Up to 30 per cent of cotton area under ‘illegal’ GM hybrids, finds study

India currently allows farmers to grow GM cotton hybrids/ varieties containing only two genes — cry1Ac and cry2Ab — that are isolated from Bt, a soil bacterium. These genes code for proteins toxic to certain bollworm insect pests.More than a quarter of the total area cultivated under cotton in India comprises “illegal” hybrids incorporating unapproved genetically modified (GM) traits, including resistance to glyphosate herbicide.