STAGE 1: Contained Laboratory and Screenhouse Trial (2004-2007)

The Contained Laboratory and Screenhouse Trial was done under contained facilities (BL2 and P2 Laboratory) under monitoring by the Department of Science and Technology-Biosafety Committee (DOST-BC).  The contained trial aimed to develop advanced lines of Bt eggplant with event EE-1 with the desired fruit traits, conduct genetic studies and assess the efficacy Bt against the FSB larva. The activities undertaken were population advancement and improvement through marker-assisted selection, heritability study, and laboratory efficacy against FSB.

STAGE 2: Limited Confined Field Trial (CFT) (2008-2009)

The limited Confined Field Trial was done at IPB Experimental Station, University of the Philippines Los Baños under the monitoring of the DOST-BC. The CFT aimed to a) assess the field efficacy of EE-1 against FSB, (b) evaluate the horticultural performance of BC₃F₁ lines possessing the EE-1 event, (c) determine the stability of the Bt transgene and its expression in the EE-1 event, and (d) assess the effect of the presence of the Bt transgene in the EE-1 event among non-target insects, common eggplant diseases, soil microfauna, and weeds.

STAGE 3: Multi-location Field Trials (MLTs) (2010-2012)

The Multi-location Field Trials (MLTs) were conducted at different sites in the country: Sta. Maria, Pangasinan, UP Los Baños, Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA), Camarines Sur, and University of Southern Mindanao (USM), Kabacan, North Cotabato.  The MLTs were under the monitoring of the DA-Bureau of Plant Industry following the regulatory procedures of the Administrative Order-8 (AO-8). This stage was performed to assess the field performance of the advanced Bt Eggplant lines. The MLT also generated empirical data on the safety of the Bt transgene to non-target organisms.

STAGE 4: Application for Direct Use as Food, Feed and for Processing (FFP)

The biosafety permit for Direct Use as Food, Feed, and for Processing (21-078FFP) was granted by the BPI Director on 21 July 2021.  The FFP biosafety permit is valid for 5 years and does not allow yet the field planting of Bt eggplant ‘EE-1’. The application for FFP was rigorously assessed by the interagency experts, namely, STRP-DOH, DENR, BPI-PPSSD, and BAI following the regulatory procedures of the Joint Department Circular -1 Series of 2016 (JDC-1) for the safety as food, feed, and processing and does not cause potential harm to humans, animals, and the environment.

STAGE 5: Application for Commercial Propagation & Registration of Bt Eggplant ‘Event EE-1’ as Plant-Incorporated Protectant (PIP) to the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA)

The long wait has finally ended with the approval for commercial cultivation of the borer-resistant Bt Eggplant (Event EE-1) in the Philippines on October 18, 2022. This regulatory approval came after strict and comprehensive biosafety evaluations conducted by the Joint Assessment Group comprised of representatives from Competent National Authorities-Biosafety Committees, and the certification of the Event EE-1 as a Plant Incorporated Protectant (Group 11A Insecticide) by the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority. With this landmark regulatory milestone, the Philippines becomes the second country in the world, after Bangladesh, to allow the commercial propagation of borer-resistant Bt eggplant.

The Bt Eggplant project hosted at the in the Institute of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños will not be possible without the technical and funding support from various local and international partners: Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Private Limited (formerly MAHYCO), Cornell University with funding support from USAID (through the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II and Feed the Future Eggplant Improvement Project), International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Sathguru Management Consultants, Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) and Bureau of Agriculture Research (DA-BAR), and the UPLB Foundation, Inc.