The insecticidal protein found in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been used for almost 30 years to control caterpillar insects in the home, garden, and farm. These products have found wide acceptance because of their ability to control insects without harming other living things. With the development of new technologies that allow science to move genes from one organism to another, we have been able to take the gene from Bt that codes for this protein and put it into cotton. This essentially provides a new delivery system for the insecticidal protein. Instead of spraying the protein onto the surface of the plant, it is now produced inside the plant itself. This "built-in" feature provides significant new advantages such as elimination of application problems (breakdown, rainfastness, coverage, etc.) and season-long control.

Monsanto has been field testing this Bt cotton since 1990. The results have demonstrated that when the Bt protein is expressed inside the cotton plant, season long protection can be provided against cotton bollworm, tobacco budworm, pink bollworm, and a whole host of other caterpillar insects. These results have been obtained without the use of any chemical insecticides for caterpillars.

This new advancement will allow growers to produce their cotton with greater efficiency and confidence than they have ever know in the past. However, Bt cotton does not address all insect control needs that a farmer faces. The protein is specific to caterpillar insects, so all the other insects that feed on cotton will still need to be controlled by chemical pesticides. Because of this, the improved cotton will need be produced with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system in order to obtain the maximum benefits from the technology. Properly managing the components of an IPM system (monitoring, cultural practices, insecticide applications) will insure that farmers achieve the maximum benefits of reduced chemical applications and increased beneficial insect populations.

Monsanto is committed to the development of this new insect control tool for the cotton farmer. After a proper product development testing phase and government approval, this product should be available to the American cotton grower by the middle of this decade. At that time, farmers will be able to purchase cotton varieties with desirable yield and quality characteristics but the powerful addition of "builtin" insect control.