In a setback to the genetically modified cotton boom, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has denied permission for large-scale trials (LST) of five Bt hybrids/varieties developed by the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), citing the Supreme Court’s May 8 order. The Nagpur-based institute, affiliated to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), had sought to undertake large-scale trials and seed production of four cotton hybrids (NHH-44, DBt-H1, DBt-H2 and Dbt-H5) and one variety (Bikaneri Nerma), incorporating the cry1Ac gene isolated from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).