EFFECT OF TRANSGENIC COTTON ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF SOIL MICRO-ORGANISMS

EKTA HEDAU¹*, ASIT MANDAL², PRATIBHA CHOUDHARY^3
1Department of Biotechnology, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462026, India
²Division of Soil Biology, Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462038, India
³Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, 482004, India
* Corresponding Author : hedaukhushi@gmail.com

Received : 29-08-2016     Accepted : 24-09-2016     Published : 01-11-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 53       Pages : 2708 - 2710
Int J Agr Sci 8.53 (2016):2708-2710

Keywords : Bt Cotton, Microbial diversity, Rhizosphere, Soil samples, Crop residues
Academic Editor : Indira Sarangthem
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : None declared
Author Contribution : None declared

The present experiment was conducted to study the necessity of monitoring the Bt cotton cultivation to ensure the safety of the biodiversity and the ecosystem at large in the Laboratory of Division of Soil Biology, Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal in 2012. The researchers found specifically some actinomycetes are necessary for breaking own cellulose and humus and mineralizing and immobilizing nutrients. The existence of diverse microorganisms in the rhizospheric soil can change the quality of crop residues. This study discusses in the effects of Bt cotton on soil microbial diversity, as any GM crop, with Bt genes it could leads to total destruction of soil organisms by leaving dead soil unable to produce food. Soil samples were collected from rhizosphere of the cotton growing areas Nagpur, Maharashtra state. The soil samples were collected at the time of boll development stage. In our study the richness of the microbial communities in rhizosphere soil did not differ between Bt cotton and the non Bt cotton variety. Even the functional diversity of Microorganisms was not different in rhizosphere soil between Bt cotton and non Bt cotton variety. In contrast in our study, some soil specific microbial populations were affected by Bt cotton. A decrease in specific microbial population could lead to a decrease in decomposition process after the level and composition of soil organic matter and have secondary effects on the survival of plant pathogens.