India's Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has approved confined field trials for pink bollworm-resistant GM cotton in Hisar, Haryana. The GEAC has granted approval to Bioseed Research India, a company based in Hyderabad, to conduct Biosafety Research Level-1 (BRL-1) on GM cotton hybrids containing containing Event 18L-5-3 expressing cry2Ai gene for resistance against pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) during the Kharif season at Hisar.

This approval comes after the GEAC approved the cultivation of GM herbicide-tolerant cotton and maize in confined trials at two locations in India last year (see AgbioNews 26 September, 2022).