Recent interest in Bt biopesticides
The rise of agro-chemical industry after 1945 led to near elimination of BPC and led to excessive use of chemical pesticides. Later development of resistance in insects against chemical pesticides actually led to yield drops in crops like cotton. Consequently, alternatives to synthetic pesticides were sought during 1980-2000, although due to efforts for biodiversity conservation during 1990s, the efforts towards biopesticides slowed down.

The biopesticide market makes 5% of the total insecticide market, amounting to one billion US dollars. Production of biopesticides is 1,000 tonnes per year in USA and 2,000 to 3,000 tonnes worldwide, selling at the retail price of 10-25 US dollars per kg. Bt is registered for use against 90 different insects, as Bt formulations listed in. Bt can be used at any time, upto harvest, and is also used as a clean up spray before taking the produce to market. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Btl) is another strain of Bt isolated form Israel and extremely lethal to insects belonging to Diptera. This Btl strain will find increasing use in future. HLRC in Bombay is also working ob Btl formulations.