Pros and cons of transgenic cotton continue in S. Sulawesi

By Hasanuddin Hamid

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): Public controversy over transgenic cotton lingers on as cotton plantations in Balleanging village in Bulukumba regency, some 160 kilometers south of Makassar in South Sulawesi, are attacked by worms.

The small greenish worms with black spotted heads, locally called gerayak (Spodoptera litura), make leaves of 70-day-old cotton trees look like spider webs. The worms live between three and four days.

Utok Aso, head of the Matoanging I farmers group in Ujung Loe Bulukumba regency, said the pest attack had got some cotton growers worried.

Utok, who coordinates the activities of the 37 farmers in his group, said so far, five cotton growers have reported the attack. He said the farmers were worried because in 1985 when insecticide was sprayed on worm-infested DP 55 cotton type, it caused more damage.

Another farmer, Mursalim, played down the attack.

The 30-year-old man, who has been growing cotton for eight years, said he was not surprised by the attack although it affected the cotton trees' leaves and young fruit.

"It's normal to find it (pests) on cotton trees," Mursalim said.

However, the bad news made South Sulawesi Governor Z.B. Palaguna rush to inspect the province's largest transgenic cotton plantations in Kaloling village, Pajukukkang district in Bantaeng, about 100 km south of Makassar.

The governor's concern might stem from his open support of the use of transgenic cotton. "I support the use of transgenic cotton because this is what the farmers want," he said.

Transgenic technology creates higher quality crops and stocks by inserting genes from other species.

These products are called genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or biologically engineered products where foreign genes are inserted to protect the plant from pests or to enable it to resist a specific herbicide.

Despite assurances from scientists that it is harmless, doubts linger as to the safety of genetically modified food and their effect on our health and the environment.

In Indonesia, the use of transgenic technology is still controversial.

According to Ministry of Agriculture's Decree No. 107/2001 dated Feb. 6, 2001, limited sale of genetically modified seeds in Sulawesi is allowed. This decree, however, was criticized by environmental activists and even recently by State Minister of the Environment Sonny Keraf who insisted there was still a major concern over health safety of transgenic crops and their effect on the environment.

Nevertheless, the transgenic cotton was grown in Bantaeng and Bulukumba regencies in April 2000 by PT Monsanto or Monagro Kimia over 500 hectares of land and involving 668 farmers. Its harvest in September last year reportedly produced between one and a half and three tons of cotton per hectare.

Pest resistance

Transgenic or Bollgard cotton contains the Cry IAc gene that is taken from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) -- a soil bacterium. The product of this gene, delta endotoxin, is a toxic protein.

Cotton plants implanted with the Bt gene can resist pests of the Helicoverpa armigera (seed borers) type because the gene instructs the plant cell to produce the toxic protein that kills the pest, but it is not toxic to other pests. For instance, when Helicoverpa armigera attack cotton buds or fruit, they will suffer a digestive disorder and die in several days.

Pest expert Ibrahim Manwan of Hasanuddin University, who is also chairman of the transgenic cotton monitoring and control team, discovered in his research that the Spodoptera worm and leaf insects Aphis attacked transgenic cotton.

However, he added, the attacks had not reached an alarming level to affect cotton production.

"The attack remains within the economic threshold since there are less than seven worms per 40 clusters (of cotton trees)," assured Ibrahim.

He revealed that transgenic cotton was not resistant to all types of pests.

"The monitoring team have never said that transgenic cotton was free from all pests. What we have said was transgenic cotton, whose seeds are imported from Africa, would not be affected by Helicoverpa," Ibrahim said.

Transgenic cotton can resist the attack of nontarget pests such as seed borers (Helicoverpa), shoot eaters and seed crushers. Helicoverpa used to damage the crops before they can be harvested after 135 days. However, it cannot resist target pests such as gerayak, leaf bugs and cotton locusts.

"We have predicted this attack so we're not really surprised," Ibrahim said.

Natural method

The expert does not recommend farmers use insecticides to get rid of the worms. Instead, farmers were advised to use a natural method, such as plucking the affected leaves and trampling them.

Ibrahim said he was not worried about pest resistance since transgenic cotton did not require the use of insecticides. Ordinary cotton, he added, might cause pest resistance and environmental damage since it heavily relied on insecticides.

With the gerayak worm attack, Ibrahim and his team have conducted intensive monitoring, for instance, by gathering samples from 20 plants for pest observation.

The team concluded that sprayings was not needed since the attack had not reached a dangerous level. Moreover, the pest's natural predators were still found on the cotton trees.

"Before, with Kanesia (non-Bt cotton), weekly sprayings was needed. Less use of pesticide will help maintain the pest's natural predators," Ibrahim said.

Transgenic cotton raises cotton production between one and a half and two and a half tons per hectare annually, or an equivalent of Rp 1.6 to Rp 2.4 million, from only 300 kilograms to 600 kg annually or an equivalent of Rp 300,000 to Rp 515,000 in the past.

Annual national cotton fiber demand stands at 464,400 tons while production is only 2,600 tons.

Based on data from the Directorate General of Estate Production Development of the Ministry of Agriculture, cotton production has in the last few years declined to 400 kg to 500 kg per hectare annually. The area available to this crop has also shrunk from 46,360 hectares in 1984/85 to 14,000 hectares in the last two years.