Application of the lectin and non-lectin genes in transgenic crops

Agricultural and horticultural crops are attacked by a number of pests, the most common of which are insect mites and nematodes, which cause damage to the plants both directly and indirectly via the fungal, bacterial, or viral infections they spread. Traditionally, agrochemicals (pesticides) were used to protect crops from pests, which had negative effects on crop yield as well as contaminating our air, affecting plant, animal, and human health. Transgenic crops that are resistant to major insect pests were one of the first achievements of plant biotechnology as a result of insects' ability to develop resistance to single insecticidal gene products. Plant with single insecticide bacillus thuringiensis and lectin genes with resistance to major pests of rice, Maize, Tobacco, and Cotton, made up the first generation of products. The objective of this review was to discuss the application, potential, and limitation of different insect-resistant genes in transgenic crops.