10 <strong>Bt</strong> <strong>Brinjal</strong>: <strong>The</strong> <strong>GEAC</strong> <strong>environmental</strong> <strong>risk</strong> <strong>assessment</strong>are being considered for GI status. <strong>The</strong> fourth variety, Matti gulla has been granted Geographical Indicator status (Raghuram2010). It is a special brinjal variety grown only in Mattu, a village between <strong>the</strong> Udyavar <strong>and</strong> Pangala rivers in <strong>the</strong> Udupi district<strong>of</strong> Karnataka. It is a small, green, round brinjal (
Context <strong>and</strong> Need 11<strong>and</strong> seek to increase <strong>the</strong>ir pr<strong>of</strong>its by increasing brinjal yield. <strong>The</strong>y typically purchase hybrid brinjal seed from certified seedsuppliers to obtain high-yielding varieties <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y <strong>the</strong>n protect <strong>the</strong> plants from pests with pesticides. Large-scale commercialproducers are common around <strong>the</strong> large cities, where <strong>the</strong>y have a ready market to supply <strong>the</strong> urban dem<strong>and</strong> for brinjal.In contrast, small-scale resource-poor farmers produce brinjal to help cash flow, insure <strong>the</strong>mselves against income variationin o<strong>the</strong>r crops, <strong>and</strong> provide <strong>the</strong>ir families with needed nutrition from a vegetable crop. For <strong>the</strong>se farmers, brinjal productionis essential for <strong>the</strong>ir overall economic security <strong>and</strong> well-being (APEDA 2009). This is not to say that <strong>the</strong>y don’t try to generatehigher net income as well, but that <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r goals are more important. <strong>The</strong>se farmers obtain nearly all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir farm inputsfor brinjal locally, except for some insecticides. <strong>The</strong>y recycle OPV brinjal seed <strong>and</strong> exchange seed with o<strong>the</strong>r local farmers via areciprocity system. Seed <strong>of</strong> local varieties may be held temporarily in informal local seed banks. <strong>Brinjal</strong> is harvested daily, <strong>and</strong><strong>the</strong> surplus over daily household needs is sold in local village <strong>and</strong> town markets. In this way, brinjal provides a small daily cashincome over a long period <strong>of</strong> time, helping stabilise cash flow, which can be used to purchase clothing <strong>and</strong> school materials. Inaddition, it provides a critical buffer against income variation from o<strong>the</strong>r crops <strong>and</strong> important nutrition to <strong>the</strong> family. As onemeasure <strong>of</strong> economic security, <strong>the</strong> suicide rate among small-scale resource-poor brinjal farmers is among <strong>the</strong> lowest in India(Karnataka 2002)A switch to hybrid <strong>Bt</strong> brinjal seed by a small-scale resource-poor farmer may jeopardise <strong>the</strong>ir economic security. <strong>The</strong> extraexpense <strong>of</strong> purchasing hybrid brinjal seeds also entails purchase <strong>of</strong> additional inputs suggested by <strong>the</strong> seed company to ensurecapture <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> yield benefits <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> hybrid. This reduces cash flow potential <strong>and</strong> increases <strong>the</strong> <strong>risk</strong> in producing brinjal so that itno longer functions as insurance against variability in o<strong>the</strong>r crops. In addition, <strong>Bt</strong> brinjal hybrids, which enter a mass market,will not have <strong>the</strong> same local market as <strong>the</strong> local non-hybrid brinjal varieties, which enter a local niche market based on <strong>the</strong>irlocal characteristics. Consequently farmers may have more difficulty selling <strong>Bt</strong> brinjal through <strong>the</strong>ir normal channels <strong>and</strong> mayneed to find <strong>and</strong> access additional markets to sell <strong>the</strong>m.Consequently, EE-1 <strong>Bt</strong> brinjal may have little trouble slotting into <strong>the</strong> production system <strong>of</strong> some large-scale brinjal farmers.However, if adopted by small-scale resource-poor farmers, it may disrupt <strong>the</strong>ir economic security.Finding 5. <strong>Brinjal</strong> fruit <strong>and</strong> shoot borer (BFSB) causessignificant economic damage to brinjal throughout India forFig. 1. <strong>Brinjal</strong> fruit <strong>and</strong> stem borer adult (Leucinodesorbonalis Guenee). Copyright 1994-2010 Len Willan <strong>and</strong>CSIRO Entomologyall farmers, probably about 30% yield loss compared to nocontrol. Many factors reduce losses, including soil status<strong>and</strong> cultivation conditions. Its perceived significance byfarmers may precipitate an over-response relative to its trueeconomic significance. Real losses from BFSB are higherfor large-scale commercial producers than for small-scaleresource-poor producers because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> way damaged fruitcan be used. EC-II vastly over-estimated losses to BFSB.<strong>Brinjal</strong> fruit <strong>and</strong> stem borer (BFSB), Leucinodes orbonalisGuenee is a medium-sized moth [Lepidoptera: Crambidae] in<strong>the</strong> subfamily Pyraustinae (Fig. 1). <strong>The</strong> larvae (caterpillars) causedamage to brinjal by boring into stems <strong>and</strong> fruits. <strong>The</strong> adults cause no damage.BFSB populations <strong>and</strong> economic damage vary by time <strong>of</strong> season, cultivation practice, brinjal variety, geographic location<strong>and</strong> soil conditions. Damage is typically higher during <strong>the</strong> kharif season than <strong>the</strong> rabi season, although it can be high during<strong>the</strong> rabi season. Its damage is greatest during <strong>the</strong> six weeks from late July to early September. Populations <strong>and</strong> damage arelowest under crop rotation, high soil organic matter content (SOM), good soil drainage, low plant residue, low plant density,<strong>and</strong> intercropping. <strong>The</strong>y are highest under continuous cropping, low SOM, easily waterlogged soils, high plant residue, highplant density, <strong>and</strong> monoculture. Geographic locations with a longer monsoon season give BFSB only a limited time to buildup populations during <strong>the</strong> summer, <strong>and</strong> damage is low. For example <strong>the</strong> Udipigulla variety, which is grown in <strong>the</strong> west coastalregion <strong>of</strong> Karnataka where heavy rainfall confines BFSB to a short summer season, suffers little economic damage from BSFB.
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