Bollgard I and Bollgard II technologies are mentioned in the context of

Answer: B. BOLLGARD I AND BOLLGARD II technologies are GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROP PLANT TECHNOLOGIES. BOLLGARD is a trade name for GENETICALLY MODIFIED COTTON varieties developed by MONSANTO (now part of Bayer), in which BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS (Bt) GENES encoding insecticidal Cry proteins have been introduced into the cotton genome. The Bt proteins are toxic to BOLLWORMS — specifically the COTTON BOLLWORM (Helicoverpa armigera) and PINK BOLLWORM (Pectinophora gossypiella) — but harmless to mammals. - BOLLGARD I: Contains the CRY1AC gene from B. thuringiensis. Approved in India in 2002. Provides protection against bollworms. - BOLLGARD II: Contains TWO Bt genes — CRY1AC and CRY2AB — providing broader pest spectrum control and reducing the risk of pest resistance evolution. Approved in India in 2006. Bt cotton was India's FIRST and (initially) ONLY commercially approved GM crop. Roughly 95% of India's cotton acreage shifted to Bt varieties within a decade, dramatically reducing pesticide use against bollworms. However, pink bollworm has subsequently evolved resistance to Bollgard II, prompting calls for next-generation (Bollgard III, RNAi-based) technologies, and exposing GM-stewardship gaps. Distractors: (A) Clonal propagation — micropropagation, tissue culture; unrelated to Bollgard. (C) Plant growth substances — auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, ethylene; not Bollgard. (D) Biofertilizers — Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, mycorrhiza; not Bollgard. Source: NCERT Class 12 Biology Chapter 'Biotechnology and its Applications' / GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee) records / Indian Council of Agricultural Research.