Blending Procedure is Crucial For BG-II Cotton Hybrids to Adhere to the Prescribed ‘Refugia In Bag’ Standards

In India, after its introduction in 2002, Bt cotton showed a steep increment in terms of area coverage and presently occupies more than 95% of the total cotton cultivated area; recommended with the planting of structured refuge of the same non-Bt cotton hybrid iso-line at the periphery of the Bt cotton field. Structured refuge compliance is lacking due to farmers’ lack of understanding of its significance, along with other challenges like non-isogenic ‘refugia’ seeds and asynchronous agro­nomy between main and refuge crops. Though the refugia in Bag concept was studied in 2012, the government introduced ‘Refugia in Bag’, which mandates 5–10% non-Bt seeds blended with 90–95% Bt seeds in every BG-II hybrid seed packet being sold in the market from June 2020. However, complaints about improper seed proportions led to qualitative ELISA testing, revealing that a substantial number of evaluated hybrids did not adhere to recommended ‘refugia’ proportions in 2022 and 2023, which may be due to improper dispensing and blending methods during seed packaging. The study emphasizes the need for standardizing blending procedures to ensure adherence to ‘Refugia in Bag’ standards for all stakeholders.