Public-private partnership will shorten the path between science and the field

Cotton is a product of great socioeconomic importance for Brazil. In addition to being the most important source of natural fibers, it guarantees the country a prominent place on the international scene as one of the five largest producers in the world, alongside China, India, the United States and Pakistan. On September 6, 2017, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (ABRAPA) and the Mato Grosso Cotton Institute (IMAmt) signed a public-private partnership that will boost results in this sector. The research involves two Embrapa units (Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and Cotton) and will be funded by state associations of cotton producers, represented by ABRAPA, through the Brazilian Cotton Institute (IBA). The institutions join forces to bring cutting-edge technologies in the area of ​​plant biotechnology to the production sector.

“The agreement represents an ideal model of technical cooperation between the public and private sectors, as it will contribute to the development of biotechnological products in Brazil, based on the transfer of the knowledge base generated at Embrapa to the productive sector”, explains Fatima Grossi, researcher at Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology. She coordinates the Plant-Pest Interaction Laboratory, considered a world reference in research on genetic transformation of cotton and indicates that the partnership will work from a Research Platform whose goal is to meet the demands of Brazilian cotton farming. In this first stage, the objective is to develop a genetically modified cotton variety resistant to the boll weevil.

The focus, as the researcher highlights, is on generating products. Since 2009, Embrapa has been dedicated to developing and testing biotechnological assets (genes and promoters, among other elements necessary for the genetic transformation of plants) in favor of the Brazilian cotton farming sector, with the support of development agencies in the country, such as CNPq, CAPES and FAP-DF. In addition to the technologies for controlling the boll weevil, the partnership signed between Embrapa, ABRAPA and IMA-mt may contribute, in the future, to the development of other assets and products with characteristics of interest to the market, all aimed at cotton culture. cotton, such as resistance to other pests of national relevance and tolerance to abiotic stresses, such as drought. “Our purpose is for these innovations to reach the production sector with greater speed and quality,” she highlights.

Regarding the scientific part, the research conducted jointly between Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and Embrapa Algodão is already quite advanced. “Over these last years of research, we have identified and validated bioactive molecules, optimized genetic transformation for Brazilian cotton varieties, carried out proofs of concept in cotton plants for different genes and mastered interfering RNA technology (considered a sustainable strategy for specific control of insect pests), among countless other results, all patented. Now, together with the private sector, the technologies generated and those to come could become elite events to meet the demands of cotton agribusiness”, says Fatima Grossi.

Cotton boll weevil will be the first target: research results are promising

The platform's first action will be aimed at controlling the worst cotton pest in South America: the boll weevil. This insect affects all producing regions in Brazil and represents an additional cost of around US$250 per hectare, in addition to productivity losses and impacts on human health and the environment. In this initial stage of the project, approximately R$18 million will be invested over 5 years.

The researcher explains that Embrapa already has cotton varieties resistant to the boll weevil, evaluated with insects from a laboratory colony. One of the most recent and promising results was published this year by her team in the Plant Biotechnology Journal. This involves the development of genetically modified (GM) cotton plants with high resistance to this pest, conferred by a Cry toxin, a protein encoded by a gene isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

This bacterium has been used in biological pest control for more than five decades, with no record of harm to human health, animals or the environment. This microorganism is characterized by the presence of different toxins, including the Cry proteins, which are highly toxic and specific to target insects.

In this study, together with the Cry toxin gene, a new promoter (DNA regulatory sequence that controls the expression of the gene of interest) isolated from cotton was used, which strongly contributed to the success of the study, since events were generated of transformation with high expression level of Cry toxin in the target tissue attacked by the insect (floral tissue) and with efficient activity in insect mortality. In the case of the cotton boll weevil, this is essential, as both flower buds and cotton bolls are target tissues for attacks by this pest. The next step will be to evaluate the level of control of GM plants against boll weevil populations collected in the field.

“This is one of the successful results of the research carried out by Embrapa with the cotton boll weevil. There are other approaches in progress, such as technologies capable of silencing genes that are fundamental to the insect's survival”, highlights the researcher.      

Other possibilities

Controlling the boll weevil is the first step, as there are no sustainable technologies capable of combating it in the world, but new challenges are already in the sights of researchers, such as caterpillars and other pests that attack cotton, in addition to the generation of plants transgenic plants with tolerance to climatic stresses.

In parallel with the transfer of technologies and the development of biotechnological products with the production sector, Fatima makes a point of highlighting that research is continuous and must be carried out, always accompanied by proof of concept. “The generation of knowledge (discovery of new biotechnological assets) is a cycle in constant movement, as pests develop resistance over time. Therefore, we have to continually invest in scientific studies and in the generation of technologies capable of solving agricultural problems, in addition to anticipating new challenges”, she concludes.