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Tectaria macrodonta, known colloquially as Kaali negro, is a fern from northeastern India that has been used in genetically modified cotton plants to make them more resistant to pests.

Distribution
Tectaria macrodonta is found in northeastern India, southwestern China,and in areas of Thailand and Malaysia.

Morphology
Tectaria macrodonta is a terrestrial spore-bearing rhizome fern.

Medicinal
Tectaria macrodonta is used in traditional medicine in its native India and China.

Genetic Engineering
A protein derived from Tectaria macrodonta has been inserted in genetically modified cotton plants to make them resistant to whitefly infestation. This protein, Tma12, is lethal to whiteflies in mean concentrations of 1.49 μg/ml, and interferes with life cycle development of the insect at lower doses. The researchers who discovered this protein noted that only ∼0.01% of a leaf's protein had to express Tma12 to make the plant resistant to whitefly infestation.