn, and cotton plants since 1985. The concern is that the genetically-induced toxins might present long-term dangers to humans and livestock.
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