Bt cotton seed purity in Burkina Faso: Status and lessons learnt
- Référence bibliographique
-
- Année de publication
- 2020
- Auteur(s)
- Bourgou, Kargougou, Sawadogo and Michel FOK
- Titre du document
- Bt cotton seed purity in Burkina Faso: Status and lessons learnt
- Titre en anglais
- Bt cotton seed purity in Burkina Faso: Status and lessons learnt
- Adresse email de l'auteur
- michel.fok@cirad.fr
- Informations diverses
- Paper accepted, pending online
- Journal ou Magazine
- Forthcoming in Journal of Cotton Research
- Pays concerné(s)
-
Burkina Faso
- Thésaurus associé(s)
-
Colire
TropicAgrif
Performon
- Mots-clé(s) Colire
Facteur biotechno des coûts de production
Conditions d'utilisation des semences GM
Concurrence et accès aux technologies
Régulation de la fourniture de technologie
- Mots-clé(s) TropicAgrif
Cultures industrielles
Coton
Economie et gestion
Economie des filières agricoles
Types de facteurs de production
Semences
Types de contrainte
Insuffisance de qualité
Dimension nationale
Nationale
Approche disciplinaire
Pluridiscipline
Partenariat avec les utilisateurs
Avec, recherche en milieu paysan conditions réelles
- Mots-clé(s) Performon
1.1.3 Adaptation aux facteurs biotiques
1.1.3.1. Actualiser les connaissances sur les risques à la production du coton-graine liés aux facteurs biotiques
1.2.1 Genetiques
1.2.1.4. Réhabiliter, adapter ou appuyer la production, la certification et la diffusion (multiplication, stockage, distribution) de semences améliorées
2.1.2 Niveau production
2.1.2.1. Echanger sur les expériences pour améliorer la productivité et la durabilité de la culture
3.1.2 Niveau production
3.1.2.1. Cerner, guider et s'adapter éventuellement à l'utilisation de nouveautés techniques
- Enregistré le
- 2020-09-23
- Modifié le
- 2020-09-23
- Administré par
-
Fok Michel
- Résumé
- Background
Since the commercial release of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso in 2009, the issue of seed purity in producers' fields has rarely been addressed in an unbiased and objective manner. The potential for contamination of conventional seed varieties with Bt traits and the consequent threat to the continuation of organic cotton production has been documented. However, studies are rare on the varietal purity of Bt cotton seeds, despite the implications for the effectiveness and sustainability of their use.
This paper compensates for the lack of research on the varietal purity of cotton seeds in Burkina Faso by reporting the results of Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay tests collected in 2015 on samples of both conventional and Bt varieties from 646 fields.
Results
According to the conservative criteria used to declare the presence of a Bt gene in a given variety (more than 10% of seeds of conventional variety exhibit Bt traits, and at least 90% of seeds of Bt variety exhibit Bt traits), seed purity was very questionable for both types of variety. For the supposedly conventional variety, the Cry1Ac gene was observed in 63.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was observed in 59.3% of samples, and both genes were detected in 52.2% of the seed samples. Only 29.3% of the seeds that were supposed to be of conventional type contained no Bt genes. Conversely, for the labeled Bt variety, the Cry1Ac gene was found in only 59.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was found in 53.6% of the samples, and both genes were found in 40.4% of the samples. Finally, for the seeds that were supposed to contain both genes (Bollguard 2), both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes were found in only 40.4% of the samples, only one of the genes was found in 32.4% of the samples, and 27.2% of the seeds in the samples contained neither.
Two factors are responsible for the severe lack of seed purity. First, conventional varieties are being contaminated with Bt traits because of a failure to revise the seed production scheme in Burkina Faso to prevent cross-pollination. Second, the original Bt seeds provided to Burkina Faso lacked varietal purity.
The organic sector plays a very minor role in the cotton sector of Burkina Faso (production of organic cotton totaled 453 tonnes in 2018/2019, out of national cotton production of 183 000 tonnes). Nevertheless, the lack of purity in conventional seed varieties is a threat to efforts to expand certified organic cotton production. The poor presence of Bt proteins in supposedly Bt varieties undermines their effectiveness in controlling pests and increases the likelihood of the development of resistance among pest populations.
Conclusion
Our results show the extent of purity loss when inadequate attention is paid to the preservation of seed purity. Pure conventional seeds could vanish in Burkina Faso, while Bt seeds do not carry the combination of the expected Bt traits. Any country wishing to embark on the use of Bt cotton, or to resume its use, as in the case of Burkina Faso, must first adjust its national seed production scheme to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are enforced. The preservation of varietal purity is necessary to enable the launch or the continuation of identity-cotton production. In addition, the preservation of varietal purity is necessary to ensure the sustainable effectiveness of Bt cotton. In order to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are observed, seed purity must be tested regularly, and test results must be published.
- Résumé en anglais
- Background
Since the commercial release of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso in 2009, the issue of seed purity in producers' fields has rarely been addressed in an unbiased and objective manner. The potential for contamination of conventional seed varieties with Bt traits and the consequent threat to the continuation of organic cotton production has been documented. However, studies are rare on the varietal purity of Bt cotton seeds, despite the implications for the effectiveness and sustainability of their use.
This paper compensates for the lack of research on the varietal purity of cotton seeds in Burkina Faso by reporting the results of Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay tests collected in 2015 on samples of both conventional and Bt varieties from 646 fields.
Results
According to the conservative criteria used to declare the presence of a Bt gene in a given variety (more than 10% of seeds of conventional variety exhibit Bt traits, and at least 90% of seeds of Bt variety exhibit Bt traits), seed purity was very questionable for both types of variety. For the supposedly conventional variety, the Cry1Ac gene was observed in 63.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was observed in 59.3% of samples, and both genes were detected in 52.2% of the seed samples. Only 29.3% of the seeds that were supposed to be of conventional type contained no Bt genes. Conversely, for the labeled Bt variety, the Cry1Ac gene was found in only 59.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was found in 53.6% of the samples, and both genes were found in 40.4% of the samples. Finally, for the seeds that were supposed to contain both genes (Bollguard 2), both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes were found in only 40.4% of the samples, only one of the genes was found in 32.4% of the samples, and 27.2% of the seeds in the samples contained neither.
Two factors are responsible for the severe lack of seed purity. First, conventional varieties are being contaminated with Bt traits because of a failure to revise the seed production scheme in Burkina Faso to prevent cross-pollination. Second, the original Bt seeds provided to Burkina Faso lacked varietal purity.
The organic sector plays a very minor role in the cotton sector of Burkina Faso (production of organic cotton totaled 453 tonnes in 2018/2019, out of national cotton production of 183 000 tonnes). Nevertheless, the lack of purity in conventional seed varieties is a threat to efforts to expand certified organic cotton production. The poor presence of Bt proteins in supposedly Bt varieties undermines their effectiveness in controlling pests and increases the likelihood of the development of resistance among pest populations.
Conclusion
Our results show the extent of purity loss when inadequate attention is paid to the preservation of seed purity. Pure conventional seeds could vanish in Burkina Faso, while Bt seeds do not carry the combination of the expected Bt traits. Any country wishing to embark on the use of Bt cotton, or to resume its use, as in the case of Burkina Faso, must first adjust its national seed production scheme to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are enforced. The preservation of varietal purity is necessary to enable the launch or the continuation of identity-cotton production. In addition, the preservation of varietal purity is necessary to ensure the sustainable effectiveness of Bt cotton. In order to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are observed, seed purity must be tested regularly, and test results must be published.