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Question
A farmer grew 2 varieties of corn crops in fields A and B. He grew normal corn crops in field A and GM corn crops in field B. He observed corn borers attacked only in field A. To control it, spores of Bt were sprayed in field A.
- Name the gene in the spores responsible for the control of this pest.
- What effect will the spores of Bt have on the insect pest?
- How has field B developed resistance against this pest?
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Solution
- Cry/Ab
- The spores of Bt contain a crystalline toxin, which is inactive; for this crystalline toxin protein to become active, it needs alkaline pH, which is present in the insect gut. The gut lining is broken down/mid-gut epithelial cells become porous/swollen/cell lysis.
- The Bt-toxin gene is cloned and inserted into the plant genome by recombinant DNA technology. These genetically modified (GM) plants express the Bt-toxin genes and become pest-resistant.
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