Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important fruit vegetable, commercially cultivated in the tropics and subtropics. However, the most serious constraint on eggplant production is damage caused by eggplant shoot and fruit borer (ESFB). The development of resistant transgenic plants, using an insecticidal crystal protein gene, is an available crop protection option. A Cry1Ac gene obtained from the National Research Center for Plant Biotechnology (NRCPB), New Delhi, India, was transformed via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer into an improved inbred line of eggplant (IVBL-9). Hypocotyls proved to be the most effective and suitable explants, with a transformation frequency of 17.3% and 2.9 shoots per explant. PCR and Southern blot analyses confirmed the presence of a single copy insertion of the Cry1Ac gene in seven independent transgenic plants. The insertion of a single copy of the genewas also confirmed by segregation analysis of T1 seed from T0 plants. ELISA analyses revealed the presence of the Cry1Ac protein, and quantitative estimates confirmed significant levels of Cry1Ac protein (2.46 – 4.33 ng ml –1 leaf extract) expressed in all seven transformed plants. High levels of expression of this insecticidal protein resulted in significant larval mortality and in the reduced growth of any surviving larva on transformed eggplant tissue.