State something about Bt toxin.
Bt is expanded as Bacillus thuringiensis. It is a soil-dwelling bacteria which naturally produces a toxin which is proved to be fatal for certain herbivorous insects. The toxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been used as an insecticide spray since the 1920s and is commonly used in organic farming. This toxin is generally termed as Bt Toxin.
With the help of this property of this toxin, scientist invented many varieties of herbivorous tolerant plants, which can improves the productivity of the plants and helps to increase the farmers income.
Some examples are like- BT cotton, BT Brinjal etc
How does Bt work?
Bt has to be eaten by the insects to cause mortality. The Bt toxin dissolve in the high pH insect gut and become active. The toxins attack the gut cells of the insect, punching holes in the lining. The Bt spores spills out of the gut and germinate in the insect causing death within a couple days.
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