Bt cotton
Both Bt cotton and non Bt cotton varieties are used in China. Bt cotton is a major genetically modified crop, which is adopted for commercial production. This was introduced after several field trials in cotton growing provinces and found to be economically profitable in terms of not only production but also revenue. It was introduced in 2002 in about 45% of country’s total area under cotton as it also proved to have better pest resistance. The Hybrid (F1) Bt cotton, developed after crossing with a non-Bt line, has found favour in southern China because of higher yield due to better methods of farming such as seedling transplantation and planting at lower population density. Now Bollgard Bt cotton is adopted in 55% of cropped area while 45% area is planted with China’s own Bt cotton.