Engineering of cry genes “Cry11 and Cry1h” in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) for protection against insect pest attack

Abstract Cotton is white gold and contributes significantly to the economy of the countries. The process of evolution of resistance in various cotton insects directly affects the life of people. Among the cotton insect pests, pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) and army bollworm (Spodoptera litura) have turned out to be destructive. The development of seed using gene stacking approach has tremendously reduced the applications of agrochemicals making the technology greener for society. A gene cassette containing Cry11 and Cry1H genes was constructed. The cassette was cloned into the pCAMBIA2300 plant expression vector using the CAMV3-35S promoter. The construct was transformed into cotton line FBS-222 using the shoot apex-cut Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. The expression of the Cry genes was 3-fold higher in transgenic than the non-transgenic cotton plants using qRT-PCR. Finally, the insect bioassay with transgenic cotton showed 90% mortality against pink bollworms and 80% against cotton army bollworms. The results demonstrate the development of seeds using the gene pyramiding approach is an effective strategy to control insect pest attacks.