Development and Varieties
- India becomes the first country to develop rice varieties using genome editing technology.
- Developed by scientists from ICAR and allied institutions.
- Two new rice varieties announced:
- DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala): Derived from Samba Mahsuri.
- Pusa DST Rice 1: Derived from Maruteru 1010 (MTU1010).
Relevance : GS 3(Agriculture ,Science)
Unique Characteristics of the Varieties
DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala):
- Higher yield: 5.37 tonnes/ha vs. 4.5 tonnes/ha of Samba Mahsuri.
- Drought-tolerant and climate-resilient.
- High nitrogen use efficiency.
- 20 days earlier maturity, saving water, fertilizers, and reducing methane emissions.
Pusa DST Rice 1:
- Yield under stress: 3,508 kg/ha vs. 3,199 kg/ha of MTU1010.
- Tolerant to inland and coastal salinity, and alkaline soils.
- 9.66% to 30.4% yield advantage under various stress conditions.
Technology Used
- Employed genome editing techniques: Site-Directed Nuclease 1 (SDN-1) and SDN-2.
- SDN-1: Induces mutation without external guidance.
- SDN-2: Repairs gene with guided editing but without inserting foreign DNA.
- No use of SDN-3, which involves foreign gene insertion (true GMOs).
- Hence, these are not considered Genetically Modified (GM) crops.
Significance for India
- Addresses climate change-related stress: drought, salinity, pest resistance.
- Aligns with food security goals amid growing population and limited resources.
- Potential to reduce dependence on GM imports and improve domestic seed innovation.
Controversies and Objections
- Farmer backlash: Venugopal Badaravada (ex-ICAR governing body member) called the claims premature and demanded transparency and accountability.
- Expelled from ICAR after his remarks.
- Activists’ concerns:
- Alleged lack of field-level data and trials.
- Legal concerns over India’s deregulation of gene-edited crops.
- IPR issues: Fears of corporate control and erosion of seed sovereignty.
- Genome editing not necessarily precise or risk-free, per some scientific literature.
Regulatory and Legal Status
- Genome editing using SDN-1 and SDN-2 is exempt from GM crop regulations in some countries (including India currently).
- ICAR claims no foreign gene is present, hence no GM label.
- Supreme Court is still hearing a case on GM crop regulation; any precedent here could influence future approvals.
Next Steps
- Seeds to be available after regulatory clearance within 6 months.
- Large-scale seed production expected over 3 crop seasons.
