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Bt-cotton: the 'five-percent issue' may add misery to the mixed bag

The subject of the ‘mixed bag’, which proposes non-Bt-cotton seeds be mixed with Bt-cotton seeds in the same bag, has raised an interesting debate in this journal. It was flagged by Hanur, who recommended that the mixed bag should be allowed in India. He made this proposal pointing out that the extent of adoption of structured refuge in this country was unsatisfactory. Later, Muralimohan and Srinivasa conveyed their reservations against the recommendation. They argued that the mixed bag might encourage pest resistance, create problems during pest management, generate annoyance among farmers, etc. (Correspondence)