Answer: Pest-resistant genetically modified (GM) cotton
Notes: Farmers in Punjab are demanding Bollgard-3 GM cotton ahead of the sowing season. Bollgard-3 is a pest-resistant genetically modified (GM) cotton, developed by Monsanto over a decade ago. It contains three Bt proteins (Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, Vip3A) that kill pests by disrupting their gut function. Highly effective against lepidopteran pests like pink bollworm, ensuring better crop yield. Bollgard-1 (2002) and Bollgard-2 (2006) are still used, but they struggle against whitefly and pink bollworm, which emerged in Punjab in 2015-16 and 2018-19.
